[seventyeight]

my insurance is changing, and tomorrow in session my therapist and i have to fill out some new forms. the insurance company is requiring a more extensive report on my "condition," and my therapist told me on the phone today that if we move forward with this - we're going to have to come up with a more "impactful" diagnosis so that they continue to allow treatment (as opposed to the general/vague diagnosis that we've been putting on the forms to date). everything we do is truthful, it's just a matter of how much information we are sharing with the insurance company. my therapist likes to keep things as vague as possible so as i'm not hindered down the road by the diagnosis.

my questions are these:

a) can one really be "hindered" by a diagnosis? isn't this information private?

b) i'm pursuing a career in psychotherapy myself; if there is something (like this) on my "record" could it be detrimental in the long run?

any feedback, links, or more information would be great. thank you in advance.

My insurance company knows my diagnosis, but I've never run into that information being shared with anyone else. The only people who know my diagnosis beyond that are family, close friends, and a few co-workers on a as needed basis. I've personally never been discriminated against or "hindered" due to my diagnosis. It happens though.

As far as you psychology degree, I have no idea what impact your diagnosis will play on that.

[PTSDlovemycats]

I really don't think that you can be hindered by a diagnosis. As for a record I think it would only be with your insurance. I could be wrong but I don't think that anybody else has access to that.

[WePow]

I have heard that it could impact future insurance stuff... but I think it is treated just like any other medical condition.

[Fartraveler]

I think it can possibly affect security clearances, if you plan to work in that kind of area.

[seventyeight]

no, but like say i wanted to be a therapist.. how might it effect that?

[lastyearisblank]

Not at all! Your patients or school will never know if you don't choose to disclose, and many therapists have been in personal therapy.

[seventyeight]

even if it was a really super "serious" diagnosis? (which it's not, but i still want to cover all my bases.)

does anyone know where i could get more information on this?

[Fartraveler]

Why not ask your therapist?

[seventyeight]

i have, she doesn't seem too sure either. she's worried about it, as am i..

[skeksi]

As far as I know, the chief concern is when you are applying for high-intensity jobs. As part of governmental background checks, they always ask you--and your friends and family--if you have sought psychiatric or psychological care, and you are obligated to be honest. What they make of your disclosures depends, I guess.

There is no requirement that you be free of mental diseases or disorders to practice as a therapist. Of course, you have a moral obligation to your clients to be healthy so that you can help them most effectively, but being in therapy really works toward that end, don't you think?

The biggest concern I would have is whether this diagnosis will become what insurance terms "a pre-existing condition." Sometimes, when you get new insurance, the company declines to cover you for a pre-existing condition, which would mean they wouldn't pay for therapy. For example, I have asthma, and every time I get a new insurance company, I have to disclose this (they've always covered me). It's not practical, though, to delay or stop treatment based on a worry that a company might do this at some unknown point in the future.

What you and your therapist might do is agree on another diagnosis that better describes your problems but that might be general enough for you to avoid worrying about future stigma or insurance conflicts.

[inbloom]

I deal with insurance and have never had any issues whatsoever with it impacting my personal or professional life, and I have a job where extensive back ground checking was done.

The only thing that it may affect is other insurance stuff. For example, when I went to get life insurance, they reviewed my file and charged me more because of the issues that were documented.

Hope this helps!

wAlthough I have more than one diagnosis, my T reports my diagnosis to my insurance company as "PTSD", which IS one of my diagnoses, and which is one of the diagnoses that is covered for unlimited visits.

He said that he reports the PTSD because it is "time-limited", so won't seem like there is some kind of life-long, untreatable condition that my insurance company is going to have to deal with.

Not sure if that helps or not!

[seventyeight]

hi treehouse, replying to your other thread reminded me that i never got back to you on this one and i meant to. i wanted you to know that i totally took your advice, and suggested to my therapist the ptsd diagnosis (as it's also relevent in my case), and she agreed and that's what we submitted! i wanted to thank you for that wonderful suggestion, i was granted another 20 visits out of it

[Suratji]

Originally Posted by seventyeight

no, but like say i wanted to be a therapist.. how might it effect that?

Ask your T

[jexa]

It will not affect you as a T. Maybe in government jobs where you provide psychotherapy (like at a VA) MAYBE.

Even then the question will more likely be, have you ever been hospitalized for a psychiatric problem. They may also ask if you have any conditions that may affect your work, and you should be honest.

But NO they cannot know your diagnosis!!! That is your private medical information! It's not like committing a crime! A future boss might ask in an interview if you've ever been in therapy - don't worry if they ask, just plan an honest but not overly revealing answer for this question.

By the way, most Ts have had some diagnosis over their lifetime. If Ts got screened out by these criteria, we'd have a serious shortage of mental health providers. Even more problematic? If receiving a diagnosis hurts your career, people would stop seeking services! I'd rather a T who knows their problem and sought help than a T who won't admit something is wrong!!