Mental Health Check-in February 2021

keikilove

This is a safe place for more detailed support in mental health, struggles, and successes.

U.S: National Suicide Prevention :  1-800-273-TALK [8255]

Chat option:   https://chat.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx

Link to Canadian Resources:  https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

This is a safe space for discussing your mental health. Whereas general stress and issues are often discussed in Rants/Raves of the Dailies, this place is for a more focused discussion of the impact of mental health.  Members are encouraged to use thoughtfulness and depth to examine feelings, barriers, and useful supports. 

This post can be replied to at any time during the month. Not limited to those with a mental health diagnosis, but please be sensitive to others. We will attempt to be as flame-free as possible!

Feel free to share, vent, or support other members on this thread. Share a picture/gif that expresses how you feel or provides some comfort. 

If you need help getting started, consider filling out the form below:

Mental Health Diagnosis (if you have been) or What brings you to this thread today?:

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/TTA):

Where are you in your mental health journey? (in treatment, looking for support, on meds, in counseling, having a rough day, etc.)

How are you feeling?

rgn12

@keikilove thank you so much for posting this resource/space for others! Mental health is so important right now, especially during this crazy time. ❤️

keikilove

So, I’m just posting here for a safe place to rant about things. I have a family member who is struggling with depression right now. They asked me to make them an appointment for therapy. They feel too overwhelmed to do it themselves. So it took me the past TWO days talking with their insurance, looking up providers on their insurance website, and HOURS on the phone yesterday calling providers. Had to leave mountains of messages, as most people don’t answer. Finally got a few people on the line who said their first availability is several months out. Finally begged someone to work with me, as it’s fairly urgent, and she said that if I pay out of pocket they can get my family member in much sooner than scheduling it with insurance. ??? So I took that option. The intake appointment is still one week out, and the actual appointment with a person who can prescribe meds (if needed, which they very likely are needed) is still two weeks away.

I am grateful she offered the out-of-pocket trick to be seen sooner. But that took two days out of my life just to get something scheduled. How in the world is someone who is actually going through depression or anxiety supposed to be able to navigate that process?! My family member would’ve given up way sooner if they’d had to deal with that themselves. I understand that providers are booked up due to the general stress in the population thanks to Covid. But man! It makes me really sad & frustrated to think of all the people who can’t get the help they need. 

inthewoods23

@keikilove ugh that's awful! My experience was not as bad as you've described, but it was such a hassle trying to start seeing a therapist through DH's EAP program. It was confusing because you could look up providers on the EAP website but you could also call and they'd provide you a list. And some of the instruction on the website seemed to indicate that I needed to start the process with the phone call anyway? Because there's some code your therapist needs to provide when they bill the EAP so your first 3 visits were free. At some point it occurred to me that the list I was given doesn't necessarily mean they're also covered under our medical insurance so then I spent idk how long cross referencing between those 2 websites finding someone who was covered by both. Oh my goodness. I think it was 3 months between the time I got a list of EAP covered providers and when I finally narrowed it down to whom I should call and first schedule an appointment - which still was almost a month later. Granted I don't think I really looked at the list for the first month to month and a half but it was still hard to get through each step to having an appointment scheduled. I can't even imagine how much of an effort it would take someone with such deep depression that they can't get out of bed, brush their hair, or shower to navigate the process of finding a provider their insurance covers, calling, and getting on their schedule.

keikilove

@inthewoods23 Thanks for commiserating, friend. It felt exactly like what you just described. So confusing! And the insurance person did advise me that I would have to call each place to “make sure they really are still participating with your insurance plan”. So much work! I can’t believe you were able to sort through that and find yourself a really good fit—so lucky! I took the first therapists I could get, but I have a feeling my family member may not exactly “vibe” with them. One is the opposite sex, and one is quite old, so we shall see... 

inthewoods23

@keikilove I'm pretty sure they gave me the same speech too to call and make sure they're still participating! Oye. I've considered maybe looking for someone else because most of my sessions lately seem to be more "how are you doing, how are things going" vs spending the time thinking about tough issues and helping me think differently. But at the same time, do I really need to relive my childhood traumas and feelings? Probably not, I think just over time I've learned to accept things and know the kinds of things and situations I should avoid to protect my mental health.

acleverusername

@keikilove wow, my fertility acupuncturist had mentioned that it’s really hard to find a therapist right now (she was looking for one for her daughter) but I had no idea it was that difficult!!! Thank God your family member has someone like you who, not only could navigate these obstacles, but also understands the importance of mental health, which is not something everyone is “blessed” with. Sending you virtual hugs of appreciation!

@inthewoods23 like @keikilove said, it’s amazing you were able to find someone who’s a good fit after jumping through so many hoops. 

fameonmain2

@keikilove @inthewoods23 Unbelievable the amount of hoops you have had to jump through and how confusing the process can be! I was thinking about this all week and now realize I'm pretty lucky -- I'll put it in a spoiler.

So last Friday I spent the entire drive to work crying uncontrollably in my car - it had been a bad morning and going to work just seemed impossible. Anyways I decided that I need to get some help - I've been generally struggling with work, but realizing how much I take it out on MH and bring all the stress home it just pushed me to finally seek a change. Plus the TTC stress doesn't help of course. Anyways, I sent a message to my primary care doctor asking for a referral, and her office set up a virtual visit with me. After the initial contact it took almost 5 days for the to reach out to me to set up the appointment, which I was annoyed about because I thought "If I was in worse shape this would be too long." 

But anyways, I had the visit this morning and she told me that her office (it's connected to a major hospital in the area) has a coordinator that will refer me to 2-3 therapists that will work with my insurance, my personal preferences, and are taking new patients. I just thought how lucky I am to have this compared to what others have to go through to get some help.