it would be nice if a person could get the help they need

my pain doc has been worried about me and referred me to a psych.
i called the day i got home and he was out of the office for a week.

the next time i called was on monday..yup, office is closed.
i waited a couple days and called on thursday. yup, they are also closed on thursday.

so i waited again and called today and finally got to talking to someone.i told the lady who i was referred by and needs to set an appointment but of course, i can't see him.

this doctor only has a contract with medicaid. i could have gone to see him but self pay of course.

what is the deal with that? only 1 insurance carrier..

i don't have the best but i have anthem. thats a major carrier. you'd think that most docs would accept that.

as it is there is not many head docs round here...

typical. i don't know wht i should have expected it to work out any different.
i don't feel healthy or well and i can't get in to talk to someone.

i betcha if i wind up snapping though i'll be talking to people no problem:bnghd:

fark sometimes i hate the way things work

So rather than find another med they can give you, they let you suffer then refer you to a head-shrinker you can't use.

Oy vey.

I really don't know what to say, man. I live in a metropolitan area, so I have choices that you don't seem to have.

all I can say is, I hope that you get this straightened out to your benefit soon.

No doctor in their right mind only has a contract with Medicaid since it only pays between 1/3 to 1/2 of what private pay does. Typically, doctors HATE dealing with medicaid. Perhaps in your current state of mind you misunderstood what they were telling you?
There are usually crisis centers and help lines (free) listed in the phone book. I don't know your particular geographical location but surely, if your mental well being is on the line, it's worth a drive to a more resourceful location if need be.
If you know any social workers, they usually can refer you to available resources, even obscure ones that the majority is not aware of.
Best of luck to you.

reply to post by whitewave


i did not hear wrong...the lady made it very clear straight away that he was medicaid only and i would have to self pay.

i don't live in the bondocks or anything but there are not a lot of psychs around here. the ones that are all take limited insurance and of course they are hardly ever in the office.

there is a mental health center around here that is free of charge but before you actually get to see a doctor, you have to go through a few visits with a counselor..thats not what i need.

my pain doc has been treating me for my depression and anxiety as well but she said since that is not her area, she wants me to go see a psych..

it's hard as hell to get into one....it's not as easy to get mental health as one would think....

it's really discouraging.

i was going to a lady before that i was refered too. she was a councelor and i found out that in my third session, her 'area' was teenage substance abuse...what the hell am i going to her for?
i only get 10 visits a year as it is and that soaked up three of them.
now i have 7 visits and i am having trouble finding someone to take me....

'm sure if i take this pen sitting right here and jam it through my effing hand and then drive to the er, they'd refer me to a psych straight away...

this blows

I never thought I'd be saying this but if you really need some couseling, go see a priest or pastor of a church. Usually they have a backgroung [limited] in dealing with problems their parisioners might have. And it should be free. Usually progressive clerics will/can avoid the religious deal if you request it.

In my small village I sought out a Methodist preacher for my substance abuse problem and she was very helpful.

Good luck my brother!!

Oh dear pasta, I think whaaa has a point. The irony, though.

reply to post by MajorMalfunction


no, whaaa is not right...
i am not the type of guy that is going to feel better by talking to a priest.

i need a doctor. a medical professional that can get with my pain doctor to figure out a medicine regiment for me....

i don't want to do anything drastic to get treatment but it seems like these days thats the only way.

talking to someone from the church is guaranteed to make my crap ten times worse....

Judging from this and your other posts you need to find a new doctor.

Originally posted by JBurns
Judging from this and your other posts you need to find a new doctor.

i need to find another doctor to treat me alongside my pain doc.

i do not go to a psych. i have been referred but am still playing the game.

i love my pain doc. she is the best doc i have ever had. never judges me...she listens to me and never scoffs at me when i tell her some of the things i do....

she is the first doc in 12 years of seeing pain docs that i truly like and i will follow her wherever she goes.

i need a head doc but i have not been able to find one.

it is much easier to find other docs. head docs are scarce round here

these people really have attitude problems.

i got a list of people that take my insurance... docs.

one number kept showing up under a ton of names. called it up and it was the center i tried before. they said it comes up on the list cause 'some' of their counselors take my insurance, not the docs.
they're out

called another guy, he called back later and his answer was "well, i travel so i really don't have time to see anyone else"

he's out

next one

"i only see kids"

next one

i call em up, and start going through their 20 minute 'intake'...we get to what i take and i tell em and she stops and says i would have to go through a chemical dependency program before they would decide if they would see me(mind you i am not talking to a doc)...
no way i'm doing that but i asked her flat out...i said "when you asked me those questions, if i would have lied to you and said no, would i have cruised right on through to an appointment"....she said 'yes sir'.

so you're honest and they won't see you. you lie and you get right in.

what is the point of trying to go get help if you have to lie about certain things? then you don't get proper help...

next one

call em up and the sec brings up prescriptions. like right away. i said i am not looking for someone just to write scripts. i want to talk to someone and then also talk to my pain doc about it....her response

"sir, if you're not willing to accept any kind of medication, i don't really understand why you would want to come in and see the doctor".......huh

so i told her again, that i am not opposed to it as my doctor and i both think i need something but i am NOT seeking....

they're out

next one

finally, some nice people. lady on the phone was very nice and we talked for a few minutes. gave me an appt for the first week of december(earliest one) and it WILL be with a doc, not a counselor...

so, my fingers are crossed.

i can not believe all the crap.

i'm starting to argue with the one secretary on the phone cause she is telling me that waht i am doing is not 'normal in society'.......maybe she thought she was the doc

---

i think this all helps prove my point that mental help is hard to get.....


correction, proper mental health help

I suffer from debilitating cluster migraine headaches. For years the only treatment avenue that physicians would take was to give me one prescription for pain-killers after another. Then, one day, I was referred to a psychiatrist. At the time, I was rather upset. I couldn't help but feel that, perhaps, my doctor thought that I was "faking" or that my headaches were "all in my head" (hmmmmm....no pun intended).

When I finally saw the psychiatrist, I could not believe the extent of genuine help that he could offer. Yes, he treated me for the associative depression and anxiety that chronic pain can cause but he also taught me meditation techniques that greatly alleviated my pain.

Don't readily dismiss any referral to psychiatrists or psychologists. They can and do help people -- especially with specific problems such as chronic pain.

As far as the difficulties that you are encountering with your insurance company all I can say is that I am so happy that I no longer live in the United States for that one reason. Ever since I moved to Canada, I have never had any difficulty whatsoever finding the specific medical professional that I have needed. Yes, there are waits at times but, for the most part, I have always been able to receive excellent medical attention for whatever ailed me.

One thing that you might try to solve your insurance dilemma is to contact your state's ombudsman. Many states have one to deal specifically with health and insurance problems. Your insurance company might have one as well. I know that this will probably mean even more hassles and difficulties but it might be worth it. Good luck.

Originally posted by Boondock78
so you're honest and they won't see you. you lie and you get right in.

Potential liability issues I would presume. If you lie and something happens, they can say you lied and they didn't know your real history. When you told them the truth, they knew and were then bound by the legal processes of their profession. If you're already an addict, they sure as hell aren't going to medicate you unless you go through the chemical dependency program.

Peace

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant


Don't readily dismiss any referral to psychiatrists or psychologists. They can and do help people -- especially with specific problems such as chronic pain.

we missed each other...

i WANT to see a psych. my pain doc wants me to.
i finally got an appt...my problem was finding one that would see me.