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?
As for the church situation here: the big churches here are very against homosexuals/transgendered people. Even to the extent of campaigning to keep it legal to descriminate against such individuals in employment/housing/etc. I've even met a lesbian in college who had to keep her orientation secret from her landlord in order to avoid being evicted. Another time I met a church goer who didn't want let her kids attend a school that promotes acceptance and tolerance of LGTB people, brcause she thought that the school was teaching kids to be homosexual.
What I need right now is help finding available options for ways to get treatment that I can actually afford or even programs that will help provide individuals with the funds to pay for treatment.
yes, ive gone through common grounds 3 times now... and am going through them right now
the first time, it was great... i loved the therapist i was seeing, i tollerated my psychiatrist they assigned to me, and only saw my case manager a couple times... if i hadnt moved, i wouldnt have stopped
the second time, i went to a bigger, busier office, and my case manager was horrible... after a year and a half, she never assigned a therapist to me, and the psychiatrist just kept dumping more and more pills down my throat, and i hated them... also, they had me go get blood work done, promising to pay for it, and a year and a half later, i was still getting bills from the place... i ended up throwing my meds in their faces, literally, and screamed my way out the door (in front of everyone) about how horrible they were treating me
and now im back, at a different office, and its slow, but it seems to be ok... i saw a therapist and a psychiatrist and a peer counsolor right away... just wish things could move faster is all, but, im pretty impatient about such things, i freely admit
so, 2 out of 3 aint bad i guess?
the crisis line can give you all sorts of information about what they can do for you and where, they can help set up an appointment and at least around here, even set up transportation for you too
i would call them, tell them your situation, tell them your concerns, and see what they can do for you... calling them doesnt commit you to them, it just gives you the answers you've been looking for
i really do wish you nothing but the very best of luck
I can remember my parents going thru what must have been virtually every assistance organization like this that is available in this state. Over the years it reached a point where there didn't seem to be any they hadn't at least looked into and tried getting help thru. They eventually had to settle for a local or state program that helps by supplying funding for doctors/therapy (they were lucky enough to get my brother accepted before that program was forced to stop accepting any new applicants) and try different local therapists until they found ones that seemed to help.
The assistance organizations that they had to call up to communicate and work with to get assistance from particularly stand out in my memory. The experiences were like what you described for your second time, but amplified by having to interact with them by phone rather than in person.
I'll keep looking into whether or not Common Ground has a physical presence here or if they actually are one of those groups that has to be dealt with just over the phone in this state. If they're only available by phone in this state then that would more than likely mean that their branch that handles this state is one of the groups my parents/brother tried and had too much trouble getting help thru.
Wish me luck.