Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
I need suggestions and advice on how/where to find affordable professional treatment for my depression and other issues. These other issues consist of needing treatment for emotional/psychological abuse, PTSD and an adult attachment style issue stemming from these other problems.
I had a discussion going on about this for a while in one of the other groups and got some decent feedback. Unfortunately nothing particularly useful was turned up in that discussion. There were plenty of suggestions for services and payment types, but they all ended up either not being available where I am or being too expensive for me to afford (even with my insurance).
The state I live in has a high cost of living due to not directly bordering any other states, and our state government also has an unbelievably bad history with regards to helping the disabled, abused and mentally ill. For example: one of our previous governors refused to accept federal aid for helping the disabled/mentally ill, saying that the state will take care of its own, and then shortly after that the governor cut state funding to programs that assist those groups by about 2/3. As a result of this plenty of those groups couldn't afford to keep running and had to shut down.
On top of that, our state is also one of the states that refused federal aid to expand Medicaid and is refusing to expand it so that those who can't afford insurance can at least get Medicaid. (Remember, this state also has a high cost of living that the poor have to deal with.) Worse still is that most (if not all) of the therapists here apparently won't accept Medicaid anyways, due to it not paying them enough.
I only barely managed to qualify for the cheapest healthcare plan, but even with that insurance I can't afford much of anything. Since my income is so low and the cost of living is so high here I can't afford a place or apartment of my own unless I were to find a few other people to live with and contribute to the rent (which added to other expenses of living would leave me with virtually no money for therapy of any kind). This has meant that I have been continuing to live at home even after getting my college degree. Even if I were to get a better paying job (one with benefits preferably) I would probably have to find someone to share a place with in order to move out on my own. I've been working on applying for jobs, but so far it isn't going so well.
Back to the main issue here though, I need help finding affordable treatment options for someone in my situation. The folks in the other group who helped me with looking into this matter already discussed things like sliding scale costs and clinical therapists and these didn't pan out very well either. The median cost per session for clinical therapy in the US is around $60-65 and around $75 per session for clinical psychology according to the information I wad able to find. (The cost for those services is likely even higher where I live due to the higher cost of living.)
With regards to the sliding scale payment though, I'm not sure that would work out either. Primarily due to how little I can currently afford to spend on things like therapy. Also, if the doctors aren't wanting to accept Medicaid due to it paying them too little then I'm guessing they wouldn't be very keen on doing the sliding scale option with me given how little I could afford to pay them.
Another thing that was mentioned on the previous discussion was the possibility of arranging a deal with the therapist to possibly do some volunteer work at their office in exchange for lower costs for each session. I don't see this as working out well either. In order to continue qualifying for the insurance plan I currently have I have to work as many hours as I'm permitted to at my job. If I had to take off several hours each month to do volunteer work then I wouldn't be earning enough to keep my insurance plan, and then I wouldn't have any coverage at all since I wouldn't be allowed to get Medicaid due to the state not expanding it.
How am I supposed to get treatment if everything is so far outside my ability to afford?
Does anyone here have any suggestions or advice on this?
I had a discussion going on about this for a while in one of the other groups and got some decent feedback. Unfortunately nothing particularly useful was turned up in that discussion. There were plenty of suggestions for services and payment types, but they all ended up either not being available where I am or being too expensive for me to afford (even with my insurance).
The state I live in has a high cost of living due to not directly bordering any other states, and our state government also has an unbelievably bad history with regards to helping the disabled, abused and mentally ill. For example: one of our previous governors refused to accept federal aid for helping the disabled/mentally ill, saying that the state will take care of its own, and then shortly after that the governor cut state funding to programs that assist those groups by about 2/3. As a result of this plenty of those groups couldn't afford to keep running and had to shut down.
On top of that, our state is also one of the states that refused federal aid to expand Medicaid and is refusing to expand it so that those who can't afford insurance can at least get Medicaid. (Remember, this state also has a high cost of living that the poor have to deal with.) Worse still is that most (if not all) of the therapists here apparently won't accept Medicaid anyways, due to it not paying them enough.
I only barely managed to qualify for the cheapest healthcare plan, but even with that insurance I can't afford much of anything. Since my income is so low and the cost of living is so high here I can't afford a place or apartment of my own unless I were to find a few other people to live with and contribute to the rent (which added to other expenses of living would leave me with virtually no money for therapy of any kind). This has meant that I have been continuing to live at home even after getting my college degree. Even if I were to get a better paying job (one with benefits preferably) I would probably have to find someone to share a place with in order to move out on my own. I've been working on applying for jobs, but so far it isn't going so well.
