How Much My Mental Illness Costs Me Each Month
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2024
- There are many additional expenses that come along with living with and managing a chronic mental illness like schizophrenia. In this video I break down exactly how much my mental illness costs me each month.
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American here. If I wasn’t in the Air Force when I had my psychotic episode, I most likely would be homeless if not dead now. I’m so deeply grateful that my medication and healthcare are paid for by the VA. It’s such a shame that the people in this country that criticize and shame mentally ill homeless people are the same people who are against that sort of healthcare policies these people need to live a normal life.
This is true. I live by an air force base and have also ran a counseling center. We accepted Tricare insurance for those in the military through them. I don't know if that's a nation wide insurance though.
That’s the capitalist mindset. I rebel against that and believe people should be helped if they need it even if they’re not in a place to contribute.
Yes. The US is brutal to people with mental illness who lack good insurance.
I would also have been dead for about a decade, or worse, out of my mind roaming the streets. It's scary, because the reason for this was childhood abuse, which had very little to do with me. This means, that there are many people out there exactly like me: intelligent, nice, kind, caring, but broken by someone else. In addition to all of this horrid injustice, they have to stand abuse from strangers.
The first time I felt relaxed for a minute or two was when I was over 30. The first time I got out of a life of brain fog I was 37. The reason I got to experience this is, that I got a few years to myself without a fear of ending up on the streets again. Living on the street get's harder and harder the older you get, on the mind and the body.
I did end up on the streets whilst living with schizophrenia.
Hello from Germany. Here, a pack of antipsychotic drugs is 5 to 10 Euros, even the newest or long acting ones, the rest is covered by the public health insurance company. A Day at Hospital costs you 10 Euros. Affordable health care is a human right in my opinion.
US is a enemy that says they are your friends
Totally agree
In Canada if you have no health insurance you will be covered under public plans for medications and hospital care. It is basic and won’t cover brand new medications but means you still receive much needed care. The real gap in Canadian mental health is the long waiting lists or lack of coverage of therapy.
@@sonicretronymSame in Germany - very little therapy capacity available since ~10-15 years. (Before that, much fewer people went to therapy because it was much more stigmatized btw, and you could start therapy pretty much right-away.)
Mental health goes unchecked here in US. That's what happens when health care is a business. It's all about the money
And they wonder why schools get shot up every week
I think this person is from Canada, so it’s likely all about the money anyway and has been since the beginning.
I was hospitalized against my will for two weeks. I was basically warehoused with nothing resembling treatment. After I was released I got a bill for over $20,000. That's out of pocket and yes, I do have mental health coverage (Blue cross). The $20k was what I owed AFTER insurance paid what they decided to.
What I learned from this was never tell a shrink or a cop anything but "I'm doing fine, nothing but happy thoughts".
'Murica
U lyin if u had insurance u wouldnt of had to pay that much fool🤣
@@LaCosa973Bless your heart!
I am so sorry this happened to you. Have you spoken to the hospital and seen if they have any programs? I’ve had friends who’s hospital bills have been comped. Never hurts to try.
@@LaCosa973sir bless your heart
@@JeremiahArt65 if your hospitalized against your will for two weeks your either suicidal or on drugs 🤣 thee hospital doesnt just do that when nothings wrong
I'm a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran at 100% Disability. All of my meds and hosp/clinic bills are free. Thank God, or I'd be homeless. God bless the VA workers. Understaffed and overworked. I feel so bad for them and for our Vets. I fought for 5-6 years to get my disability. Lawyer took 20% of my backpack, but I don't know how I'd complete the paperwork without her. Good luck everyone! Keep your chin up!❤
Hi Robin thanks for your service you didn't have to do what you did and you chose to do it. Remember when they couldn't even choose they just drafted people? How scary. Thanks for your service though that's really brave of you like I said you didn't have to choose it (not trying to be offensive) but wanted to choose it and that's brave of you I thought about getting into the military but I'm glad I did not it would have made me worse sense I have a mental illness.
Here in Scandinavia most mental healthcare services go under the umbrella of universal healthcare, meaning it's either free or very affordable ❤ This includes things like visits with a doctor/psychiatrist, therapy sessions, meds, hospitalizations, ambulance services, appointments with psych nurses, home help, freetime activity centers, physical therapy, exercise groups, psychoeducation classes, and more... This of course is for the public services, private healtcare you have to pay out of pocket or via insurance. But my impression is that not a lot of people need private healthcare here.
Another thing to mention is that if you lose your job or are unable to work because of an illness like schizophrenia, the government will give you financial aid until you can provide for yourself again. They can also help you find housing, as everyone has the right to have a roof over their head. As a result very few people end up living on the street.
In Scotland it is against the law for the government to make you homeless. Our NHS covers you working or not as well.
@@peterboyd7149 Our healtcare system is similar to your NHS; it's not tied up to your employement status at all, but rather regarded as a basic right everyone has access to.
It costs 400 skr to go to a doctor or mental health… person. There’s been several times when I’ve had to cancel the appointment or pay an EXTRA fee because I couldn’t pay at that time. It’s very expensive to be poor even in Sweden, “expensive” even for my mental health!
Yanks cannot understand the compassion inherent in socialism. They scream "communism" and run away like frightened sheep. Poor things.
I admire anyone who can keep a job while having this illness. Or a marriage.
my fiancé and i live in america and she was uninsured because she just turned 27 and lost her fathers insurance and she had a 1 month stint of psychosis in which she needed to stay in patient at a hospital and when she recovered we got over $60,000 in medical debt. weve spent the last 8 months trying to deal with filling bankruptcy for her its been horrible and i hate the medical system so much.
Really crappy. It sucks in America we overcharge for almost everything!! Next in line is England.
