Hey, y’all –
Well, first of all, the NAMI Day-on-the-Hill in Nashville was great! There were 300-400 people who all met at the state’s capitol building and saw our senators and representatives about bills surrounding mental health issues. I met with Senator Overbey, my state senator, about his bill regarding crisis services for people who can’t afford them, which is something I really believe in.
He was so receptive and even kind to me! I told him some of my testimony about how crisis services had helped me and my son (who was 12 at the time) when I was a single mom and couldn’t afford it. Well, he’s 19 now, and stable with his bipolar disorder.
The senator sent me an email thanking me for my visit and my testimony. His email crossed with my snail mail letter with an enclosure of a front-page article from our local newspaper about the homeless, and how they wouldn’t be so, if there were crisis services to help them!
I think early intervention is important when it comes to mental illness. I know in my own case, I believe I always had bipolar disorder — I just didn’t get formally diagnosed until I was 44 or 45. Until then, I self-medicated my symptoms with alcohol and drugs. Had there been early intervention for me (like there was for my son), I know I wouldn’t have done those things.
I also wouldn’t have ended up sleeping in my car, or marrying several husbands, either! To say nothing about all the money I spent (that I didn’t have to spend)! Or any one of a number of bipolar behaviors from countless episodes that would never have taken place had I been diagnosed earlier than I was. Can I get an amen???
Sorry, didn’t mean to preach — I know I’m preaching to the choir anyway. I know there’s a lot of people who don’t have insurance and, even those who have it, many of them are under-insured. I’ve been told that many health insurances won’t even cover behavioral health, and that is an outrage!
Hubby and mysef were even turned down for life insurance because of our bipolar disorder.
Even with Medicare, some of my medications aren’t covered, and even those that are have a co-pay. But I’m not complaining, because I know that just one of my bipolar meds costs $650 every month, so I am grateful for Medicare and Medicaid help. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
Sometimes my husband and I kid around about winning the lottery, but the truth is, I can’t afford to lose my disability, because I can’t afford to lose my health insurance coverage! My bipolar meds add up to almost $2,000 each month! That’ll eat up a lottery income pretty fast, won’t it? No joke!
At any rate, I think there should be more help for people who have mental illness. Because of their situation, they end up on the street or in jail much of the time. That’s even what this article said. And then, according to our local sheriff, they just get sicker. I know I did.
Well, here’s wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Glad the conference went great! That’s awesome you were able to go and get some word out to people who can maybe do something about it.
We have been so blessed being military. When we were first married and talking about supporting a family, it just seemed like the way to go. I believe the Lord knew the things my little family was going to go through, because with NICU stuff, surgeries, and mental health- we’d be seriously hurting. They cover so many psychiatrist visits, no questions asked. And cover my expensive meds. I know just how lucky we are too, because my SIL has to work to pay for my nephews meds alone, insurance isn’t enough.
It can be so easy to be overwhelmed and “poor me” about this disorder. To be well, I have to take meds the rest of my life. I just have to remember how blessed I am to have a diagnosis in time to enjoy my children and be a good mother, to have friends who have been so supportive and not treat me any different, and to have the means to pay for my treatment!
Michelle –
Amen to that!!!
Michele
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I have bipolar, but never took drugs or drank. I do go on spending sprees and anger sprees. I personally wouldn’t mind winning the lottery, I think some of the programs are great for mental illness, but personally I don’t want to hold myself back from what could be better (Lottery, Healing and so on). Anything is better then the government in my opinion. I don’t take the meds they make me ill, that’s just for me personally and have read articles about how many people actually get very sick from the meds and I can attest to that. As bad as I have Bipolar I have to say I actually also have self control and it’s very hard to fight urges but I am learning that it can be done. I have also been denied life ins, that just really makes me mad, my husband has more things wrong with him then I do and eats terribly and will probably die before me and has life ins. No one should be denied any kind of ins that is just cruel. Good Luck to you!