can't find care

having such a hard time finding care I'm seriously thinking about checking myself in. I need my meds fixed and I can't see my provider due to my bill. I've never been at the hospital for this before. can anyone offer their experience or insight? hope you all are well

My heart goes out to you ghostsinthehouse. I can't imagine how scary it is right now. I feel if you are in need of meds and feel you are spiraling, I going ip is a good idea. I have never been there since I have been diagnosed. Luckily where I am they have a clinic that does sliding fee. Have you seen if something like that exists around you? May a breakthrough happen for you. Wishing the best for you.

Sorry you're struggling and can't see your provider. What exactly is the bill issue though? Do they not take insurance or is a copay too much right now? Just wondering how IP would be affordable but an outpatient visit wouldn't if you need a med tweak. Of course, please do go to the hospital as soon as you can if you are a safety risk!

Not sure where you are, but some alternatives I've done to being hospitalized are crisis apartments, partial hospitalization (usually you will see their med provider there at least once, more if they change your meds), IOP (I went to an adolescent one who had a med provider who was on top of shyt, but I think seeing a prescriber at an IOP is rare), and there's been a couple times I've just gone into the ER for "Ativan and chill" and was sent home a few hours later. Some places have psych ERs too if you can't see your provider soon enough, although I'm not sure what exactly "more" or "better different" those do than a regular ER other than of course you won't be competing with MVA patients for seeing someone (but again, there are none of those around here so I'm clueless as to what actually happens). If it's your pdoc you can't see, do you have a primary care provider/general practitioner that might be able to help (I'd personally only do that if I knew what exactly I needed med wise and that they could and would provide, but I just have a PA that I've seen twice and wasn't super impressed).

Hope whatever you do works out okay. I've been inpatient in NH 30ish times and Massachusetts probably 4, so if you have any specific questions about the process or experience, I probably have an answer from experience.

@Frog4Life it is scary and I don't know what kind of clinic I could go to honestly I'm in Connecticut. Everything is so expensive I have my current meds but I feel not well most of the time. on the verge of panic and rage. thank you for understanding

@MuddyBoots I have a bill of about 800 racked up and they won't let me schedule a sooner appointment or even send my provider a message without paying. she told me to settle my balance and I wanted to lose my ****. I just saw my provider for like five minutes the week before and I wasn't honest so he didn't change anything. I need to be on a mood stabilizer and I asked for that a year ish ago when I started seeing him and he put me on antipsychotics instead. I want to go back on lamictal or go through with his suggestion of lithium. I'm in so much debt but I mostly have a handle on it. closed credit cards and am doing debt management through green path. I honestly would probably add it to my green path account and pay it off weekly very slowly. but I do have insurance which I'm grateful for. I'm doing a little better today than last night I have an appointment with a new pdoc tonight online I really hope this goes well because then I can reevaluate. sorry for the long winded ramble. thank you for that offer though. I don't know if there any way I can seek an alternative program without going to the er. I don't have a primary I can contact right now unfortunately.

so i hope this appointment goes well tonight
thank you both

Hope your appointment goes well

Do they have an urgent care for psych issues you can go to?

@victoriasMom There is an urgent care down the street I could go to and see if they can help

I'm sorry about the debt @Ghostsinthehouse. I don't know about your insurance situation but here are some numbers with mine. We have insurance through my husband's work, I think payment for is like 20% of the cost, insurance pays 80%. That being said, my last two hospitalizations were around $2000 and $1200 out-of-pocket respectively. Stayed about a week each time. The more expensive one though, I had a seizure (turned out to be psychogenic, not epileptic) but I guess looked enough like epilepsy that they took me via ambulance to a medical hospital for a day for tests and observation and then rules were I had to ride back to the psych hospital via ambulance too, H couldn't drive me. I was hospitalized twice by the county before having insurance and not working even then one time they claimed I still owed over $1000, but I refused to pay it and after so many years, they just wiped it off the books.

@Blueberrybook thank you I'm also sorry for yours but I'm glad they wiped it off the books. medical care is too expensive. my deductible is 2000 and im almost there for the year but there's about a week left and that's it. I think it said something like 10% I have to pay but I'm. not exactly sure how it works. it is my own plan so I should be better informed but I always forget every time I start to understand. I just run from my bills lol trying to pay what I can but its rough out here

I'm sorry you're struggling so much. I hope your appointment goes well and you can get what you need.

@June08 thank you for that. my appointment went decent. at least I can send her messages whenever I need to instead of mindful cares system that doesn't let you directly contact. she prescribed Latuda and I pick it up today. I can stay on my lexapro too and no more abilify. abilify could be causing my current anxiety level

Fun fact (just because you said Connecticut which people from outside New England can argue is in New England): The psych unit at Mass General in Boston has a decent sized fish tank (if I remember correctly. I might have been sent there after being at the actual aquarium though)

but I'm glad the appointment went well and hopefully the med changes work their magic!