Saw the New Therapist Yesterday

In an earlier post I talked about my disillusionment with state-run mental health care.  There are three cattle farms in my county (that's what I call the Medicaid-funded clinics) and I've been to all of them at one time or another.  None of them did much for me.  I think 8 years is long enough.

In hopes of finding some stability my husband and I agreed that I would try to find someone in private practice.  A psychiatrist in my area who accepts Medicare apparently doesn't exist.  In my search for that particular unicorn I found a local ARNP who, although he doesn't accept Medicare, charges approximately what my co-pay would be if I had found a psychiatrist who does.  I saw him yesterday.

Since the initial 1-1/2 visits are for evaluation I wasn't able to determine if he and I would be a good match.  I did, however, get a sense of what kind of person he is and a learned a little bit about how knowledgeable he is.  He's a very kind man, quiet and sympathetic.  Although he was reading questions from a pre-printed list he took copious notes.  He listened to me without interruption, and asked me to clarify certain things.

It sounds like your basic intake, doesn't it?  But this was such a different experience.  He didn't rush me or treat me like his twenty-third intake for the day - he treated me like a person.  He looked me in the eyes.  He listened to what I had to say.  And best of all, he was honest with me.  He said he couldn't cure me (which I already knew - no one can) but that he would do his very best to help me achieve the best life I could.  

I still don't know how my husband and I are going to come up with the money for me to see this man on a regular basis.  Just these first two appointments are going to wipe out our tiny savings.  But if he proves to be helpful, I'll come up with the money somehow.  I won't skimp on medical care, and now I refuse to skimp on mental health care.  

After all, it's my life we're talking about.