She also could have gotten other health coverage by that age. To be fair. If she couldn’t afford it, Medicaid would pick it up. I wouldn’t blame it all on the government here. I’ve had my own health insurance since I was 18 by working a job.
Yeah I wouldn't bother paying it F them. If she files for bankruptsy she can get it all back my ex's best friend went bankrupt and he's doing well now. It's bs what it costs these days.
Dude hospitals can write that shit off, especially university affiliated hospitals, and huge non-profit hospitals, and even all hospitals have plans where you'd never pay that much if you get in touch with financial/billing department
Healthcare in America is more of a business than a service. Driven by profits more than helping people. Same deal with insurance. The main thing being 'insured' is that the insurance companies make tons of money off the people paying into them.
In Scotland we had a minster for mental health. That Minster was my MP she was a mental health nurse. She specialised in dealing with post partum depression and psychosis before becoming an MP. I think having a minster for mental health was a positive in our government and her having experience in dealing with mental health was good as well. Would a minster mental health be possible in Canada or the U.S.A.? Take Care Stay Safe.
Good idea.
👍
We also have a Minister of Health here in Chile, I thought it was something every country had?🤔
We also had a health minister in Scotland. The mental health and health Minster worked together to improve the life of people with mental illness. The mental health minister also worked with our housing minister and social security Minster to help those with mental illness. Our government recognised with the right help and support those living with mental illness are an important parts of our society.
We don't call them ministers in the US, but we often have government departments for various things. The problem is, America's government is corrupt. This may not be true of every department, and I don't mean there are no good people in government, but if you belong to certain groups (like the poor, disabled, not white, etc.), you often find you have fewer rights than others. I was raised to believe we're all equal in the US, but we're not all treated the same.
@@peterboyd7149 Wtf are you talking about? Scotland is one of the worst countries in the world and especially for mental health care.
here in new zealand i dont pay anything for my medication its free i get a injection monthly and i dont need to pay for it and its free for therapy and seeing a psyciatrist
i'm from europe, germany. i will never get over the fact how expensive it is to just exist as a person with mental illness in the usa, and even canada apparently.
i am sorry for everyone who can not afford basic care. this is a human rights issue!
in germany healthcare is completely free for me. i don't even pay for insurance because i can't work, so insurance is 100 % covered. the maximum i pay is 10€/11$ per month for medication. everything else is completely free. i can get as much therapy as i need (100 % free), can visits as many docs i want, get all the treatments i need! I hope things will change for everyone!
But how long can you stop working and still afford this coverage, though? Or are you a retiree?
@@aycc-nbh7289 Not yet a retiree, that's quite a process, but I am still getting enough money to pay for rent and basic living. It's not a whole lot, but I do not go hungry. It is called Bürgergeld (citizen's income), which is a guaranteed income from the government.
It's not enough money to live comfortably, but I will never end up homeless or without medical care because of it. It guarantees a basic level of safety. I do not have to work, everything will be covered forever.
I'm so glad that you and fellow Germans, are able to benefit from this very humane system! There are many in the U.S. who are working hard to get our country to see how much better your country's system works for everyone. Unfortunately, we are run by the 1% gazillionaires whose only wish is to become multi-gazzilionaires. Sickening.
@@Lyn-ud3qe But then the issue may be one where the government does not provide decent enough housing and they use the shield of bureaucracy to keep anyone from complaining about it. The name “Bürgergeld” also may imply that foreigners living in Germany are barred from taking part in this, with the possibility that even some German citizens may be denied participation based on skin color.
When I was hospitalized at our local psychiatric facility, I was there for 3 weeks. My bill came out to $35,000 (without insurance). My insurance covered for about 3/4 of the bill, then I was able to get some income based funding to cover about 1/2 of that remaining amount, and then I was able to pay for the rest out of pocket. If I didn't have the insurance, I am not sure what I would be doing to pay for that bill. It really sucks for those who are not able to pay.
People without insurance are not even billed the same amounts. Those amounts are worked out between insurance companies and hospitals, and completely different (sometimes services are much lower, sometimes higher cost) for uninsured people
"The price in the US is kinda outrageous"? No, it's criminal. The US healthcare system is run by corporations myopically focused on "increasing shareholder value", of which the executives are major shareholders. They are accountants and lawyers. Very few doctors. And the citizens and patients have zero influence over them.
This is such an important part of living with any mental health diagnosis. In the US, the costs of hospitalization and treatment will often bankrupt families if they don’t have health insurance coverage. I firmly believe that there’s a good chunk of people across the US who contemplate self-harm due to the financial burdens involved in seeking treatment, or don’t get treatment because it’s too expensive and end up in potentially dangerous situations psychologically for those reasons.
Excellent video! Thanks again ❤️
Are you sure it’s just the US? This video makes it seem like it’s everywhere with “universal” healthcare as well.
You forgot about the cost of ambulance rides. I’m in Calgary and I used to be taken to the hospital multiple times a year and the cost from my house to the hospital is 330 a trip. Once I had 2 trips in a month and I got a bill for 660 dollars.
That is nuts we pay nothing for an ambulance trip here in Scotland it is all part of our NHS.
I took a 10 minute ambulance ride in the US and the bill was $2000 not including the actual hospital costs
Same mine was about 5,000 dollars total I owed. Luckily Medicaid covered it and the hospital.
