Posted by no hope in sight on September 9, 2002, at 23:46:31
Longtime lurker, first time poster here. :-)
I am a 32 year-old male living in Olympia, WA. I have suffered from extreme depression for 8 years and fairly severe anxiety for 4.
I used to live in southern California; there I was receiving medication from a county program, because I have no income or insurance. I do have a small savings account that I use to live on. I don't know what I'll do when that runs out.
I take 40 mg of celexa and 200 mg of Seroquel each day.
I was living with my parents, but three weeks ago, they kicked me out. My entire family is mentally ill, and it just didn't work out with me living there. My parents aren't able to provide any financial support.
Anyway, I am no longer a resident of Orange County, CA, so I'm not eligible for their program. I've been here in Olympia, WA for almost three weeks and can't get anyone to help me! There are a few programs here for the medically indigent, but there are waiting periods of two to three months to see a regular doctor, and the mental health program isn't even accepting new patients. I explained to them that I was in crisis, but they still wouldn't help me. This clinic that's not accepting new patients is the one I was referred to by the local crisis phone center. Everybody I call wants to give me somebody else's number! I literally have an entire page of phone numbers that resulted from following this first referral. I have told each and every one of them that I am in crisis.
I was told that I won't wualify for Medicaid because I have more than $2,000 in savings. It doesn;t even matter to them that that money is all I have to live on. I have so much anxiety over what's going to happen when that money's gone. My stomach is constantly in knots. It costs me, even just eating twice a day, over $800 to live, so I can't understand why I'm supposed to delete that $2,500 that I have before anyone will even help me. Once that happens, I will be homeless!
I know that there are programs where I can get medicine directly from the manufacturers, but I don't even have a doctor to examine me and authorize the forms. Not to mention, it will take a month or more for the medicine to arrive.
I have been through withdrawal before, and it is awful for me. I was also quite suicidal before starting the Celexa.
I'm just hoping that one of you will know of something in my area that I haven't thought of.
I don't know a single soul here in Olympia, and returning home isn't an option either. My anxiety and depression have kept me from applying for disability. Just the thought of filling out the forms and the certainty that I'll be denied makes me not want to get out of bed. I know I can't get approved if I don't apply, but I'm sure many of you can identify with the certainty of failure and inability to function that I'm referring to.
Anyway, I'm sorry to go on and on and on. I'm just hoping that somebody here can help me.
Dave
poster:no hope in sight
thread:119429
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020906/msgs/119429.html