Reply #3: Hi all....just checking in again.. [View All]

Hiya Panther. I know you have some reservations about the mental health system. I respect your concerns and fears. I've heard some of your stories on the subject from other posts.

I read the article you posted. It sounds pretty hairy for that family and I'm very sorry about it. However, I am not against the mental health system, when it works correctly. I am sure I've posted before the story of HOW HARD it is for POOR people to get even the least bit of help when it comes to serious depressions. Can't even get "talk therapy" beforedrug therapy.

Our whole family suffers serious depressions and other various disorders that make life almost unlivable. Hubby has tried suicide three times. I thought about it on saturday. Life is just too damned hard and mean and hopeless sometimes. We are powerless to change our circumstances under this present regime. IF we are lucky enough to find a competent doctor to tend to our regular medical needs, they still won't send me or my daughter to the mental health facility for therapy. We can't afford private psych. therapy, nor private drug rehabs or anything else.

For YEARS we thought my oldest daughter had bi polar disorder but she couldn't get one ounce of help over the years through the county mental health system--until she ended up in prison where they said, "Yep" somethings wrong with you. Today we know she has Adult Deficit Disorder. She's trying to get through college with this distracted personality. She is hanging on pretty good but she CAN drive us crazy with her hyperness and non stop talking. She tried once again to get into the county mental health where they talked with her once...geezus god they HAD to SEE she is a mad hatter..but they gave her some antidepressant which did nothing for her. Then they told her she couldn't go back up there. I blew a fuse with the psych when it was my turn. Doors just keep slamming shut in all of our faces.

The only reason I got in at county was because I flipped out in front of my grandson's social workers. They made some calls and got me into the system. In our area Central coast Calif, a person using medicaid or medicare CANNOT use the county mental health facility for what the MD "considers routine depression" If a person wonders into the county MH for help in this case, they are kicked back to their MD (IF they have one). How in the HELL does an MD know one damn thing about psychiatric problems??? They don't. They push the pills that you mention in your article. Even then, if one is on medicaid, we cannot get the best of the medicines available..medicare/medicaid does NOT pay for them. I managed to bully my way past some of it and get a bit better treatment FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. The people who work at county mental health are good enough folks but they primarily focus on the worst cases, such as schizophrenia, physcotics etc. They refuse to treat people who just need some adjustments or add ons for their routine or not so routine depressions. Talk therapy can only last for X amount of time and then you are outta there.

If one has a deep depression along with say, anxiety and agoraphobia one still has to remain seeing a regular MD. MDs do NOT know how to assess someone like that nor figure out the proper treatment, nor will they spend the time trying to help. (Additionally I learned abruptly that regular MDs cannot prescribe certain classes of pyschotropics BECAUSE they are "merely" MDs. I was turned away by one pharmacy once because they said an MD wasn't allowed to prescribe whatever it was I was given. ????!!!! :banghead:

Hubby has bi polar disorder but in all the years he's used the county mental health service (because he's disabled he gets more services) they've never caught his disorder nor started treatment to help him. It's fucked up from your point of view AND from my end as well.

The bottom line is: I wish to hell I didn't have any depressions or health problems. I HATE taking pills and being ill. I wish there was some way to erase my misery without having to fight for help. Living in this current screwed up political climate where more and more services are being taken away, there's no wonder we are more deeply troubled than ever before. We are very fearful over our future and present circumstances. I'd start drinking but alcohol makes me violent. It occured to me there's no wonder so many poorer folks become dependent on DRUGS to ease their pain and fear.

Whadda country!!

Best to you SB :hug: