Cost of Help is Just too Damn High

Just like the title says. I've struggled for almost two decades with the issues I have .... collected... over the years and mental health treatment, sadly, hasn't ever been on the top of my priorities list. I've never made a lot of money and when it comes down to an overpriced shrink who's going to charge me 100$+ a session for help that never really works and give me a rx for pills that are 100-400$, depending on what insurance wants to cover that year, I go with car payments and grocery money every time.

The issue with this is that it gets to the point where I can barely think straight let alone sleep, work, or exist without my brain running amuck and driving me insane. I despise the thought of having to pay for this ******** because it only helps out a fraction of what's wrong and really, all it does, is leech me of money I need for other things. For example, beyond the essientals like rent, food, gas, insurance, I've spent most of my saved money on medical bills and a computer. In 10 years of saving money, an ER visit and a computer (which is needed for work) is all I've managed to show for anything. So when the question of sanity and managing it comes into play it's hard to cough enough for even a fraction of the help I need.

The only thing I've heard of for any actual help in this matter is that through the proper doctors I can get mental health help and medication through a primary care doc however finding one that accepts my mandatory obamacare crap insurance is damn near impossible to the point of having to travel a good ways (100 miles or so) before I can find one that will accept anything for so much as a shot at help. This is some serious ******** just to feel like my own brain isn't trying to kill me. Not I've got to pretend the real world isn't out to get me as well.

Hello NesterJones: I see this is your first post here on PC... so... welcome to PsychCentral... from the Skeezyks! I hope you will find what it is you can to PC searching for.

Personally, I'm not in the difficult position it sounds as though you are in. However, my spouse & I are retired & on a fixed income at this point. So I'm very conscious with regard to spending money that doesn't really need to be spent. About a year ago, I guess it was, I changed health insurance providers. At the time I had been on the generic equivalent of Cymbalta for a couple of years, I guess. When I changed insurance coverage, the out-of-pocket cost skyrocketed! So I got off of the medication.

I continued to see my pdoc every 3 months, for a while, just to check in. But, after a while, I decided this was also an expense I didn't need. So now I'm only planning to see him once a year, just to keep my foot in the door, so to speak. I also don't see a therapist. I've tried a few in the past. They were never that helpful & I just can't justify the expense. So, as a result, I'm just gutting it out from one day to the next. I guess some people get really beneficial help from their mental health providers. But my experience has been that it's just all just marginal help at best that mostly just drains my bank account.

Hi NesterJones! Welcome to PC. It sounds like you're really stressed and feeling caught between a rock and a hard place.

I don't know how your finances are, so the following may not apply to you. Have you tried going through patient assistance programs? This was a great program for me when I couldn't afford my meds. https://www.pparx.org/. It covers multiple pharmaceutical companies. There's a thing for finding low cost care, too.

Hopefully you'll be able to get on some meds that'll help you feel better.