How do I get help?

Death of Rats

My depression has started coming back in a big way in the last few months. Possibly even longer than that. And I think it may be time to actually try to go see someone about it.

But I have no idea where to start. My wife and I are flat broke. My little family (the three of us) are on Medicaid in Illinois, but for the life of me I haven't been able to find information about what to do to be able to see someone.

I know I need to do something. I feel numb all the time. Lonely. Like a burden on my family. Like a burden on my daughter. And there have been instances where the though of suicide has crossed my mind with me quickly snapping away from it as fast as I can. This is not a suicide threat thread. I am not considering suicide. I just feel like if I don't do something about this I am going to go further down this hole.

So I live in Illinois. About an hour southwest of Springfield and fifteen minutes south of Jacksonville. And I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I'm afraid to talk to my primary care physician about this. The last time I did that in this area I just got on a prescription for anti anxiety/depression medication, but no actual help. They helped me to snap out of it for a while, and to try to unlearn some of my more destructive habits, but it didn't help in the long run. So, if that's the first step, I'm willing to take it, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to get me in to someone who is trained to deal with this.

Or it could be Medicaid doesn't cover therapy without some form of incident. If that's the case then I'll do the best I can without therapy. But I don't know where to look to find out what I can do as someone with no money to spend on this, living in the middle of nowhere.

ceres

There should at the very least be a benefits helpline you can call to ask what you qualify for. I was on Medicaid with my son last year and there was an application process and then I was good to go. Since you are already on Medicaid you should just be able to find a helpline to answer your question. Their website is kind of balls.

wrong_button

This might help with that contact number. It's Illinois DHS's office locator. Just pick "mental health" and pick your county, you'll see the offices/providers. That should give you a few numbers to start with at least.

spaboolly

I know my insurance lists most of Illinois and Missouri as "medically underserviced" areas, which means qualified physicians are few and far between, and they will take that into consideration and give more leeway in traveling outside of a small network. I'm not sure if Medicaid does something similar (does anyone really understand health insurance?) but it's worth it to ask.

Honestly, "medically underserviced" is an understatement around here. Thankfully I live right across the river from St. Louis, so it's inconvenient to hop over there, but not impossible. Which is good, because the healthcare options on this side are laughable. I'm not sure where Jacksonville is exactly, but an hour drive to Springfield might be worth it if they have the resources you need and insurance will consider them in-network or whatever the term is. If info-seeking dead ends on the insurance side, I would suggest contacting potential doctors' offices in areas you can commute to and ask them if they can work with your insurance situation. You might also ask about any programs that can subsidize consultation/treatment costs or offer long term payment plans.

MichaelLC

Look into the medical options first but also see what is available locally too. Churches and community centers may have support groups as well.