Californians with mental health issues are so very screwed.

[Ladyhawk]

Recently our county laid off most of its mental health care workers due to budget cuts. I lost my psychologist. A psychologist friend of mine who was working to get me seen at Stanford was laid off with no notice.

My depression is intractable. I need care that cannot be provided by my county: Vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep-brain implants: SOMETHING that can help me deal with this ongoing nightmare. I've had ECT (shock treatments) once and I'd really rather not repeat the experience. Still, I doubt even that option is available to me.

Also, Medi-Cal rules dictate I cannot seek help outside the county, yet the county doesn't offer much to someone as sick as I am. Soon, there will be no mental health care available as budget cuts gut every single resource.

After the county lay-offs, I got a letter from Medi-Cal stating that it would no longer cover (among other things) psychological care, but that I was free to seek county help.

Um, excuse me? The county help just got fired. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

This is a time bomb. I don't know how long I can hold on without help of some kind. And my depression picked an inconvenient time to get much, much worse.

For now, I'm trying to ignore it. I don't want to think about it. I'm afraid to call my primary care physician because I'm terrified that he, too, has lost his job due to budget cuts.

My psychiatrist really doesn't want to be here (he's a liberal and this county is a wasteland of right-wing nutjobs). If he leaves, I will be at the mercy of a fundamentalist psychiatrist who pushes her beliefs on patients. I won't seek help from her. I've been there before and there's no fucking way.

One blessing: Budget cuts have also closed the county's nightmarish in-patient mental health care facility, where patients had to see Dr. Fundy. Great. A crazy person in charge of the loony bin. I have no idea what happens to patients needing in-patient care. Are they shipped off to a better facility? a worse one? Or are they simply turned away?

Those of us at the receiving end of this cut do not have the energy to fight it. Perhaps it was designed that way. And I rather doubt anyone is fighting for us.

I predict a large increase in suicides in California. No one cares about us.

[ccharles000]

1. I am so sorry

:hug:

[JI7]

2. i think they have been screwed since Reagan

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Get out.

Get somewhere that has services.

And yes, I do know what you are going through. You and I have a lot more in common than you might know.

[mopinko]

4. second that

nothing left to loose, sweetie. you need to go.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Yup.

If the neanderthals and the steroidally-addled are gonna leave California a 3rd world clime, it is best to head to somewhere with the vestiges of functioning civilization.

[Ladyhawk]

7. How? I'm mostly unable to function. nt

[mopinko]

11. i know.

and i don't have any idea how, except that if it could be the focus of everything, maybe you could do it. a little hope sometimes makes things that seem impossible possible. wish i had any kind of an answer.
what is happening with your family? i know they were causing you a lot of grief.

[Deja Q]

18. It's damn difficult, I know... but turn the egg into an omelet.

If you knew me, you'd know that public speaking would be the wreck of me.

I turned nervous energy into performance energy and scored big-time on a class final in college.

And, hell, it is difficult - going back to school and having to fight thoughts of "there will be no jobs". There WILL be. Think of other facets, regardless of how seemingly small. They might not be...

:hug:

[madrchsod]

6. "I have no idea what happens to patients needing in-patient care.

Are they shipped off to a better facility? a worse one? Or are they simply turned away?"

in illinois they were dumped on the streets of chicago and put into sub standard nursing homes that were later closed due to abuse and corruption. what was left of the state system had only the worse of the worse. now we have community based systems,more private/public facilities,and now we have more specialized state run facilities. out of the ashes of the state system a far better arose.

illinois is facing the same situation as california but not as severe. from the latest reports we are only one billion short on all mentally disabled and mentally ill funding for private and public facilities. we have till july 15th for the nitwits who govern this state to find the funding. my wife works for a public/private funded mentally disabled facility that is facing their biggest budget cut ever. they are now in the process of reorganizing to meet the care level the state demands and still staying with in budget. i have dealt with similar issues through the years i fully understand your desperation. you should call your primary care doctor. you know being afraid of the answer is not the way to face the issue.

[Ladyhawk]

8. Being afraid...

you should call your primary care doctor. you know being afraid of the answer is not the way to face the issue.

Part of the problem with being this depressed is having trouble dealing with the particulars of every day life. Being broad-sided so many times in the past few weeks has left me reeling. I don't know if I can take one more blow.