In the US this is not covered either on most insurances. My last copay for a 15 minute ride was over $900
Here in America I had to pay almost 1,000 for the ambulance
I’m so grateful you talked about this. After suffering my whole life I was finally diagnosed with Bipolar 1 when I was 35 years old. I’m 46 now and some months I have to choose between having money to eat or have the money for the cost of my psychiatric appointments for med maintenance, blood work to monitor my Lithium and the monthly cost of my monthly medications (5 meds)
Not to mention even with insurance I can’t afford any therapy and my psychiatrist keeps telling me to get a therapist and look into EMDR therapy which usually isn’t covered by insurance. I support myself and my 2 teens. There’s no money for anything fun ever. I feel like I am 1 paycheck away from being homeless. My family has tried to tell me to get a higher paying job but with a higher paying job comes more responsibilities and stress and at one point I had a higher paying job but the stress was so bad I experienced a lot of mania and made a decision to move to a less stressful job but it was a huge financial cut. You are so right that this is a catch 22. In America the heath system is screwed and the mental health system is nonexistent. I’ve always talked to others about mental illness being the invisible disability. It’s horrible when a person has a physical illness but there’s go fund me pages and family helps to clean or cook dinners. Mental illness is so stigmatized that if my family comes to my house and I can barely keep up with work, my kids and my house gets a bit messy, I feel like everyone just shakes their heads in shame that I’m some slob or lazy. When in reality I never stop and if I did stop I would probably cease to exist because nobody is keeping me alive but me. People will invite me to go out to a concert or dinner or event but I always have to say no thank you because I’m so broke just trying to keep up with my mental illness. Eventually ppl stopped inviting me and now I feel like I have no friends and no social life leaving me feeling more alone and depressed and anxious. Last year I spent $1700.00 just on medication and that’s not including the cost of my psychiatrist appts and Iab fees for bloodwork. I’m estimating about $5,000 last year Just to care for my mental health. Any other money I have of course keeps the lights and water on, rent paid and I always make sure my kids are fed and have clean clothes. But what does the future hold for me? It feels grim.
It sounds tough for those in the US. Extremely expensive. Seen time & time again those struggling after developing serious mental illness. I have seen some in the US get some kind of disability pension thingy but they will get knocked back first attempt without all the evidence of medical records.
I pray that the Lord will meet you in your hour of need. Do you go to church? If so tell your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that you are struggling, they may be able to help and also pray for you. May God bless you and heal you. I'll keep you in my prayers 🙏❤️
This has been so validating for me to watch. My parents are both conservatives who idealize the bootstraps mentality and subsequently neglected my health needs in my youth for financial savings. Im 25 now and im having the worst mental health struggles since i was a minor. My mom is more open to discussions on mental health and i opened up to her recently (very cautiously) that i have been struggling. Considering im going to get taken off my parents insurance soon and that im low income its been a huge stress factor for me. Maybe if i share this video with her she will understand more of where im coming from. Thank you ❤❤❤
I'm 38 and it doesn't seem to get any better at least for me it has not. Sorry you're struggling I understand.
Best wishes that your mom begins to understand. This is an excellent video for explaining the expenses incurred. In the US, we have a horrific problem here which leads to frequent school shootings, etc
have you thought about moving to canada?
It's a spiritual issue, a spiritual battle and has nothing to do with "mental illness."
I worry about getting older and my schizoaffective disorder getting worse. I have to face the facts that I may be a homeless wanderer one day.
I hope you find a good doctor who can help you. I hope that treatments are better for people in the future going forward, I hope that you are well and cared for
@@fuzzyx2face Thank you. Your well wishes mean a lot to me.
I fear the same for myself. I hope things get better for all of us...
There is hope. Fur many people schizophrenia gets less severe with age.
@@mariemaier5630 I sure hope so.
The USA desperately needs healthcare reform. If I weren't lucky enough to have insurance I'd probably be homeless or dead.
Health care is a human right not a service for sale. In the UK we have completely free healthcare. All medication when you are in hospital is free. If you get medication from your doctor you pay a prescription charge of £9.35 or about $15. If you are unemployed or cannot work medication is completely free. You only pay if you are in work. For me this is one of the best things about living in the UK alongside guns being banned
This is so informative, Lauren. Thanks so much for sharing with such candor. Continued good health to you, your husband, & your precious children 😊.
Is there anyway you can contribute to the Senate discussion on Bill 22?
The CDB Canadian Disability Benefit.
The cost of disability as well as the current form is for “working age Canadians” and the flaw in that obvious to those of us with disability. And the idea that the CDB needs to be independent and not connected to family finances.
Really love how you talked about the trap of losing benefits when you're doing better and being disincentivised for engaging in employment during periods of increased capacity.
A cost I incur for my mental health is actually the physical consequences on my health of experiencing complex trauma, and the chronic stress from poverty, oxidative stress starts disease as do social determinants of health, like e.g. being poor. It's a pretty vicious cycle. You alluded to this some when discussing healthy foods, supplements, and massage.
Regarding lost wages - at least in the US, getting to a $30/hr job requires that you be able to put the time into developing skills and experience in a specific field/career track, which many of us aren't able to do for one reason or another. I've never made more than $24/hr, and my last job was $20/hr but part time. My unemployment insurance comes out to the equivalent of $14/hr x 40 hrs/wk, which I can live on but it's very tight. I live alone in a shoebox of a studio apartment. I'm also on Medicaid, so my therapy visits are covered in full and my meds are really cheap, but I've only had one job that actually provided health insurance and PTO. Other than that, it's literally been easier for me to deal with not having insurance at all than to deal with getting insurance through the ACA marketplace. The whole thing is a mess but I know I'm preaching to the choir.
Spouse here. America. I had to drive 6 days a week, 6-7 hour drive, $150 a day in gas/coffee., Not including the actual medication, for about 4 months. Savings wiped out. Credit cards maxed out, credit score dropped 300 points,. Collections are a thing. It is not safe for him to drive so driving him to appointments has made it impossible for me to have a job. He applied for disability, was denied even with decades of history and inability to work as his severe symptoms are present about 60 percent of the time, due to a nurse putting in the notes of one of his hospital stays that symptoms could be attributed to drug use. My husband does not use drugs other than what the Dr prescribed. We have sold our home in the city, moved off grid and living in a travel trailer without heat, power, water. Running out of ideas. Hope.
