Personal Narrative: The Cost Of Mental Health

I’ve always been passionate about understanding others; stepping into their shoes and seeing, thinking, and appreciating the lives they live. I think it is important to take that extra step and see things from a different point of view. It is the only way to achieve a true understanding. I believe in this philosophy so much so, that it’s one of the main reasons I have this blog; to give others a glimpse of a life with mental illness. I’ve been in treatment for 2 months and 26 days and I think it’s time for another peek into my brain.

It’s a struggle to get out of bed sometimes, I often just sit there struggling to comprehend the sequence of events which have taken place over the past year. I mean, I’m used to this now, its normal to me, but the fact that this has happened and that I am now ‘disabled’ as people would put it is hard to get my head around. And every time I look down I’m reminded of the pain and the struggle I faced, it’s a physical scar which links me to my grueling past, a physical and emotional journey.

Optimal mental health has been associated with improved health, social, and professional outcomes (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention "Mental Health Basics”). Thus, mental health care is the process of maintaining this well-being for individuals through various health-related services. Because those with mental health disorders are unlikely to “live productively and fruitfully,” many of these people are likely to be in low-income brackets, which also means they are less likely to be able to afford or have sufficient access to the necessary care and their mental and physical health may further deteriorate, thus signaling a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, because poor mental health is not commonly treated or prevented in primary care, these individuals continue to suffer until they are able to be treated for a specific mental illness. Often mental health care and medical care do not coincide. This is a substantial issue because individuals who are in serious need of mental health services are more likely to have serious physical illnesses that accompany mental illnesses. In addition to driving up prices of care, this type of disorganization also reduces the quality and effectiveness of mental health care and medical care

Over 50% of americans studied said that they have been avoiding mental health treatment because of costs[thinkprosses.org 2016]. Studies show that the affordable care act was the leading force in health care but now since that has been repealed there is little two no affordable coverage for the mentally disabled and that is a large problem in america. Mental health care is to exclusive to only the people that can afford the expenses. being able to live a full life should not be an expense because everyone deserves to live a full life and people who were covered through the affordable care act are now forced to pay out of pocket until they get new and possibly more expenses lastly people who were insured lots of these people working and if

Many people with serious mental illnesses are forced to live in overcrowded, and often substandard living environments, that place them at physical and emotional risk. The ongoing stigma surrounding mental illness means that many housing providers, funding sources, and neighborhood groups are reluctant to serve people with disabilities, despite legislation such as the Fair Housing Amendments Act. People with serious mental illnesses, with appropriate support, are often quite successful at working when employed. However, the unemployment rate among people with serious mental illnesses hovers at 90 percent. Though today’s economy has created significant opportunities for people with serious mental illnesses to gain better, higher paying jobs, the technology and the resources to provide them with necessary long-term support in those jobs are lagging far behind. People with serious mental illnesses require appropriate and timely mental health and primary health care

The phone was ringing as I stepped into my house. My mother picked up the phone without realizing she would shortly be sent to her knees. She yelled for me to get into the car and we rushed into the hospital. As hectic as the situation felt, time seemed to pass by very slow in that car. We finally arrived to the hospital to find my father nervously talking to the doctor. I learned that my brother had been brutally beaten up by a couple of teenagers on his way home from school and, as a result, had lost most of his teeth.

Bob is in a cop car going to the mental hospital for the 100th time. Bob is asking the police officer Aleck.

Sometimes, I feel like I am experiencing a double therapy. One that I am leading with my therapist, and another one, more passive, in class. School can inadvertently speed up a process for which you are not necessarily ready. It can stir your past and your emotions arise. In that case, there is an assignment that I am postponing and trying in every way possible to avoid or twist differently. The material evoked in class was hard to process and I did not expect it. Ironically, I now think about it all the time. I know that I need to go to the bottom of it one way or another, but homeostasis is compromised and I do not like it. I try to look at it like gym. It is not pleasant but it is good for your health. The problem with that paper is that

Imagine a connected healthcare interface where your medications are linked to your smartphone, smart pill bottles remind you of when it’s time to take your medications, and prescription medications or surgeries are customized towards your individual genetic and physical needs. This is the future of healthcare - we just have a long way to go before we get there. As you look at startups in the healthtech space - many of them are well on their way to having one piece of the puzzle - AdhereTech with smart wireless pill bottle to TalkSpace with customized online mental health counseling. To create that integrated network I believe the buy-in will need to come from some of the largest healthcare companies currently, such as Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal

I was born on September 20th, 1997 on the coast of Virginia Beach. Now living in South Carolina I am 19 years old and living a very healthy and eloquent lifestyle. As I filled out the Real Age questionnaire I encountered many questions that made me think if my diet and health were flawed, while other times it seemed as if I was the pinnacle of health. I found at the end it had me down as a 16-year-old teenager. This three-year difference in what my age and what Real Age had put me down for really opens my eyes about how well of a healthy lifestyle I am living, and motivates me to continue living it to the best of my ability.

In situations one, as a thirty-five-year-old, single female, full-time student, with an annual income of $6,000.00 ($500 monthly), it is unrealistic that I can afford $452-683 for health insurance. The quote of $683 actually exceeds my monthly income. Although the quote of $452 is within my monthly income, it does not leave any room in the budget for basic expenses or use of the insurance. The lowest quote I was able to obtain was from United HealthCare at $90 per month. This is more affordable, but copays and deductibles are high. Even though this monthly payment is low, my monthly income would be stretched when trying to use this plan. In this situation, the answer is no, the cost of health care does not fit my budget nor is it affordable. I do agree that we should pay for healthcare, but I believe in it being affordable and useable.

In the middle of the room, I’m surrounded by strangers. The crowd is it’s own entity, swaying from one corner to another, and I become nothing more than just another body in the quaking mass. The clutter in my mind is sorted and replaced by the chaos on the floor. My worries and fears, the cycles of thought that loop within me quiet and dissipate. Faces blend with sounds, and the swirling lights sing away my solitude.

Because of my experience with depression, and the incredible positive impact made by both my mother and a guidance counselor at school, I decided to follow my curiosity and major in psychology. As someone that has looked into the jaws of darkness and almost been swallowed, I feel that I need to do something with my life that helps others. I feel that anyone who has been hurt has a deep connection with those that are hurting, particularly as it relates to mental illness. Every time I even think about going into a non-helping career I feel a sharp jab of guilt in my gut. I simply can’t be out just for myself, because if everyone else was, I would never have recovered. I hope that at some point in my life I’ll be able to help someone the way I

“What do you think is the worst emotion someone can experience?” This is the question my dad presented me with one day when I was having a particularly hard time dealing with my depression. I was missing out of the high school experience. I was struggling in school. I was not being social. I was not going to events and having fun with my peers. I was even starting to get anxiety playing sports which had previously been the only thing that allowed me to relax.

Two days after that, I woke up immobilized. All of my joints were on fire. I could barely open my jaw to call for help. I needed to be lifted out of bed and every step I took after that was agony. It did not subside.