Mental health care needed....yet no insurance? Advice?

Question

Ok, so i have been diagnosed and treated for depression, anxiety, bipolar, and self mutilation. I'm 19 years old so my insurance has run out. I need care. I need to know if there are therapists or group therapies that don't require insurance and isn't outrageously over priced. I don't make that much money. But i seriously need help....it's starting to effect my life in ways that i cant let it. Pleast help.

Answer 1

Contact the county mental heath association.

You can do this through either a local Suicide Prevention Hotline or the county hospital. Once you enter that system they charge you based on your ability to pay. If you can't afford insurance then you won't get charged very much, maybe even nothing at all. You don't have to be suicidal to get into the system you only have to have a mental sickness that could cause yourself to do yourself injury OR to be a danger to others. Being bipolar is a well recognized mental condition that needs treatment.

I have been in the system myself and I can't claim it is the best in the world; think HMO. But, for the most part they tried to help me as best they could and even though I had a job I never made enough money that I was charged for my visits or medication. The big word to learn is patience.

Answer 2

I agree with the others - check with your county. I used to get county services. It was nice - a person would come to your home and give you some moral support and help you with your paperwork. Also, they can help you set up your pills if you need that. You sound like you do not need that much help, tho. But a social worker will know what resources are available locally.

Don't forget that lithium is really cheap - you can get it for $4 a month at walmart or Target. You should not be on an antidepressant if you have bipolar, generally speaking. That should be a last ditch thing. But prozac is only $4 a month, too. I think depakote generic is cheap too. I take lamictal too and chop my pills in half to keep that to $80 a month, but you can ask for samples, and maybe not ever need to buy any, or at least only have to buy some of the time.

Try a support group for free too. Go to Nami.org (national association on mental illness) They have groups in most cities, even smaller cities.

Keep track if you are having worse symptoms when you have PMS, especially the self mutilation. Then maybe you have 5 days you need to be tougher, or have friends/family come sit with you a few days, or sleep over someplace. In my county, you can go stay in a group home for a couple days if you need to and don't want to go to a hospital, and it is free if you have serious and persistent mental illness (i.e. bipolar, schizophrenia, major depression and borderline, some other things if very severe).

Good luck to you! I'm going to tack on my tips for managing bipolar - lots of stuff is free. Also, get some books at the library and read up.

Here are some things you can do that may make you feel at least a little bit better, most cheap or free:

If your depression seems to be more of a problem in the winter, try to get more sun. You could have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, or your depression could have a seasonal component, meaning you can get depressed other times of the year, but you tend to have more trouble in the winter. A light box is really good if you can afford one (about $300 online, don't get it at a local store, they will charge more for a light less than 1/2 as bright). It's a one time expense, unlike pills, but of course, if you're bipolar, you do need the pills.

Exercise more. Exercise is a natural antidepressant.

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! Hopefully your library will have some of these tapes.

Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes depression worse, MUCH worse!!

Try to regulate how much sleep you get. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Keep some routines, too. Helps prevent depression AND mania. Big time.

Do things that comfort you, or do things that distract you. Like take a bath, put on your favorite perfume, read a book, do a hobby. Do art - creativity is a natural for a lot of people with bipolar, and can be very healing.

The meds have only been partly effective for me. If I didn't do stuff like the above, I would be in an institution for sure. so please try some of these things, there is no harm in them, and they may provide some real relief for you.

Finally, if you are not near the poverty line, counseling is probably a good investment for you, insurance or no. I was in graduate school and didn't have much money and I still shelled out for counseling. A lot of americans seem to want to get medical care for free and not pay for it. If you can cancel the cell phone, cancel cable TV, sell off the expensive car and buy a cheaper one, whatever, then you SHOULD, and spend that money on counseling at a place that will charge a sliding scale fee. If you ARE poor, then maybe you are eligible for insurance through your state. Or you can look for a public mental health clinic.

I hope you can get the medical care and that you will make that a priority if you can possibly afford it. In leiu of that, those tips I listed first are quite helpful. As spring comes, you may be feeling better anyhow. ***Good luck!***

Answer 3

Community mental health clinics typically offer care with fees based on a sliding scale. Look up Mental Health services under your state, city or county and you should be able to find some answers. If not, contact a local hospital for a referral.

Answer 4

You can always look for a county mental health department, depending on the state and city you live in, you can get free to low cost services. Just do a local search for "Mental Health Department" and give them a call. They will be able to assist you with the services you need and support groups to help you through it. Your financial situation is not a problem... Good luck...

Answer 5

Go to your local county social services department. You can apply for low income health insurance. If you make too much money then there might be a share of cost fee.
If you are working see if there is medical insurance offered through your employer.
if you were on Social Security you would have medical insurance coverage too .

Answer 6

Most towns have a free mental health clinic. Look under local gov. in phone book should be able to find it there. If not call local hosp and ask them where it is. Good luck.

Answer 7

Most counties have a mental health department and they usually charge for their services on a sliding scale based on your income. Talk with them. I think that you would be able to handle their fees.

Answer 8

I would do a search for therapy or free therapy on metacrawler.com. I know that there are online therapists for free and some accept whatever you can afford to pay.

Answer 9

Go to Social Services for Medicaid..you'll qualify right away!