A very serious illness called Schizophrenia is not being treated adequately because of access to care. This illness has had a number of new medications introduced over the last 15 years to treat it. Unfortunately, many of these medications are not effective enough. Some of them have side effects that are very serious like weight gain, diabetes and elevated lipid levels. Clearly the side effects are not more significant than the illness, in terms of disability. Unfortunately, because of the lawyers wanting a piece of the health care pie, the side effect issue is often augmented and used as an opportunity to make some people rich (not the people with the problem, those that represent them). Even though medications are necessary for this illness, they are usually available, even if it is at a very high price. Maybe the price wouldn't be so high if the companies making the medications could worry less about litigation.
The treatment where access is denied by many insurers and even some governments is talking therapy and rehabilitation. Did you know that if you don't have medi-care and medi-cal coverage in California, there are many rehabilitation programs you can't attend. These programs are the only way many patients can learn to cope better, care for themselves and maybe in some instances even work. The combination of our current medications with rehabilitation programs is the only way to get better. It would be called optimal treatment, what you would want for your loved one's or yourself. Medications managed by doctors that care enough to optimize treatment and reduce side effects, along with talking therapy that helps patient fear less. Many psychiatrists I have worked with fit this bill. To assist the patient with schizophrenia get to a point where their self-esteem will recover to some extent. To deny access to this kind of care that can be provided at not a great expense, is a crime.
Schizophrenia is a condition where people feel that others might want to hurt them. In an excellent outpatient program like Palomar Intensive Outpatient program, people have a chance to be their best with a devastating disease. The staff at this program are dedicated, caring, empathic and devoted to helping people with severe mental illnesses achieve their goals. I have seen families break down and cry when they discuss their loved ones suffering and how the staff at Palomar helped them. Nothing is more rewarding to a health care provider than to see someone face their illness and fears, get the assistance they require and watch the person smile again.
Karen, Teri, Mona, Victoria, Jackie, Judith and Angelica are the people in our program that save lives and then assist our patients to embrace the idea that their lives matter. That they matter. Working with the people I work with makes me feel like there couldn't be a better branch of medicine than psychiatry. To think that if you get the diagnosis of schizophrenia after the age of 18 years and not be able to get medicare so you can get the rehabilitation necessary, is arbitrary and cruel.
Maybe a congressman, senator or President needs to have a loved one go through this illness, not have rich parents, and need a program like ours that they can't get into before things change. I don't care how things need to change so that people with a difficult illness get the help they need, just that they get it. Thanks again to the staff and patients at Palomar Intensive Outpatient Program.
I should mention our administrators Sheila and Susan for helping us make it happen also. Their friendly and professional attitude makes a difference when advocating for mental health care. If you agree or think otherwise about any of these thoughts, leave a comment for all of us who care to ponder.
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3 comments:
Don't even know you, but thank you.
The therapy I need to keep me on track in Vancouver is also not covered under our plans so I pay. I am fortunate because I can. So many people cannot and I try to support who I can.
Could not agree more. When I moved from PA to CA, I thought that I was coming to a much more advanced state in regard of care and social acceptance of people with mental illness. I was in for a disappointment. I realized quyickly that people with schizophrenia were denied care and medication because they did not have the right insurance or did not qualify for Medi-Medi... I was appaled recently when I realized that a young patient was, again denied care because he was "not sick enough, had not been sick for long enough and was, finally, too young to qualify for Medi-Medi. His private insurance denied him care. His medication, under this insurance plan, was so high that he could not afford it. He had to leave the Program and go home withouth care. In my opinion, he was denied the right to be able to prevent subsequent "crisis" and have a better prognosis.
Although I have not worked very long in this field, (less and 10 years) I know that in PA a patient could show up at almost any clinic or psychiatric hopsital and received medication if in need. Different programs exist for people that do not qualify for the state insurance. Access to care, is easier, although not easy, but possible. What is California waiting?
It is sad that your story is both true and frequent. It is appalling and I appreciate you writing in to echo my thoughts.
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