[lindisfarne]

12. Have you considered seeing if other psychologists will see you either on a reduced fee or perhaps

free basis?
Many for-fee psychologists do some reduced- or free-services.
One way your out of pocket expenses can be reduced is by seeing the psychologist a little less often - not ideal, but better than nothing.

You might contact a major university psychiatry dept. if there is one near you. (for psychology, you want a clinical or counseling psychology dept, not a research-oriented one. Given what you've said, I'd suggest a psychiatrist.)

Internet counseling is probably not a good option given your serious depression - even the internet sites (if responsible) say that.

Your current psychologist might consider seeing you for reduced or free. On an ethical point, s/he should have referred you if s/he could not keep seeing you. Of course, there's a catch-22 in that if there's no one who can provide services that are covered under your insurance (Medi-Cal?) It's pretty traumatic to have to switch if you've found someone you can relate to and they know your story fairly well. Starting over with someone new isn't easy because you have to re-hash a lot of stuff. I hope someone helps you out. (CA is a good place to be (except for recently) - it has had better coverage for mental health than many states).

[Ladyhawk]

13. There are very few psychologists remaining in the county.

Many for-fee psychologists do some reduced- or free-services.
One way your out of pocket expenses can be reduced is by seeing the psychologist a little less often - not ideal, but better than nothing.

This is very unlikely. Also, every time I think about the process of trying to find a psychologist, I start shaking all over and nearly have a panic attack. I'm unable to answer the phone or reply to answering machine messages. Even beginning this thread and answering posts nearly did me in.

The state of California also cut my disability by about $50. I get a grand total of $850 a month, gross. That doesn't leave me a lot of wiggle room to pay for counseling.

You might contact a major university psychiatry dept. if there is one near you. (for psychology, you want a clinical or counseling psychology dept, not a research-oriented one. Given what you've said, I'd suggest a psychiatrist.)

On an ethical point, s/he should have referred you if s/he could not keep seeing you. Of course, there's a catch-22 in that if there's no one who can provide services that are covered under your insurance (Medi-Cal?) It's pretty traumatic to have to switch if you've found someone you can relate to and they know your story fairly well. Starting over with someone new isn't easy because you have to re-hash a lot of stuff. I hope someone helps you out. (CA is a good place to be (except for recently) - it has had better coverage for mental health than many states).

I've been given names, but again there's the whole matter of not being able to function very well. Even writing this post is nearly making me hyperventilate. I was given a couple of names, but at least one of them probably can't take Medi-Cal anymore. I'll try to have someone look into it for me.

Before they were all fired, people working on my behalf tried this. I was turned down because they will not accept out-of-county Medi-Cal...or any Medi-Cal for that matter. As for myself, I can't seem to face the hurdles and brick walls anymore. I've been blind-sided too much lately and I can't take any more.

Your current psychologist might consider seeing you for reduced or free.

She was laid off. She no longer works in this county.

[napoleon_in_rags]

9. Depression is really a difficult one too.

There are some conditions where you can jimirigg treatments outside of the system, but depression is not one of them. IF you have that painful BRAIN depression, not the "sad" depression but the crazy nervous condition depression, I pretty much have no advice, even after being around mental illness for years. (I work in mental health) I've had a couple brief episodes of it, and was lucky enough to respond to the right meds, then ween myself off those. But its incredibly tough. Many people associate "sadness" with depression, because the symptoms are similar, so few people actually understand what clinical depression is like. You need support though, make that priority one. Support groups, anything. Keep yourself going by putting people around you who understand.

[wildflower]

10. Someone recently posted a resource here...

http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/medical_healthcare_services.asp

Most of their services cost money, but there are free discussion groups on the site where perhaps you could get some answers. I'm sorry you're going through this.

[Ladyhawk]

14. Please keep this kicked for those of us in CA who are so completely fucked.

I can't even bear to think of it anymore, so I'm checking out of the thread. I have to go pretend everything is all right for as long as I can.

[Ladyhawk]

16. It's nice to see the Michael Jackson threads are still more important than this. nt

[pacalo]

15. Oh, Ladyhawk...

:hug:

Please send these thoughts verbatim, & by snail mail, to your county officials & to your congresspeople. I hope you find the help you need!

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[Ladyhawk]

17. Roy Zimmerman sums it up nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAJ98iCMQeM

[area51]

19. Kick.

:hug: