Interesting! I had similar problems finding a psychiatrist in Tennessee – that’s in the US in case you were wondering. I ended up waiting seven months, I think, before I saw one. There’s simply not enough psychiatrists practicing. I think the requirements are too stringent or something. The social worker rate is about the same in America too, depending on their education and experience of course.

The problem with it in our province is that we are seriously understaffed for mental health care everywhere except in Halifax (the only “large” city in Nova Scotia) and even they have difficulties with staffing for that area of health care.

If you have immediate problems, bam, you get help no sweat and, depending on severity, could be hospitilized with regular sessions or what have you. Once you’ve been “stablized” (for lack of better word), you’re relegated to 1-2 month waits for 10-15 minute sessions with your psychiatrist and can also schedule free meetings with social workers if you have need to talk things out (some only need pills, others with psych trauma may need a social worker, etc).

There are also private options for mental health problems and some insurance or jobs cover that. Private social workers/psychiatrists can be seen for anywhere from $100-200/hour or more, but have zero wait times and you get in just about any time you want with zero waiting room time (standard waiting room for mental health issues is a hour past your “appointment”).

However, in general, once you see your psychiatrist, it’s quality care. Just extremely backed up and can be troubling if medicines aren’t working and you are switching between different meds to find the proper balance. If there’s adverse side affects, you can obvously call and make an appointment and get in relatively quickly, but generally, you will be waiting for your next appointment unless in serious condition.

I spend about $340 for 90 day supply of antidepressants (they’re generics), $90 a session for therapy (once every week or every two weeks), and more for psychiatric/pdoc appointments for stuff relating to medication. That’s with health insurance. I don’t believe any health insurance company would pay for the cost of a laptop or a life coach no matter the circumstances, really.

I think part of the issue is that many Americans really don’t get just how expensive health care is. If you have even basic insurance coverage, your perspective of cost is blunted. People don’t think about the problem of pre-existing conditions, they don’t think about losing a job and being unable to keep up with insane COBRA payments. The perception is, if you have no insurance you are doing something wrong.

It’s not helped by the fact that Medicare/Medicade are “old or poor people” coverage. Reality or not, that’s the perception. America has no history of effective state run services. We have no frame of reference, and no structure to help support that type of transition. The attempts to improve health care have resulted in this horrific patchwork system that is periodically used as proof that national health care can’t work.

I talk about Aussie healthcare (which is far from perfection and the Medicare system here has it’s own set of problems) but I just try to explain that when I’m sick, I can go to the doctor and not pay a ridiculous amount on money for treatment. Which I think is pretty cool.

I’m pretty much fed up with the party system all together because it just doesn’t seem work very well- then again there’s not much about our current democratic process that works as effectively as it probably should. (Why is the electoral college a good idea again? If the people’s vote is really supposed to matter, why not just go by the popular?) That’s not to say I have a perfect solution or anything, just all the posturing, bullshitting, and gladhanding makes me want to go up there and personally knock sense into every one of them. There’s so many people struggling and suffering right now while the rich S.O.B.’s that will never have to face a lot of the issues they’re debating about are more concerned with pushing their own agenda than trying to help.

There should be a “fuck politics” Amendment to the constitution where during times that are considered a national crisis any government representative that offers up debate, ideas, or commentary that isn’t constructive will be cock-punched (or an appropriate equivalent for our female representatives) by a designated “disciplinarian”- which will be chosen at random like jury duty. :-p

I have kind of the trifecta – mental illness, physical illness, and expensive prescriptions, all of which is darn hard to pay for. It’s a big issue for me, because I don’t think I can pay for both healthcare and rent.

Cheers!

My back up plan, should I lose my job and coverage, is a shot gun marriage to somebody with insurance. I wish this was a joke.

Either that, or to finish the paperwork and move to Canada….

Most of the people who get the things wrong are either doing it intentional or their own presumptions about finances and gov’t action make them imagine the worst.