Lack of Mental Health Resources

[Angeleyes7715]

So I finally found out that my state, Arizona, ranks 50 out of 52 states/territories in the U.S.A for mental health care access. I knew it wasn't just me. It's literally impossible to get help here. Moving isn't an option.

I didn't get help until I landed in a state mental holding facility for being the "s" word. Anyway, even there they didn't do anything for me. Let me sit in a dirty room with dangerous mentally I'll people screaming at the to of their lungs for literally 11 hours. Then they brought around a psychiatrist who said why are you here. K we'll get u counseling, and okay u can go home.

I left with a list of referrals I had to ask for twice. None of the referrals took my insurance and although I lost my job and ended up qualifying for Medicaid it takes a month or more to actually get Medicaid started and few places even take Medicaid recipients here anyways.

Let's not forget the cop who put me there lied and said they don't charge for holding me there and I could leave whenever, well they charged my insurance because they said if I had insurance at all that meant I pay for it. If I didn't have insurance it would have been free smh.

They gave me literally no care. They took my vitals and that was it. I witnessed staff allowing mentally I'll people to fall on tile before they even helped them up.

Anyway, back to the referrals they have me. So I literally call every referral and no one can take my insurance, either that or self pay costs $200 per visit and I can't get an appointment for 3 months out.

Tried online counseling and it costs $250 per session.

It's outrageous.

Let's not forget the "s" hotline people constantly refer to.... I called it once for a friend. They put you on hold and the recording says I hope you ate still there when we answer. I kid you not. I thought it was a sick joke.

I honestly feel like the devil himself is in charge of the medical community at times. The way Drs and healthcare is run is evil. And i work and study in this industry...

I seriously want to report it to the media just haven't figured out when, where, or how because this stuff needs to be exposed it's sick.

As for my depression. It's bad. During my menstrual cycle it's at it's worst and has been getting worse as I get older during the time of the month. I am prone to crying fits. Even for no reason or on good days. I've tried 5HTP a seratonin precursor the one I bought said it was tested for peek x. Still, made my heart race and I woke up several times in the night feeling like my heart was beating fast in my chest so I stopped taking it. I also tried sam-e. This supplement just gave me extreme jitters like I drank too much coffee. So I stopped that.

I won't try St. John's wort as I've heard about it causing fertility issues. I try drinking chamomile teas and listening to positive affirmation videos. It helps when I'm feeling reasonable. When I'm in these crying fits and feeling "s" thoughts it doesn't help.

Coffee used to help calm me down. Now that I've become a regular coffee drinker it doesn't work anymore.

I started eating chia seeds cause it felt like it took the edge off the crying fits high in the precursor for serotonin... Anyway, I'm still not sure if this is helping or just a placebo effect.

Yes I pray and I feel like my environment has a little to do with it (emotionally abusive bf ) however I am unhappy with or without him and same with work. I suffer from this problem with or without a job. So now I don't believe those are the true causes.
. Now I really believe it's a chemical imbalance. With bipolar, schizophrenia, and manic depressive disorder running in my family it makes sense.

I used to drink coffee and get this euphoric feeling like everything was better even if I was having a crying fit. Doesn't happen anymore. I don't know what else to do about this frustrating health problem. I despise feeling miserable everyday.

What else can be done about this. CBT is a semi option as I don't feel like I am able to stick to it everyday. And have yet to find a program simple enough. I end up getting so down I give up.

Is there any help for this disease? Tired of the advice to find a counselor when non are available. Maybe I should just buy a book or something. Idk.help.

 

[blackribbon]

Get the appointment with a mental health professional...even if it is 3 months in the future. (sad but not that unusual because there are just not enough professionals available to match the need). In the meantime, try your ob/gyn since you said it cycles with your cycle. This doctor may be able to help you...if at the very least, until you can get in with the mental health provider.

Also, reconsider St John's wort as mild herbal treatment to help you until you can get better treatment. I would hope that you aren't trying to get pregnant right now while you are having issues and it doesn't cause long term issues with fertility (stop 3 months before starting to get pregnant). It would not be wise to get pregnant until this condition is under control for a period of time.

 

[Sarah G van G]

I have suffered with depression since I was a child (I am 44 now). It is always much worse pre-menstrual too. It is a terrible thing to be so tearful, distressed, disturbed and suicidal with no real explanation as to why.

I try to cling to Lord Jesus Christ in the difficult times. I will repeat the Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner) over and over in my mind. I find holding a rosary very calming especially in my sleep and if I wake I try to just repeat the Jesus Prayer so my thoughts can't start going off all over the place.