I live in the US and mental health costs are soooooo high! I have major depressive disorder and pay $600 a month for private health insurance, $500-$1000 minimum a month in copays for therapy and psychiatric appointments, $200-300 a month in medications, and hospital stays can be $10,000+ per night stay. It's crazy. I work, because I can, and because I enjoy it, but my income combined with my husbands income puts us outside of disability range. So, people always wonder how we are still struggling financially when we both work full time...🤦♀️ I work so I can care for my illness. We live off less than one income. Its rough, but we make it work. Thank you for sharing!
The "American Dream". Pay or die.
🤣🤣🤣
Husband was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 with psychosis last year, right as he was starting a new job. So, BEFORE insurance kicked in, the ER stay was $56,000, plus about $20,000 for outpatient care. He was downsized in January, so we pay for COBRA plus copay until next year. We will be on Medicare in 2025. I do caregiving for him, and I was a homemaker already. We are fortunate that he had 38 years in the workforce, and savings to help right now. He says he wants to find a new position, but I'm not pushing him.
This was very insightful.
Keep the videos coming, we love you girl!
good video lauren!
What an amazing video thanks
Thanks for your videos. ❤
I wish we had universal health care here in the US. Maybe one day. Not to single out any one group, but best I could find schizophrenia affects about .25% of the population. You'd think countries like the US and Canada could easily afford to provide disability that isn't means tested. Thanks for sharing this info!
I’m in USA and on disability for schizophrenia. Got put on disability within 3 months of applying. Without them I’d be screwed. I pay 0 dollars for one 1500$ drug.. I plan on working part time as they allow that. You get your monthly check from them and what u get from your part time job. Your just limited to a certain amount of income from job. Extremely grateful for US. US has many ways for helping the disabled. 0 on prescriptions, 0 on co pays to doctor and hospital. SNAP benefits.(money for food) Help paying for utilities. The biggest struggle is housing right now. If u don’t have family it’s impossible to get housing. Very long wait list.
@@Jesse-ex6pn I'm glad the system is helping you but there's plenty of people who aren't getting the help they need. Now with long COVID and vaccine harm causing disabilities that aren't even in the system, I know people who can't get disability benefits because their disability doesn't fit into the old predetermined categories. And with SNAP, a single person in California is not allowed to even earn enough to pay rent without their benefits being lowered. So you have to decide between food or housing. The system needs plenty of improvement.
@@XSemperIdem5 well yeah I would like perfection too but it’s not gonna happen anytime soon. Surely they are working on it. They aren’t purposely screwing people over. I believe they do their best. Nothing is overnight. Nobodies owed anything btw.
@@XSemperIdem5 btw your going on about people who are actually putting in the effort. What are you doing about it yourself?
@@Jesse-ex6pn There are a lot of people who ARE intentionally harming people, or they don't care. In the past, certain groups have been used to experiment on. Pharmaceutical companies have been sued. I recommend you do a ton of research.
The insights you give into this illness are greatly appreciated. You are providing so much value to society by doing these videos. I wish you the best as always in managing these challenges. Thanks for what you do.
This is an excellent breakdown Lauren! Your transparency and attention to detail is much appreciated.
Thank you for covering the lost wages and job maintenance part. As those of us working with mental illness are well aware, language and action often do not match up when it comes to employers meeting access needs. Getting pushed out of a job without it being clearly articulated why can be very symptom-activating for people with psychotic disorders who may already be struggling to juggle health maintenance with earning a living. This could be a whole video topic!
Thank you for making this video. I'm in the UK and though we have different costs here, paying for healthcare is a need but the very nature of the illness makes us not able to function well at times, which means we can stay hovering on the poverty line, on top of trying to get by
Living in the USA I maxed out one of my credit cards for my bi-weekly therapy appointments at $360 per session. I really needed them to continue living, and thankfully I've paid it off, but I don't take the fact I was able to access it at all for granted.
You are 100% awesome..your also 100% on the mark..my son was diagnosed in 2010. we(wife and I)have been caregivers during this time.We are also in Alberta(just a little south from you)Everything you said is correct and the trap of leaving Aish,(we could not afford as our son gets a shot every two weeks which they tell me is very expensive)is real.We are lucky here in Canada but we must also make sure these conditions remain as well as improve.I thank you for this and wish you all the best.
Your great good vibes your way stay positive.
You deal with so many important topics Lauren in straightforward and sensible ways. Well done to you. There is lots to comment on but I will only mention a couple of things. Here in Australia, as well as Canada, there has always been an assumption that patients should always have something to pay, otherwise they will overuse services. Consequently, even with insurance and subsidies, the residual to pay for patients with chronic illnesses may still prevent them living reasonable lives. You are right to point out that although the medical profession maintains you will never fully recover from schizophrenia, as soon as you look like you have, the government withdraws all your subsidies. Pretty unfair. Anyway, stay well and prosper 🙂!
I just read my bills for the psychiatric visit and wow, I never would have expected it
Thanks so very much for this information because my son is treated so badly living on the street visiting me and not knowing what to do How things are done. It is a frightening nightmare. Your video is helpful getting a picture of certain things is very helpful.
I'm so greatful my taxes go to these things. ❤ It's a way of giving back to a country and community that gives back to you.
In the US I don't know people make it without medicaid, even though I get paid medical & meds I still feel guilty about it. Their are mental health providers that charge on a sliding scale & some counties that provides medical on a sliding scale, and I'm guilty of calling the crisis line when in need of someone to talk to.
Fantastic overview. So grateful to live in Canada.
