Getting started with long needed help for Anxiety/Depression

Rubycat

Ive been running from it for years, slowly getting beaten down by my own thoughts of doubt on ever getting help for whatever reason, I've lost count of the excuses. All that's left is the feeling that last year was awful and if I don't do something, this year is going to be worse, but I'm still scared and stupid enough to just let the year go by and I can't let that happen again.
(The unemployment for years, slowly losing contact with my friends, being confined to a house with my parents because leaving it nearly crushes me from the inside with this wash of cold fear)

We've made a little bit of progress toward this, Ive got a primary care physician setup for my current insurance (HMO) who suggested a behavioral services place in the same medical group of Henry Ford, however they don't accept my kind of insurance, no HMO's at all they said. So I asked if there was anything else he could suggest and got back that basically he can not and we should talk with our insurance about it.

So all I have to work with is my insurances doctor search database on their website which I've been looking over.

https://bcbsm.eproviderdirectory.com/Results?SearchType=SpecialtySearch&SearchTerm=Behavioral and Mental Health&SearchTermValue=ProviderType|BHSF|&GeoType=zip&Distance=10&ZIPCode=48170&Latitude=42.3713&Longitude=-83.485&Product=BCN&Plan=IND&Network=BCS

All i can find for specialists is "Clinical Psychologist-Fully Licensed" and I don't even know what I'm really looking for. I don't know what I'm doing at all now that I'm basically on my own.

builderr0r

I think it's great that you're looking to get help now. I'm still too stubborn to get help for my anxiety. :P Maybe you can meet with a few psychologists (who will accept your insurance) for a consultation, just to ask them some questions (like what kind of treatment they usually provide for people in your situation, etc.) That way you'll be able to get a better understanding of what to expect from them.

Enc

Rubycat, it would be useful to know what state/country you are in and if you have any special categories (such as being a student/military/LGBT).

Ok, so you appear to be in Michigan and part of the BCBS HMO. There are few ways you can go about what you are looking for.

1. First, your primary care doctor should have a sub-office or specialist at the practice whose job is to navigate the HMO process for you in finding a specialist that is on your insurance. Your HMO will likely require a referral from your primary care physician in order to even cover the visits to the specialist, so that should be your first step. This is literally the responsibility of your primary care physician to find a person who meets your needs both medically and your insurance. If they are not providing this service you likely need to find another primary care since that is simply unacceptable to completely pass the buck to the patient.
2. If you are a student, you may want to contact your school system to see if they have a counseling center on your campus. Most (nearly all) public community colleges and universities have free counseling services for students in their populations. While these services typically only have a limited timeframe for use (usually about 10 visits or a year free before they refer you to off campus support), they can also help you navigate the process of finding someone on your insurance plan.
3. If you are a Veteran or LGBT local support groups may also provide alternative counseling for these conditions at no cost. Let us know if this is the case and we can try to find relevant resources.
4. Depending on where you live, an HMO may not be the ideal insurance package as they are often extremely limiting on doctors selection (especially in rural areas). It may or may not be possible, but checking out alternative plans (such as a PPO) may give you a wider range of doctors to work with. Contact you employer or take a look at the ACA website for your state and see if you can get a new insurance package that covers what you need. Remember, insurance is a service. You want to make sure you have one that actually suits your needs since you will be investing a lot of money into it over time.
5. I would also strongly suggest contacting your insurance group directly for assistance in this. I've linked the contact information for BCBS:Michigan below. They may be able to clarify or search via phone for the information you need much more quickly than you will be able to do so using their resources, and possibly also describe alternative plans that could cover services you are looking for:
   http://www.bcbsm.com/index/health-insurance-help/contacts/blue-cross-blue-shield-of-michigan-contacts.html
6. BCBS should be able to clarify the differences between their classifications. In this profession you can have a wide range of titles, from counseling and support services to psychologists and while there are a lot of overlap (generally) between these resources the degree of lisensure is usually the difference between titles.

Long and short of it, though: your primary care should be referring you and not making you do this nonsense. Call back the main office of the practice you are working with and if they tell you that they do not do referral research you should probably consider getting a different primary care.

Rubycat

Been working on this, spent some days when I had enough courage to make the calls I needed to make and I've got an appointment set up for next week Tuesday, Ive gotta go myself though, its a week my parents are going to be out of town, I can do it. Its gonna be an unpleasant morning before getting on the road but I don't want to reschedule and I just want to get started on this.

guar

I realize your options are limited by your insurance, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to find someone that's helping you (you're seeing results) vs. someone you like. I spent a year with a therapist that I enjoyed seeing, but her methods simply weren't helping me.

UncleChet

I've been receiving help in the mental health arena for nearly 9 years now. My illnesses (4) are fairly well treated at this point, and I only sometimes have meltdowns (maybe 4/year). I've never gone inpatient, and i think the reasons are: 1. I've always been honest with my doctors. Tell them everything you can, regardless of how unimportant/silly it may seem. Every bit of knowledge gets you that much more help. 2. Be honest with yourself. You are not "broken", or "tainted" or "screwed up". Not any more than a person with asthma or diabetes or sickle cell anemia would be. 3. Take your meds exactly as prescribed, when, how, how much, all of it. 100% compliance. If you start feeling better, it's not because "you're fixed", but because your treatment is working. Going off meds, on your own, without your doctor's help can really put you in a very bad place.

If you wish to DM me, or even communicate openly here, I'm open to each. For the record, I have bipolar disorder "mixed", OCD, generalized anxiety, and childhood PTSD. Yep, I'm a great big bag of fun that way.
Another thing to always keep in mind, different medications affect different people in different ways. I may react really well to a specific medication, where it may do bad things for you. So, it's better to talk about meds with your doctor, and support with family and friends.