I found the book The Scars That Have Shaped Me useful. It made me think about the amount of lamentation in the Bible and how Jesus cried out in prayer to God, how Job suffered...how many people cried out in suffering and how suffering can bring us closer to God. Here is a link to a free PDF version https://document.desiringgod.org/the-scars-that-have-shaped-me-en.pdf?1498054609

As for medicines I have tried a few different anti-depressants over the years and gave up on them eventually. I learned to accept that I have a melancholic nature and even though that is not the cause of suicidal ideation or depression it doesn't help matters much. I learned to lean into suffering at times and just accept it ''Okay, I am suffering intensely, let me take it to Jesus'' and I will sometimes just cry and pray and cry and pray. Sometimes I find comfort in Psalms or Job, often the Bible is just too much for me in those moments.

Obviously avoiding triggers is important, I can't feed my melancholic nature with the kinds of music I am drawn to and it is not a good idea for me to watch depressing movies or read depressing books. Really, in the absence of decent medical intervention and counselling we have to have a lot of compassion for ourselves, take the issue very seriously for ourselves, manage ourselves, take care of and be kind to ourselves because nobody else is going to do it. Taking shelter in Lord Jesus Christ is everything, accepting His love for us, accepting His forgiveness, accepting His promises. Tumblr is great for comforting Bible verses, it is like a warm shower to me when I get home and need to decompress.

Well, I am going to pray for you now. I hope that you find a counsellor to help you. Maybe a Christian counsellor through a church could be at least a reliable listening ear. Oh, I almost forgot, I found REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy) useful. Not that I went to a therapist but the principles of it (which I learned online here and there) helped me get through some difficult moments. Maybe a book about that could help. I wish you all the best, dear.

 

[rturner76]

I am so sorry you are going through this. Not to get political right away but that's kind of the deal in those western and mountain states that believe in more freedom and less government. There are less laws that protect people with mental illness and hospitals don't have as many established standards to adhere to. Obviously there is nothing you can do about that so I'll just stop that tirade there.

Do you have access to a general practitioner? Even if you can't see a therapist or psychiatrist right now, a "regular" doctor is allowed to diagnose depression and prescribe an antidepressant. They won't have the expertise to know why to prescribe which one perhaps but they will follow a standard protocol of dosage and likely give you the one they are most familiar with.

Here is the website for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America website, specifically a page where you can do a search for depression support groups in your area. If nothing else a group may help you connect with other people who are going through similar symptoms and you can share your feelings or just listen. I have found it very helpful. The site also has a ton of other information about depression, anxiety, "s" prevention, and treatment options.
www.adaa.org/supportgroups

Then there is NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness
On the front page if you go to "Find Support" then "Living with a mental illness" on the side there are a bunch of different links to information and resources from "understanding health insurance" to "romantic relationships." They also have info about classes and seminars and well, you can checkit out if you want.
www.nami.org

I know this is getting long but bear with me for one more thing. There is a sort of way of using your mind called "the three principles" and it was invented by a guy name Syd Banks. It's this way of thinking where you have an understanding of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought and how they work together to create our experience and how we can use our understanding of them to change our perception. I just thought I would throw in some information about that. I learned about it in a group setting and it kind of changes my life or at lease the way I look at things. If they are selling stuff on the website, try to find it on youtube or somewhere else first. You can also see if they have meetings in your area. It's non religious but not atheist either. Just something to kind of sink your teeth into while you are working on getting a plan going with medical providers that can possibly help alleviate some intrusive thoughts if you are still having them.

God bless you, I'll be praying. I hope you stay in touch. I am always available by PM also if you need to reach out to someone at any time. I have had these thoughts and been through the hospital and medical system so I can imagine though only you know what you are going through,

 

[teresa]

Prayers

 

[Celticroots]

Don’t have much to respond with, but yes the mental health care system in this country is a joke. My therapist stopped taking my insurance after I was forced to switch to a new provider but worked with me so I could still afford to see her, even though I had to pay out of pocket.

 

[Tempura]

"Online therapy sessions" are 250 bucks a session? Just the thought that such things cost barely anything is maddening. Twice as maddening if you get nothing valuable in return. Almost unbelievable. I don't even want to think about it, I'm getting too angry.

But keep trying, can't tell you much else, I had to keep trying too - although I admit that things are so much better here. I have my problems with the system, and sometimes the treatment is crap, but it's still better over here.

If you have a paypal, I've got no problem giving you some money to help you out. Just PM me and I'll do what I can, no questions asked or crap involved. And don't worry if I don't respond right away even if my status is "online", I don't always remember to check this tab in my browser every day.

Said a prayer for you. Christ be with you.

 

[Celticroots]

I assume you're outside of the US?

 

[Tempura]

I assume you're outside of the US?

Me? Yeah, Finland.