Although I’m not schizophrenic, I suffer from some diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health issues, formally with anxiety most so, and working through being possibly on the neurodivergent spectrum.
I love your insights and you are so right on stuff like more frequent needs for mental health days and how costly they can be.
And if we choose (or can) go in, our work isn’t our best, or we can’t handle the usual work load either, which may lead to performance reviews and write ups, which can for many like me, only exacerbates the issue.
I live in France and have schizophrenia. And luckily i pay zero euros for my med because of social healthcare, called here "securité social". My visits to the psychiatrist are also free but it just once per month, more if emergency.
Me and my husbads, we are living in Latvia, EU 🇱🇻🇪🇺
Some of the meds are free and some are 95% subsitised, so in total meds are about 4-8€ per month and visits to doctors are for free. Hospitals also are free if you have diagnosis ... and this is wothout any insurance, whatsoever.
Transportation (buss) also are for free.
Now, that I know how much it costa in US/Canada, I feel so blessed!!!
It's mindblowing, how some countries bill you for being ill and not choosing to be that way 😔
Mental illness can take a toll on many aspects of your life, including your finances. The cost of treatment, medication, therapy, and other expenses can quickly add up.
I work full time but struggle to pay to see my doctor. I don't have health insurance right now, Working a temp job. Hopefully soon I'll get health insurance.
I live in Austria, Europe. Because of my social anxiety, and anxiety and depression in general, I wasn't able to work until I was 24. I did get a little of student help money, but because one of my parents earned too much (which didn't benefit me at all bc I didn't get anything more from them), I didn't get it most of my time in University. I also struggled a lot with university bc of my mental illness, but had to achieve a certain amount of work and complete a certain amount of courses. After I turned 24, all of the benefits and financial aids stopped anyway, and I changed my university subject. Now I don't have that pressure to complete x amount of courses, and I try my best, but for me that means sometimes it's only 1 course per semester. I feel like such a stupid, bad person because I can only manage so little, but I try. After I got therapy at 23 (I was lucky and found one of the rare paid-for-by-insurance places from my therapist) and got diagnosed with BPD, it helped so much. My first therapist was really mean though, but I stayed with her for 7 months because I was too scared I wouldn't find someone else. my second therapist, I just quit, because he was getting kind of inappropriate. But again, after I felt uncomfortable I stayed a few months longer because I was so afraid of not finding someone else.
Now I can work a little besides uni, but I'm always exhausted. I'm very lucky that my partner has always worked besides studying, but we are in constant financial fear, and often didn't have enough for rent and food, for the last 5 years.
I am lucky that we also have 'universial health care' which I pay 80 euros a month. But some months, I don't have income and all I get are 300 euros from my parent (legally) so I do struggle a lot with this. And it seems most people (well, all of them) don't understand why I just can't work more or study more... urgh.
I feel like such a loser. Now I started my new bachelor at 24, a year ago, and I'm so behind with everything in life.
Thank you for talking about this!!
I can identify with quite a bit of what you said. I have been through things similarly. Some of it I’m still working on. I’ve learned as long as you keep moving, you’ll get somewhere. You have to stop thinking negatively about things, about yourself. Most people wouldn’t last what you’ve been through. As long as you keep trying, you’ll find your way-just don’t keep trying over and over the same thing that failed. Work on yourself, as it always pays off. It is not a failure to take care of yourself, it is self love. And, lastly, you have to do the scary things. You just do.
I live in the United States. My access to mental healthcare fluctuates with my insurance coverage. I went about 4 years uninsured. When I'm uninsured I ask the providers if they are willing to cut me a break, and they usually are. I think the longest time I went without seeing any sort of provider because I just didn't have the energy to do all those phone calls was around 2 years. Right now, I see a student therapist for only $9 a session! I have Marketplace insurance (Obamacare) so seeing my psychiatrist is $50/ session, and the plan is subsidized to $90/ month. My previous medication was unaffordable until recently (about $1,000 per month), so my psychiatrist gave me samples and I requested them directly from the manufacturer (there is a law that pharm companies have to provide a certain amount of cost relief in the U.S., but obviously they don't advertise that). That medication went generic and dropped to $40. I switched to something else that is about $50/ month. So those are the direct costs, but oh man, lost wages! It's depressing to think about. It must be tens of thousands of dollars by now.
👏😐
Very informative.
Great video
Sweden has the best health care system, i get so much help and im very grateful 🙏🏻
I'm American, and this would be a long comment just to talk about the cost of my mental health issues. I'm not schizophrenic, but I have panic disorder, OCD, and depression. There's so much I'd like to add, but it's late, I'm tired, and I'm sick (I caught my boyfriend's cold).
However, I'd like to mention, if you have multiple diagnoses, it can cost more. My OCD is expensive. If you have physical health issues and disabilities in addition to your mental issues, that cost goes way up, and mental can worsen physical, and vice-versa. If you find yourself stuck in a situation you can't leave (as I have), life really gets much harder.
I must add that in Sweden you don't need insurance at all to get good care. There are quite a few private clinics including psychological consultations, and they can be more expensive than non-private care. The only thing that is really expensive in Sweden is dental care, which is not included in general care, so it is often very expensive to visit a dentist. There are also many private health centers and they do not charge more than the tax-funded care.
In Finland we pay nothing or the maximum we might have to pay is like 700€ in a year everything is paid from our taxes I paid nothing 20€ for 2 weeks in mental hospital and ambulance cost 😊
Americans can pay $500 a month in premiums, and thousands in a deductible just to use insurance. If I could pay 1000 in taxes, and just a few dollars per bill I'd have it made, but the insurance industry here is partnered up with medical practice and pharmaceutical companies in a big triangular money sucking machine, and they only have to pay politicians a few billion per year in bribes,(what they call campaign finance) to do whatever they want.
