Special Focus Article: Mentally Ill Lifestyles
Mental Illness is a state of mind. Or is it?
Why do the mentally ill suffer? Maybe because they are so sick they don’t know what’s what or if they know what’s what they cannot navigate the system to get the help they need. I for one am mentally ill and cannot seem to acquire the care that I require for my existence. Have you ever tried going through state or local programs to get a psychologist or psychiatrist? I’ve been waiting over six months to get an appointment. Did I mention I’m on a fixed income so even the copay at $30 to $60 dollars may be cost prohibitive? Some doctors even want more than that per visit. I also have to fight my insurance, which is private/governmental, and I’ve discovered basically covers nothing in the area of mental illness.
I am told, now, by the third doctor that I have seen in two years, that practitioners in the psychology field are navigating away from government insurance (Medicare). Why is it I am awarded a meager income and health insurance, but cannot find the ones in the medical field to stick with me to help keep me well? I am always on the defense it seems to find a new doctor with the hope that I can get along with that doctor, so that I can continue with treatment and not have to go fishing for a another doctor; not to mention wait another half a year.
For me to continue my care, I have to wait 4 to 5 months to see a doctor, if I am lucky, in the state system. I have to see a social worker first then wait about a month or two to see the doctor for fifteen minutes to get the prescriptions that I need for my illnesses. This is of course, to just see the psychiatrist. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get in to see a doctor to just sit and express a train of thought.
I am acutely aware of how ill i have become, but lack the ability to move past this point so that I can move on with my life. I tried again to do things as a “normal” person would do to progress in their life. I went back to school and that didn’t work, I moved and tried to go to work and failed again. This would appear to be negative thinking so instead I gear myself to positively think about just raising my daughter.
I hope you readers will bear with me while I try to blog about things dealing with mental illness and the unfairness of situations. However, my thoughts and writings may or may not make any sense at times. In future articles I will delve into detail about the ridiculous self defeating nature of the broken governmental medical care system that is in place for people like myself.
