Depression Resources for Spouse?

[ceeveg]

My husband is dealing with severe depression and anger issues, and would like to seek the services of a therapist, and ultimately seek medication. He does not currently have health insurance. We make just enough to not qualify for assistance through lower-income programs in our area, but our budget is completely tied up in our mortgage, car payment, loans, and so forth, and we don't have reserves for to pay a private therapist.

Can anyone recommend assistance? Thank you so much.

[K-Mom3]

When I had depression and no insurance, I first read a whole bunch of books from the library and that way got much more info than I could from a doctor's visit. I got started on improving rest, exercise, light therapy, etc.

Then, when I had pretty much decided that meds was what I needed, I made an appt with my nurse practitioner/midwife and she wrote me a presciption. The visit cost maybe $100 and the meds were maybe $80? for maybe one month's worth? My NP knew cost was an issue and wrote it for a generic drug and for a double dose that was scored so I could cut it in half every day and pay less overall.

Another treatment option is supplements--the book The Mood Cure has guidelines for how to get started that way. I've heard inositol, fish oil, vit b, vit D but the people I know doing this are all women. Not sure if they recommend different things for men. The supplements are also expensive but possibly not as much as meds and with fewer risks.

I didn't do therapy--my issue was mostly biological. I have recently done some research and discovered that my local university has a clinic that costs only $15 per visit or you can join a group that meets weekly and the cost is even less per visit. Another option for cheap/free therapy is through churches.

Sorry I don't have better info for you but maybe that will help you search for some options in your area.

[ceeveg]

Thank you - I will look into local university and church options. We had found an option through a local church, but it was at the cost of $125 per week.

I've just gone through the local library and ordered several books that seem applicable. I think it's probably a mix of being predisposed biologically and also his upbringing. He had a fairly abusive upbringing.

Thank you for your support!

[monavieMom]

My husband has the same problem. His meds cost us 78 a month and we lost our insurance. Now myself and the kids are only qualified for assitance which we still have to pay for.
He did tons of online research. He does see our pastor for counseling. As for "other remedies" he gets plenty of over the counter stuff from an herbal store and Walmart. We severely lack Vit D in our diets! He takes 5,000 IU's a day, we should be getting something like 5000 to 1300 a day I think it what he said. He takes vit C and a B complex...all those are pretty cheap at walmart. Then he ges a 5HTP ($12-15ish) at the herbal store and a Mega Mins hold the iron as well. The 5HTP is the key he says. We aren't allowed to let that one lapse a day. Depending on the brand it can be ordered online. It's something that each person has to come up with their own amount they take. He's a BIG guy and take 100mg in the mornig and 100 at night I believe.
Flax seed is another thing I get him from walmart that he likes to keep on top of which does help with moods but is not its main "known for" thing. He also drinks Active Mona Vie but it is expensive unless you were willing to work hard and turn it into a business.
I hope something in here can help. Getting our vitamin intake under wraps is a very good thing in so many ways. So you may see it can benefit you all in different ways. My husband didn't get sick at all this year, the kids and I did with a cold and that's it! Hope it stays that way for us.
Best of luck finding the right solution. Just so you know, even if a DR can perscribe a medicine for him...research that too. We went over 5yrs of our marriage barely intamite due to the side effects of his meds. Which is what was a big reason in him doing research. It's a true statistic that you only need 1 time to get pregnant, as it was for our 1st daughter...this one was NO surprise at all. What a difference it made in our marriage!

[KatWrangler]

There is help out there. It is just hard to find.

Call your local NAMI chapter. Explain your situation and see what they suggest.

http://www.nami.org/

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Sec...iateFinder.cfm

Have you looked at your county for Mental Health Services?

I definately would opt for a Psychiatrist for a diagnosis and then a therapist for therapy.

[KatWrangler]

Here is another site that I have fond helpful.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/

[Sileree]

See if you can get generic brands. I was getting generic Wellbutrin for $10 and Celexa for $5 for about 30 pills.

[punkrockmomma]

If you in or near a big city, see if your local city run mental health hospital has a walk in clinic. I know ours does, and you get to see a psychiatrist for free and get free meds that day at the pharmacy at the hospital. Eventually you get placed with a permanent, usually free psychiatrist somewhere out in the community. We also have a medical college in our city, and I know they offer free mental health services to people without insurance. Now that I think about it, look into whether or not the colleges in your area have any graduate level psychology or psychiatry programs, because they should have a clinic that the students have to work at to get their clinical hours, and they usually charge on a sliding scale. I live in a medium sized city, and I can think of at least 4 places like this. Good luck!