I am by no means an economist, but in true American fashion, I am now going to proceed to talk about something I have little expertise.
That isn’t entirely true. Because this post isn’t about how to manage your money, but about money and mental illness. And while I may not have the most financial experience, generally speaking, I do have plenty of experience with balancing mental health issues with monetary ones. And not always in the best fashion.
I have paid my therapist with whatever loose cash I could string together as if she were no better than a common stripper. I have had to forgo some appointments because I couldn’t pay. And I have heard the lies whispered by my mental illness, the ones that say that this is all a waste of money, that it is taking money away from my family, from vacations with my wife, from our savings, etc.
But if you broke your leg, you wouldn’t squabble over dollars, or about dipping into the travel fund, because if you can’t pay for the treatment then you won’t be traveling anywhere anytime soon. If you need treatment, you should never feel like you are wastefully spending money, no matter what anyone says.
It may mean that you have to tighten your belt in other places, and here is where I drift
into the territory of unqualified economic advice because I have never been the best and budgeting. But there are plenty of people and plenty of blogs out there that can help you with that. This post is to remind you that the cost is always worth it. It is worth it because you are investing in yourself and that is your most important asset.
It is understandable if these issues only end up adding to your anxiety. That was the case for me. Indeed, given our cash-and-carry world, not having money is a serious cause for concern, even if you don’t have an anxiety disorder. Yet just as with other sources of anxiety, there are a lot of resources available to help manage financial anxiety related to the cost of therapy and medication.
There are also a lot of great cost-saving options, such as teletherapy via sites like Talkspace, BetterHelp, and several others, which cuts down on the cost of the commute as well as the cost of an in-office visit. So don’t feel like you are stuck with traditional options, especially if insurance doesn’t cover it or if the cost is an issue.
In the end, there are a lot of financial questions that I can’t answer about how to budget or how to save for therapy costs and medication costs. Yet there are options available to you, and ultimately, the cost will be worth it, because you will be investing in a better you.
The Dark Tales Project 