Hey, once again an insightful video. I like that you tackled the lost wages subject, and I know too well what been pushed out of a job means. In the last 10 years, I’ve probably had about 7-8 jobs. I’ve been laid off mostly due to my mental illnesses and having to take long time off on sick leaves, even up to 3 months. And also I’ve been unemployed many months throughout these 10 years, and in the worst of the pandemic I didn’t have a full time job in 2 years. I’m 42 and I still live with my parents. Now I’m working full time since when I’m stable I can be very productive, until I’m not ok, take time off and then I’m laid off when I come back. I’ve had a really privileged education,
i have a professional degree, a bachelors degree and a technical degree, and it’s still hard to get a job because of my “condition”. So many times I’ve felt like a total failure. I’m lucky though that in Chile we do have public healthcare and my meds, psychiatric appointments and hospitalizations are covered, however many people prefer the private system since waiting lists for medical attention can go up to 2 years or even more if you’re not that “unwell”. I didn’t have to wait much due to the severity of my conditions, but I know many people who just can’t afford waiting that long and prefer to pay in the private system. I’m also on partial disability but the money it’s just not enough to take care of basic needs so to me it’s more like an extra income. And don’t get me started with the expenses of overspending during a manic episode 🤦🏼♀️🥲Well this was long so if you took the time to read it thanks and take care!
Lost potential income is a huge one. I have a BSc & a graduate teaching diploma I can't use because of bipolar disorder & PTSD. I was mocked recently by someone who claims to be a disability advocate because I'm middle-aged & live with my elderly parents. The high cost of rent plus an affordable housing crisis means there aren't many options.
Greetings from Venezuela, Lauren.
God bless y
My Situation is even worse I was destroyed by the pharmaceutical industry especially TMS made my bipolar much worse now I can't take care of myself and I often can even afford food.
Great break down. Living in the UK currently and I'm not sure of the cost of help because everything to even get started on is a years long waiting list.
Whereabouts in the UK?
I live in the United States and have had to deal with brain trauma (stroke and seizure, caused by work stress), and many of my costs are similar. Fortunately, a strong union (rare in the US) has gotten me good medical benefits. I’ll be blunt here: the American healthcare system is a disaster despite the high quality of doctors, nurses and hospitals, and we are heading for real trouble if we don’t fix it.
Thanks so much for this video!
HI i have shizophrenia and it costs me around 70 euro/ month to pay for handling my illness were i live there is good healthcare Thank God for this.
I am really thankful that me and my children get free healthcare, dental and vision since we are an enrolled member of our tribe in the USA. I feel bad for everybody else who have to find and pay for their own insurance 🙏🏻
Hey,
I am overthinking a bit my comment.
I am from Spain. And I think that one thing is the case that you are talking about, and another thing the case that I will present.
You talk about people that have a clinical disgnosis and treatment, and I completely understand your message. I think that it should be a basic coverage in all our countries, as everyone is interdependent.
Me, I wanted to present a dilemma. Here people with diagnosis can access to the public mental health sistem (that works but 50/50). And there's a lot of people that pay of their own pocket private psychotherapy.
I understand that public access to treatment of people with diagnosis is priotary. But I also think that all people should be able to access to mental health care even if they do not have a diagnosis because suffering cannot be explained only in the DSM books.
Thanks a lot ❤❤❤❤❤
We are only able to purchase our rx's since we have Medicaid, and there is one insurance that is affordable for that, and that's subsidized as well. I live in USA and we have 20 rx's that need filled every month for us and our kids. Medicaid qualification here is to make enough each month but not too much and they don't say what the minimum is. But are trying our best to provide for our own coverage. Yes this is quite worrisome to think of what could happen.
I'm also Canadian (but lived in the US for enough years to never want to do it again) and one of my meds without coverage is 1800/mo. But on BC's MSP, I pay nothing. My therapy bill is the real one for me, since all my meds are covered by the government...3x140/mo. There's not much point in me getting private insurance.
In Portugal you only really need to pay for oral medication, which the government subsadises most of the cost, even the injectables are free. Of course if you wanna get therapy more often or see your doctor more often you might wanna pay particular visits, outside of the NHS. That will be like anywhere from 30€ to 100€ per visit. In the portuguese NHS waiting lists are looooong
I am in New Zealand. My primary diagnoses are bipolar disorder & PTSD. Psychiatist visits are "free" with community health services but because demand is so high, they can only see those with moderate to severe presentations. Medications are cheap as subsidized by the government. Medications and GP visits can be covered as a disability allowance (basically a reimbursement) if on a benefit if unable to work fulltime. Note this benefit may be lost if decide to get into a relationship (they expect the spouse to support instead). ACC pays for therapy for PTSD as it's considered to be an injury, but only if the traumatic event took place in New Zealand. My psych ward stay was paid for by the Australian government as I was living there at the time but was unable to access any other help.
Hello 🌷 I'm from Norway, and here in Norway all health services are free except for the dentist. That is, you pay a certain amount until you get a so-called free card. When you have a free card, doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists are free. In my case, as a disabled person, dental treatment is also free. As this also falls under the free card scheme as a disabled person bexause of my Schizoaffective disorder.
My brothers uc medication is $8k-$16k a month for his insurance but his insurance and the company who makes the drug pay for it.
If you’re struggling to pay for your medications try contacting the manufacturer to see if they have a program where they help you pay
My uncle has schizoprenia, we're so less fortunate we dont have that kind of health insurance here in the Philloipines, so sad we really suffer so much...
I was sexually abused as a child and had severe complex PTSD as a result. I once calculated the combined costs of the therapy, health problems and lost wages due to dealing with the results of the abuse. Over the course of my life the total amounts to over one million dollars! Fortunately I came into some money at a critical time in my life and was able to afford the care that I needed to recover. Most people are not so fortunate. Had I received better care sooner the savings to me and society would have been enormous. If I had not ever been able to afford care I would now be either homeless or dead.
