That's about the shape of it. While everybody was yammering about Anthony Weiner's dick again Monday (yes, yes, us too, but come on, it's a made for Wonkette story!), Hillary Clinton's campaign went and released a pretty darn comprehensive proposal for integrating mental health care with medical care. The fact that it hardly got any press suggests that we are all really superficial, but we're going to just count that as a thinking error and not beat ourselves up over it, which won't do any good at all. The important thing is that we're covering it now, and that's OK. Fortunately, we were reminded today that of the two presidential candidates, one has released a mental health care policy proposal, and the other has been praised by a licensed psychiatrist for
It should be covered as a medical issue. I've had an issue with one eye my whole life and it's billed as medical and covered. The glasses for the good eye aren't covered.
Which is why I explicitly stated I'm not against improved services and for treatment for those who wanted.
I was speaking from a place of trauma more than anything.
And the involuntary commitment was because I was suicidal from withdrawing from an atypical antipsychotic that at the time was being marketed as a supplement for major depressive disorder.
I think the health insurance industry should just go away. It's not really even insurance anymore, it's managed health care with a middleman skimming 20%. It would be significantly cheaper for me to just pay for annual checkups and preventive care and have insurance to insure than to pay for insurance against having to go to the doctor once a year for a checkup.
I'm getting the distinct feeling you just like getting really fucking angry, seeing as I said in the post you are replying to, as well as my others that I'm not opposed to people getting access to care, and if anything improved funding for county mental health centers would have probably spared me the horrors of a stay in a shoddily run for-profit nuthouse and over a decade of side effects, withdrawals, early signs of tardive dyskinesia, and cognitive impairment.
Unless and until you have a really expensive thing go wrong, such as an ongoing chronic condition, or major surgery. The point of insurance is to pool the risk and the cost across the whole population. It's one of those things that - when done right - is a civilized and community-oriented concept.
The problem is the profit motive. But of course, making a highly profitable industry zero itself out is not easy to do. Obamacare is the first step. Expanding Obamacare, and Medicaid, is step 2. Also, forcing semi-monopolies like big health insurers to participate in Obamacare. Adding mental-health coverage and, yes, dentistry, is step 3. Then we expand Medicare. Eventually we get to single-payer.
But unless we can deliver a massive veto-proof Dem majority in both houses of Congress and keep it that way for more than 2 years, we cannot magic handwave a nonprofit health-care system into existence.
That was my point. Insurance is to pool risk of a catastrophic event. That's not what it is any more and I can't actually buy insurance, I have to buy into a health plan that wants to pay for all the things that I'm perfectly able to pay for.
Wow. Talk about your perfect storm. Doctors who, instead of saying, "I don't know what this is. Let me do some research and see if we can figure this out.", think, "I don't know what this is so I'll assume it's something else and treat it that way." and wind up making matters worse; being on a cocktail of meds when no-one really knows how they'll interact; doctors simply not listening to what their patients are telling them.
I do know that suddenly stopping your meds is a BIG mistake. I learned early on that taking, stopping and changing meds is a gradual process. When I finally told my last shrink that this was my last visit, that I was tired of wasting time and money on utterly ineffective treatments and medications, he prescribed a gradually decreasing dosage so I wouldn't go cold turkey. I've lost hope of ever being relieved of this burden. In talking with an American psychiatrist here, we figured out that there were no external reasons for my depression. My personal research has narrowed it down to the hypothalamus, which apparently hates me. My mom told me once that at around six years of age my behavior changed, going from and outgoing, happy-go-lucky kid to being shy and withdrawn. Makes me wonder if some sort of biological switch flipped. So I'm left with months-long bouts of deep depression, almost complete loss of appetite, sudden grief-like sadness, a hair-trigger temper which leads to self-loathing, excessive dreaming, negative ideation and, yes, anhedonia. Add to that a great, steaming helping of agitation, and boy howdy, ain't we got no fun. So it goes. As with you, my experience with meds has led to a complete distrust of them. About the only thing in my favor is that I'm a life-long tee-totaler and non-user of recreational pharmaceuticals.
Japan has made strides in the mental health field and public awareness is increasing, but the stigma is still there. On the plus side, Japan has an excellent national health plan, so drugs and doctor visits don't bankrupt my wife and me. I've had surgery for cataracts and to remove some skin cancer that would probably left us destitute in the States, but was very affordable here.
Anyway, things that are happening in the States that I wish were happening here are transcranial direct current stimulation and brain implants for the 20% of us for whom nothing else works.
So I live from day to day and try my best to make it through the day. Too bad you're there and I'm here. I'd like to sit down and talk with you. Oh, well. Take care and good luck.
Don't worry about posting personal things here. Wonketeers snark where necessary, but are generally empathetic otherwise.
I have a couple of questions about the absolutely shitty 'treatment' you received. What was the time frame of this horrorshow and did the doctors have actual training in recognizing and treating the myriad forms of mental disease? What you describe looks like something out of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.
To me it looks that you're overgeneralizing from your treatment to mental health care as a whole, particularly in your worry about "the weakening of protections against malpractice, patient privacy laws, and the increase of the ease in psychiatric incarceration". I just don't see these as happening.
I speak as one who has had to deal with chronic clinical depression most of my life, including one suicide attempt and concomitant hospitalization. I've been through a number of well-meaning shrinks, had ECT, and have forgotten how many different types of meds I've taken, none of which had the effect they were supposed to have, but rather just the 'side effects' ― that bullshit term for all the nasty things some meds can do to you other than the desired one. An effect is an effect. There's nothing 'side' about it. The outcome of all of the above vis-à-vis my depression? Bupkus, but then I also live in Japan, which is significantly behind the US in depression research. *sigh* Now I muddle along as best I can as I no longer have faith in the system, seemingly being in the 20% for whom nothing works, at least here. So it goes.
Anyway, have you stayed current with all the research going on today? There's a groundswell of mental health research going on now. I hope you're in a marginally better place now and are actively seeking help that will be truly effective. Good luck.
Sure, we could save money by investing in mental health treatment instead of jails and prisons, but why undermine the whole thing with "suicide prevention". Obviously a total money-loser.
It should be covered as a medical issue. I've had an issue with one eye my whole life and it's billed as medical and covered. The glasses for the good eye aren't covered.
Which is why I explicitly stated I'm not against improved services and for treatment for those who wanted.
I was speaking from a place of trauma more than anything.
And the involuntary commitment was because I was suicidal from withdrawing from an atypical antipsychotic that at the time was being marketed as a supplement for major depressive disorder.
I think the health insurance industry should just go away. It's not really even insurance anymore, it's managed health care with a middleman skimming 20%. It would be significantly cheaper for me to just pay for annual checkups and preventive care and have insurance to insure than to pay for insurance against having to go to the doctor once a year for a checkup.
Like health insurance has become?
I'm getting the distinct feeling you just like getting really fucking angry, seeing as I said in the post you are replying to, as well as my others that I'm not opposed to people getting access to care, and if anything improved funding for county mental health centers would have probably spared me the horrors of a stay in a shoddily run for-profit nuthouse and over a decade of side effects, withdrawals, early signs of tardive dyskinesia, and cognitive impairment.
Is that Tim Whatshisname?
Irony is that you posted that on a story about mental health.
Unless and until you have a really expensive thing go wrong, such as an ongoing chronic condition, or major surgery. The point of insurance is to pool the risk and the cost across the whole population. It's one of those things that - when done right - is a civilized and community-oriented concept.
The problem is the profit motive. But of course, making a highly profitable industry zero itself out is not easy to do. Obamacare is the first step. Expanding Obamacare, and Medicaid, is step 2. Also, forcing semi-monopolies like big health insurers to participate in Obamacare. Adding mental-health coverage and, yes, dentistry, is step 3. Then we expand Medicare. Eventually we get to single-payer.
But unless we can deliver a massive veto-proof Dem majority in both houses of Congress and keep it that way for more than 2 years, we cannot magic handwave a nonprofit health-care system into existence.
