Finally, hope for those who suffer from mental health issues

House Passes Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act

March 5th, 2008 by Jesse Lee

The House has just passed H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act by a vote of 268-148. This bipartisan legislation will end discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illnesses by prohibiting insurers and group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations when they offer mental health benefits that are more restrictive from those applied to medical and surgical services.

Some consider me mentally deficient and be that as it may, I do live daily with mental illness. The problem is that simply using those words can instill fear and misunderstanding, certain stigmas associated with the words that do not help the situation, at all. More and more progress is made in all sorts of areas (the mental illnesses are varied and at times, interrelated), especially medicines (no matter what that freak Tom Cruise says).

In my case a family member is Bi-Polar (manic-depressive). Her life can be amazingly rewarding and fun… or super-depressing and scary. In her case, she is a rare type called a “rapid cycler” which means she can go from one extreme to the next daily, or even several times in a day. Most manic-depressives do not cycle that fast and it is devastating when they do cycle (no matter the frequency). If they cycle fast, the ups and downs happen so quickly, they can’t adjust and end up living a roller coaster ride of emotions.

They tend to “feel” more than normal people, in that, every emotion is overbearing… causing one to make decisions that can be rash and dangerous… or, may make them take the opposite tact and never make a decision, at all, in fear of messing up. Many times, anger or fear can be like “the first time” they ever experience it, as if it is groundhog day over and over, never learning from what happened the day before.

One of the worst things is to see them be depressed and have a manic phase at the same time. Being mentally forced to do something when that “something” depresses you. And not being able to control yourself. Having to clean the kitchen, while crying your eyes out and not being able to stop either. Nothing is routine and holding a regular job is most difficult (although certainly achievable).

Very few people know about my situation and how it affects the loved ones (I’m not bitching or asking for sympathy) who live with it. Like everything else in life, you just make do with the situation and try to improve it. In my case, I end up taking up a lot of the slack and “walk on eggshells” most of my life (I cook most meals, earn the living, help with our daughter as much as possible, juggling work). Since I travel with work, this makes juggling even harder and I rely on her taking her meds correctly (which is one of the biggest obstacles for a Bi-polar person, imo) and my parents-in-law (who are both in their 60’s and 70’s).

One of the issues is the stigma that insurance companies have been able to put on this illness. If you try to buy insurance or lose your insurance at work, there is absolutely no chance, whatsoever, to have an insurance company sign you because of the pre-existing condition. No evaluation… just NO. Since I am self-employed, I pay for my own insurance and basically, due to her illness (for my daughter and I combined are less than half of my wife’s premium) I pay almost $1,200/month in premiums. There is no real reason for this, except the stigma and the fact that health insurance companies rule our healthcare in America. For the last three years straight, I have had to spend $20K-$30K out of my pocket (and it is breaking us, believe me).

By and large, this is because of her “condition”, that if medicated as she religiously does, there is no real issue that warrants such extra costs. So, this is a start by congress (if it gets to Bush, it may be vetoed, since he is such a stupid prick), but the real answer is to dump the for profit system we have and build the very best single payer, not-for-profit system in the world, where EVERY American is covered and the fat cat assholes in insurance stop making millions in profit off of our sicknesses and accidents.

Best healthcare in the world? Only if you are a mindless, idiotic, sycophantic, Bushie Fool.