How do you all afford psychology/psychiatry sessions?

[MisterM]

I know there are 10 sessions covered under Medicare where you only pay a smaller fee but every time I have been the 10 sessions run out so fast. I am unemployed, even recently working casual I wasn't earning much. How do some of you people afford to go weekly/fortnightly. When I was working full time I was going every week/fortnight and spent over $3,000 in a year on seeing my psychologist. It's just too damn expensive, how can sessions cost $200 approx per 50 mins, what justifies such a high fee?
I don't get it.

[Spiltbean]

Hi there,

10 session rebate is great if you just need a bit of moral support, but much more intensive treatment is required for personality disorders, bipolar, schizophrenia etc....the treatment for BPD recovery starts with 12 months, to learn DBT skills. That's before you even start to delve into self, a prerequisite is that you much see your individual psychologist weekly. And when you feel suicidal, trust me, this is a minimum.

[150lashes]

Hi Legion

That's fantastic to gave received quality, bulk billed care by your psychiatrist for so many years! I doubt there would be many around who would do that.

I agree it's very expensive and makes it difficult to access care.

Which is why long term I doubt I would be able to. There really should be more support in the mental health arena particularly with the latest statistics revealed!

I wish you all the best ​

[150lashes]

Hi splitbean 

Thanks for your reply and giving me greater insight. I appreciate it and I understand.

​I think there needs to be more support out there. Maybe 10 sessions really just scratches the surface. I've only had one session with my second tomorrow. I don't know when I'll feel well again or if 10 if enough.

Time will tell I guess.

[SquarePeggie]

I'm so glad you and Splitbean have mention this as I thought I was alone. I have been seeing a psychologist for 2 years now and if I look back there is not a single aspect of my life that is better than it was before. Some areas, like my relationship with my mum are worse. My self esteem is also worse, it seems that seeing a psychologist has just pointed out more things about myself that I don't like!

I'm thinking about using the $175 per session on hobbies, clothes that make me feel good and holidays instead.

[Randlo]

Isn't the government bent on keeping people healthy so that they'd save money from citizens using Medicare?

Why not help mentally disabled people back on their feet to become efficient and productive tax payers? Some of the greatest thinkers in the planet had BPDs, heck, maybe one of them could be the next Mark Zuckerberg right?

[CheeseSlices]

Has anyone got the medicare ap? It has everything you have spent on it. My out of pocket expenses add up to over $40,000 since I got the ap.

Some people have told me that my psychatrists were milking me for my insurance. I now think so too. I was forced to go every week for a $360 appointment (cash upfront - no cash no appointment, no appointment meant cash fee for missing the appointment... no medicare back on "missed" appointments. My car broke down before christmas one year on the way to the appointment, I rang in a panic and told her, I still missed it and was not allowed access to the doctor until I had paid it - with NONE back on medicare). If I did not continue weekly appointments I was admitted to hospital.

I am still getting hounded by a hospital for an appointment I didnt even book a year ago! They sent me a text message saying "we have got an earlier appointment for you" I didnt see it and didnt go (nor confirmed it!) and they still hound me to pay.

I fired my therapist at the start of this year as I was just getting worse and worse. I spent so many months in hospital last year, all they did was keep adding drugs. She didnt dispense drugs but almost every session she said "I feel you should be in hospital for safety" which then put me in the hands of a doctor who charged me AND drugged me more - then he put me on to his mates - an OT and pain specialist. So then I am supposed to fork out for 4 $360 appointments a week while earning less than $300 a week? I did this for a while, got much worse.

Firing my doctors was the best moment of my life.

It is so much nicer to have money for food! I dont have to save to drive 80km for appointments that had me wiped out for 3 days. I can do things on the weekend because I am not so distressed about what my therapist dragged me through. I can forget about the horrors because she doesnt bring it up to me every week!

My lifestyle has really changed since I fired those terrible doctors. Its indescribable and amazing to be out of that system. Freeing. Not to say I dont still have issue but it is MUCH easier to deal with without doctors telling me its symptom that needs medicating and messing with my brain so I need to relearn how to cope!

[Raynor]

There should be more angst about this in the media. My psychologist has just told me that treatment for my condition (a dissociative disorder) will require therapy for "a long time, possibly a very long time". I don't expect him to work for nothing, and he has office overheads beyond his own salary, so am I supposed to just accept that I can't get treatment until I have a well-paid job? What kind of country is this?

[Over1t]

I've found that the 10 sessions is quiet reasonable, keep in mind that if you have a severe and chronic condition you can get an additional 5 sessions under the chronic disease management plan.

I've found that if I've ever been in the position that I've needed more then about 12 psychologist sessions in a year I'm in a pretty bad place and I end up getting admitted to hospital and then everything is 'free' and you see your Dr almost every day and can participate in group therapy 6 days a week.

If your psychologist can't help you in a time bound manor maybe you need to find someone else.?

Good luck.

[Raynor]

I guess it depends on your diagnosis. Glad it's worked for you.

[deecee]

good on you for calling it out like it is. living in regional nsw I need ot do a return trip of six hours for a one hour session with a clinical psychologist and in reality getting local help is very very difficult.

Not only expensive but the line " you need to try different drugs or therapies" ends up making me feel like some kind of experimental gineau pig. Meanwhile the specialists are handsomely paid.

I've ended up walking away from the system - in the end its up to me to sort it out and not spend my hard earned on wealthy specialists