Is there such a thing as a union/ government organization for people with mental disorders?

[IvanBlue]

I found myself wondering this today after looking into options for unemployment. I am a freelancer currently and am finding that my quality of life greatly diminishes and my anxiety/depression/adhd/cptsd seems to comorbidly work together to make me feel like I'm absolutely sunk and not able to make good decisions or choices. It is incredibly isolating. Most people would probably tell me to go to therapy. Well... most good therapists don't actually accept insurance, and insurance itself is oftentimes a benefit through a salaried job. I have to pay privately and have chosen mediocre packages due to that being all I could afford. If i go ACA cheap, I am pretty limited in options and am likely constricted to an HMO program that guess what, will not be covered if I go to a specialist outside my limited network. So here I am, here you all are, here WE all are experiencing a seemingly well studied and long trodden brain phenomenon (ADHD) that quite often works in tandem with other chemical and brain disorders.

I guess what I am asking here is, since I must do all my own research, find my own therapists and treatment options, deal with the months of trial and error with dialectical behavior therapy, medication, and constantly searching for executive functioning improvement resources...

Why the hell is there not just organizations that can provide a safety net? So much of what I mentioned is so costly. I cant get a therapist in my area that is qualified to give advice or treatment (EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Executive Functioning coaching) without spending like 175$ per session and praying i get an f'n claim consideration to cover at most 40% of the cost. Am I just destined to pay a fifth of my earnings to trying to decode and unlock how my brain naturally is? This sucks. Surely if there was some type of union to pay dues to which provided good resources, classes, coaching, options, loans, and was pipelined into insurance that made sense, maybe we all wouldn't be at the mercy of trying to navigate this shitshow healthcare market.

Is anybody feeling me? What do you guys do to address the issues of finances and job insecurity? I may never get my executive functioning at standard level, as much as Gary Vee pushes me to be some type of capitalist megamogul, I am starting to realise I'm fighting against my own chemical makeup like 3/4 of my waking life. Maybe we should just be apart of an organization that looks after each other instead of carrying on like there isnt constant hurdles/ self sabotaging going on.

[Blue_186281_red]

I hear you. The system is fucked and there'll be violence way worse than BLM before we see Democrats who actually resemble their rhetoric. Personally, I'd be self defeating and boycott insurance, but my wife is smart and has a real job so I'm covered by her whether I like it or not. That's not enough though - She saw that ADD was the problem when I didn't AND she had a co-worker who was followed by a RARE adult ADHD oriented therapy center.

Our insurance isn't much better for psych care, but the place I'm going can bill. I'm a nurse, and don't get insurance's arbitrary rules, but I know billing requires justifying care based on a Diagnosis so I imagine they are using very specific insurance qualifications and medical documentation to qualify as more than just therapy. I know some people come from far away because their service is so rare. BUT (I originally just wanted drugs) I finally asked for a therapist, thinking it would be more occupational therapy like the school homework therapy I got as a kid and she is more like a shrink you'd imagine from watching Monk. Don't get me wrong, I'm F'ed in the head; but the unbearableness is cuz I can't get myself together as an economic entity. I think she's bullshitting her ADD knowledge. I ask her for tools to organize and stop forgetting and she tells me to practice mindfulness and implement a routine. IF I COULD DO THAT I WOULDN'T ASK! ADD is such an economic money pit, it is odd that there are not people in power who see the value in funding therapy. It has the black mark of psychiatric disorder so... we can FOAD out of principle, regardless of preventable harm to the tax base.

Sorry I don't offer a solution but I'm hopeful of change. I think people are looking at their economic lot with corporate profits and the phrase "essential worker" burning a hole in the back of their mind. The news is full of angry, broke, dying people and Biden is blatantly looking for excuses to ignore his populist platform while he sweeps the railroad strike under the rug till after the election. I've been jerking off thinking about forming a union, but I work out of my car and am an introvert and just can't work up the courage to reach out. if you're braver than me check out organizing.unitworkers.com/... I'm supposed to be looking for a job right now but the prospect makes me want to curl up and hide.

[BlessedLady]

Medicaid is a safety net. There is SSI for those that are so disabled they cannot work, have no work credits and are poor. SSI is also a needs based program. For those with no insurance. There are free and low cost clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and public teaching hospitals. I agree there is not much quality but these are programs paid for by taxpayer dollars

[BluebirdAbove]

Hi, the insurance and safety net systems are indeed complicated, sparse, and unfair- particularly that insurance is tied to salaried employment and full disability / Medicare seems hard to qualify for unless you have something cancer. The best in my experience is if you can find a job (not saying it's easy) and then get a reasonable accommodation to protect your rights for different ways of working due to ADHD.