Losing Mental Health Care Is As Dangerous As Losing Physical Health Care
Before I knew what kind of mental health services were available in my area, I was in a complete state of panic when I lost my health insurance. I handled the thought of giving up my therapist pretty well, but I may as well be thrown into cardiac arrest when I found out how much one of my prescriptions cost without coverage.
Being aware of what my community does - and does not - have to offer is one reason I decided to take on the NAMI affiliate leader position for my county. I want to help others learn what’s immediately available to them, as well as how to obtain what takes a bit more work.
During my usual Internet morning crawl through mental health-related news, I found an article describing Asheville, North Carolina’s seriously declining mental health care options for its residents. Providers are closing left and right, and those that are staying open are struggling to do so.
I won’t say “I can’t imagine having mental health care one day and then having it stripped away the next,” because I can imagine it. I’ve been there.
Loss of counseling and therapy aside, it can be just as dangerous for mentally ill person to stop taking his medication as it is for a diabetic to stop taking his insulin. That’s what happening to many of these folks. They’re losing access to the medicine to which their bodies and brains have adjusted - the medicine on which their brain chemicals have come to depend.
What happens when an individual takes a specific amount of antidepressants for a long period of time and then - BOOM! - he can’t take them anymore because he no longer has access to them?
It’s not pretty. The individual will suffer withdrawal symptoms similar to those a drug addict suffers while detoxing. These withdrawal symptoms are often referred to as antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.
Here’s to hoping the folks in Asheville, North Carolina are able to find and/or maintain the mental health care services they need.
For more information on antidepressant discontinuation syndrome and how to alleviate symptoms, check out About.com’s Top 6 Tips to Reduce Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms.
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1 opinion for Losing Mental Health Care Is As Dangerous As Losing Physical Health Care
Damage Control: How To Deal With Losing Mental Health Care Coverage
Jul 26, 2007 at 5:45 am
[…] Tuesday I told you about the shaky mental health care services in Asheville, North Carolina and briefly touched on Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome (ADS), the affliction many folks suffer when they abruptly stop taking their antidepressants. […]