From perusing these forums, I know that
the definitive answers to each of my
questions will be 'seek professional
help', but i'm a 23 year old male working
extremely hard to save up enough cash for
finishing up my undergraduate degree. I'm
worried that the costs of seeing a
professional will kill me financially
while living off of an $8.00 an hour job.
I do have insurance, but its not
especially helpful. They pay the first
$500, i get the next $800, and then 20%
afterwards. I just can't do it. On to
the symptoms:
Mania has always been an issue - as well
as being attracted to risky lifestyles and
behaviors. I'm absolutely shocked that I
don't have a DUI under my belt at this
point in my life, but I've somehow pulled
through. I can't even bring myself to
think of what else I may have done to
myself thus far, but that's also an issue
- paranoia, albeit, mild paranoia. The
past few nights I'm experiencing some
extremely intense dreaming or whatever the
hell it is, where I lose all control of my
imagination whenever my eyes close
(frightening), but i can keep control
otherwise. I've managed to fall asleep
once I turn on the TV (i hate television,
but it finally came in handy), once my
mind is distracted by something else -
this is followed by prolonged dream
sequences. I've been prolific musically
and lyrically as of late, (although I'm
not delusional on this note: i'm almost
positive that everything i'm
writing/playing is crap).
Apart from that, my life is a
rollercoaster. I could go further into
detail, but its all the typical indicators
of bipolar disorder. I've had severe
anxiety problems for awhile now, took
Zoloft for a year, got fat and generally
quit giving a caca about everything. Once
I hopped off of Zoloft, I slimmed way down
and acquired something of an eating
disorder. So.
Where do I begin? Help appreciated.
|
antigone
Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 806 Location: IL
Thanks: 35
Thanked:13
Posted: 05-07-08 10:08am
I apologize for my delayed response.
You are in a tough position. It sounds
like you need a psychiatric evaluation and
a treatment plan. You mention this is a
financial burden at this time. Are you
currently enrolled in school? Most
universities have a clinic for students.
That is a possible alternative for you.
Have you looked into any services for
medical care through your community or
county? Most states have county health
departments. I would look into that and
see if you can find some services that are
provided for a nominal fee.
I appreciate your need to save money for
grad school. I would like you to consider
that if you are not able to function well
due to an untreated mental disorder you
may not be able to achieve your
educational goals. Perhaps you should
consider going to a psychiatrist for an
evaluation. Explain the situation you are
in with school, your job, and your
insurance. Many doctors can provide care
on a sliding scale fee. The drug company
reps. provide free samples to doctor's
offices. Ask your doctor for the samples.
If the doc does not have any ask the
doctor to request some. You can contact
most pharmaceutical companies and declare
financial hardship. Many times the
companies will assist in providing the
medication for reduced fees or free.
I hope you will look into what I have
suggested. There is help out there but it
takes knocking on the right doors.
The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made.
Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on June 11, 2008