I spend 3600€ on therapy 1560€ on Psychiatrist and 240€ on meds.
A month in the psych ward kost me 170€
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For a person unable to work its a huge amount if money. I‘m glad to have a supotive family.
I am from Australia and our government also subsidies certain medications as well. My mum gets hers for free because we have aboriginal in us. I could also get mine for free but haven't done it yet. The amount I pay for all my medication is the same even though they are different prices at full cost.
For people without health insurance, you can also go to a pharmacy that takes RX cupons. One of my meds I need, isn’t covered at all by my insurance but I use a coupon and only pay 20$ instead of 70$. Also my doctor dosent take my insurance but he’s the best so I pay 100$ a month to see him. I’ve paid upwards of 300$ for past doctors. If he did take my insurance there is still a 40$ co pay. Urgent care visits are 40$ too.
My very very fortunate and privileged ass getting most of my medical needs covered by Medi-Cal (California public health) after being legally disabled for a decade but managing to work 45 hours a week and trying to support myself would literally not be able to pay rent with ACA healthcare coverage. I would be on the street screaming at the sky again instead of being a repair technician.
I have good government insurance my mom got for me when I was too sick to do the paperwork. My total expenses each month is five dollars.
I am so lucky to have a lot of support in switzerland but still pay a lot more for my insurance per month than someone healthy my age.
Thank you, very informative. Here in South Africa one has access to free basic government health care.
This only covers certain medication, normally the older generic types. But if one gets into the system and is prepared for the huge waiting times there is help. Our medical insurance is on par with your amounts.
Mental health is low down on this government issues, and is still a huge stigma among the majority of the people.
Same set up in New Zealand and Australia and the UK free if you wait for a year or if you are urgently unwell needing hospital. The ambulance is not free in nz tho as it’s not part of the public health care system it’s a charity and an ambulance ride or a helicopter ride for an emergency both are run by charity’s that you then have to pay a bill to it’s about $80 for an ambulance ride this doesn’t change if the ride is long it’s just a standard donation you pay everything else is free if you are really unwell or willing to wait for a long long time in a waiting list for help
I'm so glad that in Poland I have therapy for free, completely paid by gov. But my friend is in queue for therapy and she's waiting 5th month for her first visit, she doesn't know how long will it take. I pay for psychiatrist visit, because I go to her private practice. I pay part of my meds, part is paid from insurance. I started paying for private insurance, so I won't pay for my meds anymore. And hospital stays are free.
I'm amazed at how much the medication costs in Canada! I'm in the UK on 6 medications, 1 of which is free (ie birth control) and not one costs more than £10 (16.72 CAD, 12.71 USD) a month. But because I have a prepayment certificate (you buy once a year, or once every 3 months, and pay no further costs for medication for that time period) - that's £111.60 so I pay £9.30 (15.55 CAD, 11.82 CAD) a month for all my medication.
Like I've always thought that was really expensive, and I still do! Especially considering the main way to make it cheaper (minus being in a situation where your medication is entirely free) costs a large amount of money up front. As the old saying goes - it's expensive to be poor. If you can't pay that £100< up front you'll be shelling out a lot more across the year.
There is therapy on the NHS but it is... interesting. It has an obsession with CBT which, unlike what the NHS seems to believe, is not a catch all fix it for every person. Private therapy and councelling is obviously quite expensive. For example, Aspie offers Autism friendly councelling for £50 (83.63 CAD, 63.59 USD). That's a lot for most people, especially people who are struggling financially.
Another major issue in the UK is that hospital parking is extortionate - at my local parking, parking for just 1 hour is £3 (5.02 CAD, 3.82 USD). My local medical centre is fine - there's free parking very nearby - but if I needed to go to hospital that would absolutely suck. (For context, an hours parking elsewhere would cost just over half that). Add on that you don't know how long you will be there, so you will likely overpay in order to avoid getting fined for not paying enough. Imagine having a family member in the hospital and having to go there everyday - for a 2 hour visit you'd need to pay for 3 hours parking. Every. Day.
An extra cost for managing my disability is that I need a cleaner. Presently I don't live alone so I'm able to forgo that cost, but that won't last forever. I am not able to keep my house tidy, and considering I'm mildly allergic to dust and dander, I'm especially unable to keep it clean and tidy to the degree that I need. Cleaners in the UK cost about £20 an hour, and your average cleaning service would do 2 hours a session, probably 1 session a month - £480 (803.17 CAD, 610.56 USD). I have legitimately no idea how in the hell to afford that. And I'd probably need more cleaning than the average considering my allergies.
i'm in the u.s. i pay about 2k a month on my healthcare between my premiums, my mental illnesses, and my chronic health conditions.
I have full coverage insurance. I pay about 45 a month in the us. It would cost me $3700.00 without insurance. You can see a state therapist for free in the US if you are low income. I am paid about 930 a month for disability.
I am from germany and most Costs are paid by my insurance Co. My Main medication lasts 100 days and I pay 5 euros equivalent to 5 US-Dollars. I have emergency meds for 50 instances that also cost 5 euro. Hospitalization, General Practicioner and Pszchiatrists visits are completely free, Therapy is theoretically also free if there's a diagnosis, but waiting lists are 1 year+ and it's hopeless for me. I have schizo affective disorder and ptsd. My disability payment is almost exactly what you get but only bc I worked at a highly paid position for more than ten yeats with no sick leaves ever. When I hear you talk abt the costs I am super greatful for being in Germany and having paid so much through employment, but I really wish I had access to therapy.
