Help me find a psychiatrist
January 5, 2011 1:26 PM Subscribe
Help me find a cheap psychiatrist in the Boston area.
Long story short, I weaned myself off my meds a couple months ago because money was tight, and have been getting steadily crazier ever since. At this point I definitely can't afford a talk therapist, even with a sliding scale/insurance coverage (also I've done 'therapy for the poor' before and it was a huge waste of time... therapy is really something you need to pay money for to get the good stuff, in my experience). And the only psychiatrists I've ever seen have been through referrals from talk therapists. They've also required about $300 for the initial visit, then $150/month for the next few months after that while dosages were being adjusted, and I really just can't afford that right now. My insurance is terrible about covering doctor or therapist visits, but reasonably OK about covering meds, so in an ideal world, I'd just find a cheap psychiatrist who could write me my prescription every few months. I already know the precise medicine and dosage that worked best for me, so I really just need someone to write the prescription for me.
If you know anyone like this in the Boston area, that would be a big help for me.
Thanks in advance!
Long story short, I weaned myself off my meds a couple months ago because money was tight, and have been getting steadily crazier ever since. At this point I definitely can't afford a talk therapist, even with a sliding scale/insurance coverage (also I've done 'therapy for the poor' before and it was a huge waste of time... therapy is really something you need to pay money for to get the good stuff, in my experience). And the only psychiatrists I've ever seen have been through referrals from talk therapists. They've also required about $300 for the initial visit, then $150/month for the next few months after that while dosages were being adjusted, and I really just can't afford that right now. My insurance is terrible about covering doctor or therapist visits, but reasonably OK about covering meds, so in an ideal world, I'd just find a cheap psychiatrist who could write me my prescription every few months. I already know the precise medicine and dosage that worked best for me, so I really just need someone to write the prescription for me.
If you know anyone like this in the Boston area, that would be a big help for me.
Thanks in advance!
Yeah, a friend in a similar situation had good luck getting a script from their PCP. Any chance you can do that, or see if your insurance has "preferred" psychiatrists that they will pay more of the expense of?
posted by ldthomps at 1:38 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by ldthomps at 1:38 PM on January 5, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice so far! I know this is bad, but I don't actually have a primary care provider at the moment--I just moved to Boston, and haven't gotten around to this. Also, I'm pretty sure that anything 'in-network' will be located in my old city, over 1,000 miles away. So any other suggestions?
posted by poxofit at 1:48 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by poxofit at 1:48 PM on January 5, 2011
I am not a Boston resident, but I am a consumer of antidepressants who knows how crazy-making it can be to go w/o one's crazymeds.
There is a nonprofit called Needymeds whose mission is to direct people to low- or no-cost sources of medication and health care. Needymeds has a list of free/low-cost clinics in Massachusetts. A quick scan reveals several in the Boston area (the Fenway Community Health Center, the North End Community Health Center, the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center, the South End Community Health Center) that offer mental health services. Good luck!
posted by virago at 1:55 PM on January 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
There is a nonprofit called Needymeds whose mission is to direct people to low- or no-cost sources of medication and health care. Needymeds has a list of free/low-cost clinics in Massachusetts. A quick scan reveals several in the Boston area (the Fenway Community Health Center, the North End Community Health Center, the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center, the South End Community Health Center) that offer mental health services. Good luck!
posted by virago at 1:55 PM on January 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
P.S. FYI to anyone outside Massachusetts who needs low-/no-cost medication or health care: Needymeds has a searchable database of free/low-cost/sliding-scale clinics nationwide, not just in the Bay State.
posted by virago at 2:19 PM on January 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by virago at 2:19 PM on January 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Cambridge Legal Services and Counseling Center (CLSACC) offers psychotherapy on a scale that slides all the way down to zero. I hope that doesn't discourage you (re "therapy for the poor") - they do excellent work. At times they have psychiatrists/MDs among their counselors, and/or may be able to make referrals for clients for meds.
The experience of my friends and clients here has been that therapy quality / effectiveness doesn't really seem to correlate with price. Maybe things are different in this regard between Boston and where you're from originally? In any case, best of luck on the search.
posted by Signed Sealed Delivered at 4:16 PM on January 5, 2011
The experience of my friends and clients here has been that therapy quality / effectiveness doesn't really seem to correlate with price. Maybe things are different in this regard between Boston and where you're from originally? In any case, best of luck on the search.
posted by Signed Sealed Delivered at 4:16 PM on January 5, 2011
Check your memail.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:33 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:33 PM on January 5, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 1:33 PM on January 5, 2011