Back to the main issue here though, I need help finding affordable treatment options for someone in my situation. The folks in the other group who helped me with looking into this matter already discussed things like sliding scale costs and clinical therapists and these didn't pan out very well either. The median cost per session for clinical therapy in the US is around $60-65 and around $75 per session for clinical psychology according to the information I wad able to find. (The cost for those services is likely even higher where I live due to the higher cost of living.)
With regards to the sliding scale payment though, I'm not sure that would work out either. Primarily due to how little I can currently afford to spend on things like therapy. Also, if the doctors aren't wanting to accept Medicaid due to it paying them too little then I'm guessing they wouldn't be very keen on doing the sliding scale option with me given how little I could afford to pay them.
Another thing that was mentioned on the previous discussion was the possibility of arranging a deal with the therapist to possibly do some volunteer work at their office in exchange for lower costs for each session. I don't see this as working out well either. In order to continue qualifying for the insurance plan I currently have I have to work as many hours as I'm permitted to at my job. If I had to take off several hours each month to do volunteer work then I wouldn't be earning enough to keep my insurance plan, and then I wouldn't have any coverage at all since I wouldn't be allowed to get Medicaid due to the state not expanding it.
How am I supposed to get treatment if everything is so far outside my ability to afford?
Does anyone here have any suggestions or advice on this?
http://commongroundhelps.org/
around here, they offer free mental health services and others... i hope they operate in your state...
theres a phone number at the top of that site, i would call them and ask
i hope so at least
Like I said, my state has a rather unpleasant history with this type problem. It also doesn't help that this state has the highest rates of rape and domestic abuse in the country.
@ Doglover: The local university isn't exactly very accommodating or flexible with how they provide those services to students from what I've heard. Plus, even if they did provide the services I need at an affordable price there is still the issue of their office hours not working with my hours at work.
Have you done any research on sliding scale therapists? I finally sought the information last year, and I am so grateful that I had. I really don't know where I'd be right now had I not made that decision.
Sliding scale therapists. They are usually people with their degrees and are working on gaining the hours before they can become state licensed.
there is also a thriving community health organization there
are you against a church run organization helping you out?
i understand your hesitation, most of us have some before going to do what we need to do... but in the end, we either need to do it, or find another way to get it done
i would at last look into some SAD lights if i were you
good luck
my free dr at easter seals has been liscensed for 42 years
you wont have to worry about that
you could also try calling the most expensive, well respected dr to the stars in your state and tell them whats going on, then tell them youre broke, and ask them where you could go
calling the number on the site i gave you can do the same job
a journey of a thousand miles starts with 1 step... it seems to me (forgive me if im wrong please) that youre trying to talk yourself into taking that first step, and hoping we'll help you... but its really difficult when you keep coming up with reasons not to
we cant make you do it, only you can do that...
As for the religious organizations, I'm not particularly comfortable with them. Despite what one might expect, they have a history of not always being the best places to turn for healthy support if you're an abuse victim. Especially when they're the types of religious organizations we have here in this state (many of which are the very bigoted type). I'd prefer not being around the types of people who are some of my big triggers.
Also, I have used a SAD light for a while. It helped a little during winter, but it's a virtually no use in the summer since the sun never goes down this time of year.
Like I said before, the social services in this state are pretty bad. A recent court case found the state's handling of that area to actually be close to criminally incompetent/negligent (if that gives you a better idea of how bad it is).
Every shelter in the city is constantly filled beyond capacity with people who can't afford the treatment/therapy they need.
I've actually gotten desperate enough at times that I've looked into the options available thru the local mental hospitals directly and the cost is even worse if I were to go that route.
Actually going to and seeing a doctor/therapist about these issues I'm facing doesn't really bother me. I've already been seeing one for numerous years now for just my ADD.
The problem is that I need help finding ways to afford to see one specializes in these other issues I have so that I can get those treated. Even the one I go to is a bit expensive (even with insurance) and I only see them maybe twice a year in sessions that last about 10-20 minutes.
My brother, on the other hand, has been seeing therapists for various other issues for many years now. It costs him hundreds of dollars per session, but luckily for him our parents were able to get him into some of the programs that assist with those costs before they started shutting down and/or closing their doors to new applicants.
you really dont seem to like the state you live in anyway, or anyone/anything in it
would be curious to see what kind of "very bigoted churches" you have there... i know a lot of people that live there and not one of them has complained about the churches there, and they arent bigoted at all...
but thats neither here nor there... whats important is getting the treatment you need... and if you really cant find it there, then perhaps its time to move?