Thank goodness in Ontario most of this stuff is free. I get all my meds covered, therapy and weekly appointments with my psychiatrist. There is no way I could afford it otherwise.
I had no idea this is what it costs. Living in Canada and having all these treatments done myself - it’s truly shocking.
Ontario is not free. My sister doesn't have a drug plan through her work so all her meds are out of pocket. No therapy is covered here. Only doctor's visits and hospital stays. Meds and therapy are not free in Ontario.
Psychiatrists in USA often charge 600 to 2000 (two thousand) dollars (US) in large cities. Not clear to me how they help anyone but I know they can hurt; STILL, I do know people who self-identify with mental illnesses who DO find psychiatrists and other “allied health” professionals helpful. I’m glad if someone finds something works and I do not deny others’ self-reports of what helps.
I'm lucky I live in a country where expenses *can* be covered, at least to an extend. My medicine for the special treatment center I am connected with covers all my medicine expenses for at least 1-2 years. Not to mention the universal healthcare which includes free psychiatric help through the system if it's severe enough (which schizophrenia definitely is.)
I'm so glad i live in Europe GOOD GOD
This is why everyone needs health care. Medicaid picks up the tab for those that can't work and need meds. People tend to forget not all disabilities are visible.
I'm glad I live in Australia, costs me about 13 bucks a month for my depot and the tablets and seeing the gp for scripts and to get the depot done is free
You mentioned ECT therapy. Can you please do a video on this subject? My boyfriend who has schizophrenia is currently in hospital facing the possibility of this treatment to treat his catatonia. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about this treatment. Knowing that you have had it and have had good results can help a lot of people.
She did a video on ECT a while back: ruclips.net/video/Co8sMf3dk2E/видео.html
Catatonia is often caused by an end stage intense "fear" response. It's like being stuck in a freeze/collapse state. Something is so overwhelming, thoughts, feelings, emotions, bodily sensations, unresolved trauma being triggered, that a protective mechanism, such as catatonia, kicks into place. I have D.I.D and have parts that often slip into this state but not for very long, because another part that is not catatonic takes over our body and we come out of it. It's like everything is way too much, it's like an electrical surge that overloads and fries everything and everything shuts down. Your boyfriend's brain is attempting to protect him from something it perceives as threatening and it does it automatically. He's not broken, none of this is random. What can help a person slowly come out of it is providing an atmosphere of safety and not too much overstimulation. Anything in the environment perceived as a threat may potentially keep this going. It's very sad that at this time, there are still not very many in the mental health field that are really well versed in trauma responses and trauma informed care. I fell through the cracks for years, heavily medicated for over 28 years because nobody wondered what had happened to me, they just saw "something wrong" and they just looked at symptoms and gave diagnosis, then meds. I now understand the D.I.D was my brains brilliant attempt at survival. Now that I'm an adult, I need to learn new skills other than extreme dissociation. I've gotten proper trauma informed care and am processing all the trauma that led to the development of D.I.D in the first place. It's a very long, slow and painful process but doable. ECT did nothing helpful in my case, it actually locked in some parts of our system into horrific loops of abuse memories.
ECT is pretty rare, never done it personally, but I did know somebody that did. He was pretty much catatonic, but after 2 months he started talking, and a little later he even started smiling. It can make things worse, but it can also help.
Here in Sweden, we have high-cost cover up to SEK 2600 (243.98 US dollars). We also got a similar high-cost cover for outpatient visits to doctors, district nurses, psychologists and other care. If you are admitted to inpatient care, you have to pay a fee normally of SEK 120 (11,26 US dollars) per day. The cost in outpatient care is normally SEK 300 per visit, depending on which healthcare staff you get to see (28,15 US dollars). It all is covered with higher taxes in the end. No distinction is made between somatic or psychiatric care
Pretty different in America. High cost is 243.98? Lol. Even a basic emergency visit will cost over 1000 just to walk in the door, then there's the treatment. One Tylenol can cost 40. An ace bandage once cost me 165. Most Healthcare follows quantitative limits, essentially what you can calculate easily, like a specific surgery costs a specific amount which insurance will cover, but mental health is mostly non quantitative, like therapy, which can be charged insane amounts and insurance can pick and choose what and how much to cover. 2021 my total billed amount was over 100,000, luckily I'm disabled here and didn't have to pay most of it, but I was forced to use providers at times that wouldn't accept my insurance, so I have a good bit of debt.
But what about foreigners looking for care?
My biggest expense:
AUD$250 a month on dietary supplements.
I'm so glad you live in Canada, thumbnail made me think USA. I live in Estonia, a poor postsoviet country, yet I jokingly call my American expat friends living here "healthcare refugees". It's funny cause it's true.
Oh cool, I'm Estonian, nice to see others here!
I have lifelong injuries from when a reckless driver crashed his car into me. I need to go to my pain management doctor every month just to get a refill of medicine. The doctors in my state aren't in network with any insurance company but you can use out of network benefits (after you pay a $6,000 deductible first, you get half of your bills paid). The dr charges $2,000/month if you have insurance and only $200/mo if you don't and pay cash. So you have to lie and say you dont have insurance, because otherwise you will have to pay $6,000 deductible and then $1,000 per month co-insurance out of your own pocket for a 2-minute office visit per month.
It's very interesting to compare your costs to those in Australia. Your private health insurance is significantly less cost than here. I pay $338/month for my cover. And your medication subsidies are better than here
Medication prices are set by the government not subsidized. Private insurance doesn’t cover private hospital care typically only partial prescription care, sets amount of physio, massage, vision care, counselling, etc. so that is why it is likely lower. Would assume came through their spouse’s employer as well. Not all jobs offer the ability to pay into an extended healthcare insurance plan. Getting insurance privately with pre-existing condition as an individual would either be much higher or not cover pre-existing conditions.