Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. Many people in my network were sharing their experiences with anxiety, OCD, and depression. It was great to hear them speak out because I am a firm proponent of normalizing what is normal. One in four people have a mental illness, so it's definitely "normal."
However, I am part of the one percent of the population that has bipolar disorder. Bipolar, being something a bit less common than anxiety or depression, is often further stigmatized. As the late Carrie Fisher put it, "It's kind of a virus of the brain that makes you very fast, or very sad. Or both." It's something that affects every aspect of my life. As an activist, I've chosen to speak out about my illness before. Unfortunately, making my illness public information has been used against me and I am sure it will continue to come up further into my career. That's one of the reservations I have toward "talking about it."
Yesterday I saw my peers and colleagues sharing their stories. They encouraged folks to get help if they feel similarly or are going through a tough time of their own. This really is great advice. So many times I've seen some of my closest friends suffering, knowing how easy it can be for them to get help. Depression, anxiety, among a few other mental illnesses, can be so easy to treat. SSRIs are cheap and most physicians prescribe them.
However, major mental illnesses are a bit different. Most of the time mood stabilizers or antipsychotics are prescribed. These drugs are not only hard on your body, but incredibly price gouged. Abilify without insurance is well over 700 dollars. Lithium is much cheaper due to being on the market longer, but it requires blood testing every few months. Medication isn't even a "fix." It's more of a step that allows patients to get to a functional baseline. Uninsured, mental health care can have several barriers to care.
Recently, I heard Andy Slavitt, who oversaw Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace programs under President Obama, speak on this issue. He mentioned homeless people visiting the ER often because of lack of care. This is something that doesn't only affect homeless people. While I understand they are a much more vulnerable population, this is an issue that affects too many uninsured Americans with major illnesses.
I have had this experience. A few weeks ago I chose to use alcohol to self-medicate my anxiety and bipolar symptoms. I ended the night in the ER. I chose to listen to the police and medics and take an ambulance ride to the hospital because I didn't want to be involuntarily committed for not cooperating. I ended up being released within six hours due to my suicidal thoughts being considered "passive." Even though all I did was hang out in the ER for six hours, the bill ended up being well over six thousand dollars, with financial assistance. As a student who works freelance on political campaigns, I have no idea how I am going to pay for this. I cannot afford to be insured. I have no idea how to pay for a psychiatrist. I have to idea how to afford the medication that I desperately need.
Sometimes the option to "get help" isn't there. A lot of people I know don't understand this. My friends in states that expanded Medicaid like Maryland and California don't understand that we do not have similar resources in Texas. Texans don't understand that our resources are inadequate and essentially do not exist unless you qualify for disability. The system is broken.
While the ACA was a good starting line, we need to continue calling our senators to protect it. We must advocate for a healthcare for all system. Even if you're covered, others are not. Advocate for your fellow Americans because healthcare is a human right.
