paying for therapy and meds?

[justanotherperson]

Hi. I just made an account here earlier. I live in northern Arkansas, United States. I'm almost 18 and I'll be living on college campus in 7 months. My parents are very emotionally & verbally abusive and it's worsened as the years have gone by. I hide from them as much as I can b/c they're truly terrifying. I can't talk to another adult b/c I know them well & they would shame me for the rest of my life if I did & I know I wouldn't be able to bear that. I just want them to love me, but realistically, that's not gonna happen. I've started thinking about not living anymore & been hurting myself in recent months. When I'm in college & get a part-time job (which I've never been allowed to have) I want to get a psychiatrist for therapy & medication. But I'll have to pay for it all myself... Probably at minimum wage..would this even be financially possible? I don't even know how much psychiatrist sessions & antidepressants cost

[BonnieSue]

Today's psychiatrists are usually not educated as therapists, only in diagnosing and medication management. That means there are a few who can do it all. The good news is that counselors who aren't PhDs charge less than a psychiatrist would and can be found working under the umbrella of a church and charging fees with a sliding scale according to your income or lack thereof. You don't have to belong to their church or believe in God. Other counselors charge higher fees and work out of offices separate from churches.

Your part time job may pay for all of these services. Regarding hurting yourself: here are 2 numbers to call when you think about that: 1.800.273.8255 and 1.800.784.2433.

Call them instead of hurting yourself. Counselors are at the other end to talk to you. It may be hard to make the call, but force yourself to pick up the phone and make the call. You'll be glad you did.

Be prepared to have some trouble being accepted as a patient because you're paying cash. It's strange, but true. Offices/doctors like you to have insurance, not cash. Maybe if you pay the cash the day you are allowed to make the appointment and pay before you ever physically come in to see the doctor they will allow you to make an appointment, I don't know. It's a strange business. Try to see if you can get some kind of insurance, maybe through the college.

There are discount cards for drugs for people who don't have insurance so ask a pharmacy about how to get them and also ask what drug companies to call to ask if they will give you a break on prices. Some do. You can also do a search on your computer for drug discounts and discount cards.

Lastly, I think you know you're very depressed and not thinking clearly when you want to hurt yourself, right? You have quite a few months to get through before you'll get to see a psychiatrist on your schedule. Is there any way you can see one sooner? You really need to get started on an antidepressant now. This is very important because you want to die and hurt yourself and that's no good, in fact it stinks! Depression is doing your thinking, not you! Depression lies to you and you're falling for the lies! This has got to stop! Think! Who can help you get to a psych Dr.?? Pay for it?? You need someone! A relative?? A good neighbor? Who??

I've been severely depressed and now I'm fine, but I know where you are and it can't continue. You can feel good and I want that for you. You are living in an extremely toxic environment and you need help NOW! You need to move out now, too. Where can you go to get the help you need? Who can help you?

[Hidden]

You are a very strong person trying to make the best of a bad situation and I applaud your efforts. During this time at home, utilize all the free podcasts and webinars that ADAA (adaa.org) has as well as the many other groups (NAMI) and blogs (heysigmund.com). Also consider the many mental health apps out there now (ADAA has a listing of some). Once in school, many colleges have 10 free sessions with a therapist through their mental health clinic on campus so be sure to check into that. You CAN do this - it will just take a lot of proactive work. But you've already shown yourself to be proactive by coming to this site. Keep it up!

[Justme28]

GoodRx and WellRx .. they are apps that give you codes and discounts for medications. Check it every time you get a prescription or refill, so that you are using the most current code.

[Muirwoods]

I hope you will reach out to the school that you are going to for help. They should have some very good resources for you at low or no cost. Best to yo

Mw

[Mooney621]

Hi

I hope u are OK. U can talk to me if you like . I am a mother of 2 young men . One 22 years and one 28 years . I would hate it if my boys were speaking like this . If I can help you I will . You are too young to be feeling like this on your own . Please speak to ur Doctor or someone you trust chick x

[eve125478]

I live in Arkansas..you can talk to me. Apply for Medicaid--then your therapy and medicines are free!