"It's time to clean up your toys, America! Drink your milk and finish your peas!"
https://www.understood.org/...
That was my point. Insurance is to pool risk of a catastrophic event. That's not what it is any more and I can't actually buy insurance, I have to buy into a health plan that wants to pay for all the things that I'm perfectly able to pay for.
Democrats talk important issues, offer serious plan. In real news, Trump promises wall will be built 100%.
"With my mental health plan, you'll be so cheerful, your head will spin. Anyone who doesn't cheer up right away is a loser. Bigly."
Wow. Talk about your perfect storm. Doctors who, instead of saying, "I don't know what this is. Let me do some research and see if we can figure this out.", think, "I don't know what this is so I'll assume it's something else and treat it that way." and wind up making matters worse; being on a cocktail of meds when no-one really knows how they'll interact; doctors simply not listening to what their patients are telling them.
I do know that suddenly stopping your meds is a BIG mistake. I learned early on that taking, stopping and changing meds is a gradual process. When I finally told my last shrink that this was my last visit, that I was tired of wasting time and money on utterly ineffective treatments and medications, he prescribed a gradually decreasing dosage so I wouldn't go cold turkey. I've lost hope of ever being relieved of this burden. In talking with an American psychiatrist here, we figured out that there were no external reasons for my depression. My personal research has narrowed it down to the hypothalamus, which apparently hates me. My mom told me once that at around six years of age my behavior changed, going from and outgoing, happy-go-lucky kid to being shy and withdrawn. Makes me wonder if some sort of biological switch flipped. So I'm left with months-long bouts of deep depression, almost complete loss of appetite, sudden grief-like sadness, a hair-trigger temper which leads to self-loathing, excessive dreaming, negative ideation and, yes, anhedonia. Add to that a great, steaming helping of agitation, and boy howdy, ain't we got no fun. So it goes. As with you, my experience with meds has led to a complete distrust of them. About the only thing in my favor is that I'm a life-long tee-totaler and non-user of recreational pharmaceuticals.
Japan has made strides in the mental health field and public awareness is increasing, but the stigma is still there. On the plus side, Japan has an excellent national health plan, so drugs and doctor visits don't bankrupt my wife and me. I've had surgery for cataracts and to remove some skin cancer that would probably left us destitute in the States, but was very affordable here.
Anyway, things that are happening in the States that I wish were happening here are transcranial direct current stimulation and brain implants for the 20% of us for whom nothing else works.
So I live from day to day and try my best to make it through the day. Too bad you're there and I'm here. I'd like to sit down and talk with you. Oh, well. Take care and good luck.
Don't worry about posting personal things here. Wonketeers snark where necessary, but are generally empathetic otherwise.
I have a couple of questions about the absolutely shitty 'treatment' you received. What was the time frame of this horrorshow and did the doctors have actual training in recognizing and treating the myriad forms of mental disease? What you describe looks like something out of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.
To me it looks that you're overgeneralizing from your treatment to mental health care as a whole, particularly in your worry about "the weakening of protections against malpractice, patient privacy laws, and the increase of the ease in psychiatric incarceration". I just don't see these as happening.
I speak as one who has had to deal with chronic clinical depression most of my life, including one suicide attempt and concomitant hospitalization. I've been through a number of well-meaning shrinks, had ECT, and have forgotten how many different types of meds I've taken, none of which had the effect they were supposed to have, but rather just the 'side effects' ― that bullshit term for all the nasty things some meds can do to you other than the desired one. An effect is an effect. There's nothing 'side' about it. The outcome of all of the above vis-à-vis my depression? Bupkus, but then I also live in Japan, which is significantly behind the US in depression research. *sigh* Now I muddle along as best I can as I no longer have faith in the system, seemingly being in the 20% for whom nothing works, at least here. So it goes.
Anyway, have you stayed current with all the research going on today? There's a groundswell of mental health research going on now. I hope you're in a marginally better place now and are actively seeking help that will be truly effective. Good luck.
Sure, we could save money by investing in mental health treatment instead of jails and prisons, but why undermine the whole thing with "suicide prevention". Obviously a total money-loser.