Mental Illness

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by dixielady

Losing my job meant losing the excellent insurance benefits that came with it. ...

I have had no treatment or medication since June of 2009. The nonprofit facility shut its doors due to an employee embezzling all of their funds. I went to my weekly appointment to find a note taped to their door, explaining the situation. No apology. No referrals to other agencies. Nothing. There have been no other services available in my area. (A very rural area.)

I have tried as recently as two weeks ago to see if any new services have come available. Two Fridays ago I went to our county's health and social services offices. They were really friendly until I asked about mental health services. I was promptly "shoo'd" out of their offices. I guess mentioning mental health to them equates to "omg, a raving psychotic maniac in our presence".

Originally Posted by dixielady

I'm fine with that. Heaven knows I need all the help I can get. I live in western North Carolina. The surrounding counties have facilities, but most have told me that since I'm not a citizen of their county they can't help me. (Due to their funding obligations criteria.)

Hi, dixielady. I am sorry that the nonprofit agency in your area (I am assuming it was a community mental health center?), closed its doors.

The county is responsible for its residents and so the people who were going to that center, must have gone somewhere?

I assume that you either have Medicaid, or are uninsured?

If you have Medicaid, you can call them/look online, and they will give you a list of providers in your area. Medicaid actually pays better than most private insurances (for outpatient mental health treatment), so you should be able to find private practitioners in your area that do take Medicaid.

If you are uninsured, the county/NC has to supply you with something, or approve you going to another county. What did the people at Health and Social Services tell you? If you have a Mental Health and Hygiene Department, check them out. Otherwise, contact Health and social services again and push the issue. Again, the clients from the agency you went to have to be getting services somewhere (otherwise the hospitals would most likely have had a very significant increase in admissions since 6/2009 and you would have heard about it)...many of these people probably receive services from Health and Social Services as well, so that organization must know something. :-(

Good luck to you. I'm sorry this has happened.