Mental health thread

I’m not there yet but I can definitely see it coming up on the Trip Tik someday.

 

In my area, Jewish Family Service provides affordable insurance-accepted social services and mental health needs. Worth checking out, or a similar org, in a given area. Related Jewish Vocational Service offers free, extensive job search assistance. (You don't have to be Jewish, but then nobody's perfect.)

 

One thing I learned, trying to get help for one of my kids and using my insurance (BCBS of NC) was that a lot of the providers are more than willing to submit to your insurance, but the reason they aren't listed as a covered provider, which would make the process so much easier, is because the insurance companies have an onerous review process for approving providers. Often individual providers within each counseling group have to be separately approved. I spoke to more than one provider who had been waiting more than a year for a response from BCBSNC on their application to become approved.

We ultimately ended up paying out of pocket so we could get the ball moving and thankfully that provider's approval came through not too long after. Now everything is covered without a copay, which is great, but the first few months were a significant outlay and we're fortunate that we could make that work.

 

It helps if you are willing to do telehealth, as a stopgap if nothing else. But I totally get why that’s a dealbreaker for some.

 

I echo what others say. Contact your insurance for a list of in-network providers. Don’t trust the medical providers’ list of “accepted insurances” or any vague proclamations such as “we work with insurance.” That doesn’t necessarily mean they are in-network. Words matter when it comes to this. If you think your mental health is stressed out now, wait until you get a costly bill for out-of-network services you thought were covered in-network by insurance and are not.

And if your insurance’s in-network providers don’t have appointments or aren’t taking on new patients, ask your insurance for a larger list, or, if an out-of-network provider has openings, ask your insurance if they are willing to contact the provider to see if they’ll go in-network.

Good luck.

 

Absolutely do start by calling the mental health number on the back of your insurance card. Many insurance companies will happily screw you over if you don't.

My wife and I have been doing some couples work via telehealth, and it has worked well for us. Costs us nothing out of pocket, and we don't have to dress better or travel.

 

It's frustrating how if something's physically wrong with a person, they can get taken to a hospital for treatment, but if the problem's mental, it has to be a freaking crisis.

And then even if you CAN get a therapist, it's a crap shoot whether the person's going to be a good fit for you.

 

As soon as I saw you posted, I knew it was going to be something like this. I hate that you have had so much bureaucratic nonsense getting in the way of your son getting the help he needs, especially because I know stories like yours are no exception. They are the norm.

 

I miss the one I had that read Life’s a Beach and Then You Surf. I can only assume my parents were oblivious to the double entendre.

 

f_t! Where have you been? Seems like it's been, well...forever! It's good to see you jump back in here.

 

The waitlists are ridiculous. Still, be careful about claiming suicidal ideation or worse. Safety protocols vary from facility to facility. Some police were advising people to do that so they would be seen sooner. I took a couple of officers in to see the safe rooms and the restraints. I hope they thought twice about reflexively telling people in distress to say they were thinking of harming themselves.

 

I've known people who claimed to be suicidal that wound up spending a week or more in the psych ward. Be careful with that game.