Insurance Companies and Psychiatric Medications

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Insurance Companies and Psychiatric Medications
• Sharing Mental Health Experiences
• The Latest from HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Your Thoughts: From the HealthyPlace Forums and Chat
• How to Improve Your Mental Health When Living with a Chronic Illness
• Living with Adult ADHD

Insurance Companies and Psychiatric Medications

  Insurance Companies and Psychiatric Medications

A lot of people are responding/commenting to these two articles by Angela McClanahan, author of the "Life with Bob" blog.

• Insurance Companies Are NOT Psychiatrists--Why Are They Making Decisions?
• We're Not Trying to Drug Our Mentally Ill Kids Into Submission (Video)

Angela's son, Bob, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD and the insurance company denied what they say is a "premature" refill of his prescriptions. Most of the reader response centers around a comment made by "ConcernedMom" who questions whether Bob's psychiatrist and Angela are over-medicating him? She thinks the insurance company acted as an appropriate gatekeeper.

I'm in no position to judge that, but in the article, Angela asks a bigger question that affects everyone with a mental illness:

"Who are these people who get to decide what medication we take and how much? Not the physicians we're paying $100 (or more) a visit. Why bother going to a doctor at all? Next time you're feeling poorly, just call your insurance company–they apparently have the power to diagnose you AND determine your best course of treatment, all without seeing you OR your medical history."

I'd be interested to read (comment here) or hear (call 1-888-883-8045) your thoughts on this.

Mental Health Experiences

Share your thoughts/experiences with any mental health subject, or respond to other people's audio posts, by calling our toll-free number (1-888-883-8045).

You can listen to what other people are saying by clicking on the gray title bars inside the widgets located on the "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" homepage, the HealthyPlace homepage, and the HealthyPlace Support Network homepage.

If you have any questions, write us at: info AT healthyplace.com

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From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Mental Illness Recovery: The Four Cornerstones (Mental Illness in the Family Blog)

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• I Don't Want You Anymore Depression (Depression Diaries Blog)
• What Are You, Bipolar? Mental Illness as a Weapon - Video (Breaking Bipolar Blog)
• Earn Your Degree in Abuse (Verbal Abuse and Relationships Blog)
• My Crazy Meds Are Crazier Than I'll Ever Be: Psychiatry, Anxiety and Depression (Treating Anxiety Blog)
• Never Alone: Overcoming the Loneliness of Eating Disorders (Surviving ED Blog)
• We're Not Trying to Drug Our Mentally Ill Kids Into Submission (Video) (Life with Bob: A Parenting Blog)
• Linehan Admits Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder: Why It Matters (More Than Borderline Blog)
• Normalizing Dissociation Part 2: Depersonalization (Dissociative Living Blog)
• Insurance Companies Are NOT Psychiatrists--Why Are They Making Decisions?
• A Reduction in Mental Health Symptoms Can Be Scary Too
• Effects of Verbal Abuse: Lying
• Mental Health Treatment: Penny-Wise , Future-Foolish?
• Are People with Bipolar Disorder More Intelligent?
• Does the Anthony Weiner Story Trivialize Addictions?
• Chronic Pain and Illness: Breeding Grounds for Depression

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

Your Thoughts: From the HealthyPlace Forums and Chat

On our Depression Forum, ronnirok14 says "Im a 14 year old teen suffering from depression wondering who else is out there." Sign into the forums and share your thoughts and comments.

Join us on the HealthyPlace Mental Health Forums and Chat

You must be a registered HealthyPlace member. If you aren't already, it's free and takes less than 30 seconds. Just click the "register button" at the top of the page.

At the bottom of the forums page, you'll notice a chat bar (similar to facebook). You can chat with any registered member on the forums site.

We hope you'll be a frequent participant and share our support link with others who may benefit.

How to Improve Your Mental Health When Living with a Chronic Illness.

Whether you are living with fibromyalgia or cancer, you know having a chronic illness can't be good for your mental health. So how do you improve your level of mental wellness? Dr. Ann Becker-Schutte specializes in helping those affected by chronic and serious illness to live a balanced life. Watch this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. (Chronic Illness and Mental Health Connection - TV Show blog)

Other Recent HPTV Shows

• Living Straight, Coming Out Gay
• Surviving PTSD
• Breaking the Cycle of Dysfunctional Living

Coming in July on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show

• The Pitfalls of Labeling and Medicating Our Children
• Healing From Childhood Traumas in Mid-Life
• Surviving a Long-Lasting Battle with Depression

If you would like to be a guest on the show or share your personal story in writing or via video, please write us at: producer AT healthyplace.com

For all previous HealthyPlace Mental Health TV archived shows.

Living with Adult ADHD

Kelly Babcock, author of the blog "Tao of Taylor," spent a good portion of his life trying to figure out why things weren't going right. For him, receiving a diagnosis of Adult ADHD was a life-changing event. We discuss that on this edition of the HealthyPlace Mental Health Radio Show. Listen to Living with Adult ADHD.

Other Recent HealthyPlace Radio Shows

• Feedback Treatments for Anxiety and ADHD: Many people don't like and don't want to take psychiatric medication. For those who don't have a serious or debilitating mental illness, neurofeedback or biofeedback may be a viable treatment solution. Jeff Lewis, MSSW, LSCSW, BCIAC talks about the uses, efficacy, the difference between the real deal and those who are not practicing by the best standards, and more.
• Parenting a Child with Schizoaffective Disorder: What is it like parenting a child with a serious mental illness? Our guest, Chrisa Hickey, is mother to three children. Her middle son, Timothy, is diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder. Chrisa discusses how difficult it was to adjust to the fact that her son has a serious mental illness. She talks about the impact that it's had on her other children, her marriage, and the tough decisions that she and her husband have made.

If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or digg) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week,

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back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index