Mental Health Care: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
2022 ж. 30 Шіл.
5 173 517 Рет қаралды
John Oliver discusses the cracks in our broken mental health care system, some of the inadequate ways we’ve tried to fill them, and what it all has to do with the gallbladder.
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Finding a therapist Finding a therapist who takes your insurance Finding a therapist who has an opening Finding a therapist that you are comfortable talking to.....it's a nightmare
And it gets so much worse for certain communities
Finding a therapist who isn’t 40 years younger that writes down “forgetful” & hands you a prescription. Then won’t do a phone call during lockdown because you don’t have a smartphone.
Finding a therapist that doesn't want to immediately throw medication at you
Finding a meditation practice...it's free, the treatment can be administered anywhere, and you don't need to depend on anyone but ones self. Ten percent Happier is a good book to stat. Also, the author of the book has a podcast. Take your mental health into your own hands. Don't depend on others.
that's just my life
PROTIP: when given a choice between siding with a medical professional who is sworn to save a human life at all costs versus an insurance company's CEO who is sworn to turn a profit at all costs, always, ALWAYS side with the medical professionals.
Yo 🔥kzhead.info/sun/pciDacarhWmAdK8/bejne.html
For profit healthcare is bs, medical insurance is a criminal scam. Profiting off of intentionally causing misery, suffering, and death is criminal. It's not an institution designed to help, it's designed to hurt people for excessive profits.
Only exception is if your medical professional believes in outdated medical practices and breaks out the good ol' humors or chi in which case you side with neither and run.
@@ratoh1710 that applies to most of them.
@@ratoh1710 I would hope that chi and dreamcatcher professionals cannot be considered medical professionals officially =o
“As bad as our situation is now, it’s only getting worse” should be the tagline of this show.
That should be the motto on the Statue of Liberty, or at the very least, added to our currency.
That is the campaign goal, promise and strategy of the MAGA Repugnican'ts, for everything.
I am autistic. I also have PTSD. I was like 13 when myself and my other autistic friends heard our friend screaming and ran in to check on her to find she was being sexually assaulted. All of us were literally shaking after we beat the crap out of the guy who did it. Several of us even went to the bathroom to throw up and we couldn't even talk amongst ourselves about that night. My therapist had the evil in his heart to suggest that people who are autistic aren't empathetic/can't be loyal. We wouldn't have PTSD if we weren't able to be concerned for my friend.
I hate this stereotype because it's so perpetuated I believed it about MYSELF for a long time. But it's actually the opposite! Autistic people are sometimes seen to be MORE empathetic, they just have a harder time expressing it. It is infuriating that a therapist would say something like that.
That’s such a hateful thing to say about autistic people. It’s actually very common for us to have very strong emotions in general and a tendency to be overly empathetic. It took years of therapy to learn how to keep some emotional distance so that I’m not crying every time I hear about or see something heartbreaking. And even those of us who have a flat affect still experience the full range of human emotions. They just don’t show them in their face or voice.
Jesus christ. I hope you guys are ok
I love how one of the proposed reasons for the notion that autistic people have reduced empathy is due to them, during some studies back in the day, answering anonymous surveys more honestly.
BS
I was actively suicidal at the beginning of 2020 and got admitted into a psych ward. The first person I talked to when I arrived was the billing department. A day later I talked to a overworked psychiatrist for about 5 minutes who just asked what meds I was on. A week later I was discharged with no follow up plan just a hefty bill to pay off for the next 6 months. Since then I know not to talk about my sucidality with anyone, especially a health care professional. What they do for you ends up feeling more like a punishment than help.
Suicidism (discrimination or prejudice against those that are suicidal) is a big problem.
The requirement that a therapist has to report suicidal feelings has a new dark twist. They know that means the police will be sent to one's home and they will be transported to some psych unit, most likely far away. It's very punishing.
Come to this comment thread and talk about it next time you feel like that. No judgment
Yeah, therapy didn't work for me because I couldn't talk about my issues fully. If i said I smoked pot, they wouldn't treat my ADHD. If I talked about suicide, it would financially ruin me. Eventually I realized I was paying someone hundreds of dollars to laugh at my jokes every week while never really improving my life in any way. My therapist would talk about me needing to learn to be "authentic" and that my problems come from the difference between who I really am and the person I present myself to be. Cool. How can I be authentic if I can't even tell my therapist the entire truth? I've been through the "therapy mill" a few times now and all I can say is never again. It made my mental health WORSE. Edited to add: after 4 or 5 months with my last therapist, she "came out" as religious and actually would tell me about how she gets value from religion and how I need to find something like that. LOL. Honestly the whole situation was such a joke I forgot what a terrible clinician this last one was. But she was who I could AFFORD.
I have a blood clotting disorder and every now and then, I have to get ultrasounds done to check for clotting. Last time I went, I was put in a large room divided by just curtains. Across from me was a young woman who’d come in because she was feeling suicidal. A volunteer had come in to sit with her but they mostly just made super awkward and nervous chit chat while the patient waited for the doctor. When the doctor arrived, he basically just asked the patient if they were still a danger to themselves or not. The patient said no and they were discharged. That was it. No follow up, no referral, no meds. Just, okay bye. I really hope that she’s okay.
I think 80% of American horror stories are about the US healthcare.
To an extant, the psycho serial killer genre is about the lack of mental health care in the USA.
I think there's a pretty big overlap with that, corporate horror stories, and bigotry. It's like a 3 part venn diagram of American horror.
well... most bankruptcies in murica are because of healthcare bills
The stuff that has happened to me in my life I can place in roughly 2 categories, stuff I did to eff up myself and stuff the system did to aggravate things when I was already in trouble. And so I ask you too, which door for YOU revealed the most true horrors behind it?
I think 80% of American _stories_ are horror stories about the healthcare system.
As a mental health provider, I can't think of anything to add to this John. Great job. I take most insurances and am barely paying bills. It's rewarding, but exhausting work. Yes we need a lot of changes!
Thank you for what you do. Truly ❤
grtjytfrtdh
You've obviously had some bad experiences. I don't know your story, but am sorry for that.
So, you're telling me my choice to play therapist as a bartender was actually the smart career choice as it took me 40 hrs and no student load debt to become a bartender who makes enough to be sole provider for my kids and I? That was the validation I needed today. Thanks doc. 😘
@Rob Neeth youre saying a mental health provider has no value? Who the fuck are you to say that?
not to mention if you’re put into a psych ward for having a mental health emergency, it’s EXTREMELY traumatic. not only do they not treat you properly, but in my experience i was even harassed by other patients, particularly men.
Where I went to university there was an all-hours drop-in community mental health center that was always staffed by trained volunteers and always had at least one professional on call, and one of their requirements for all staff was to fight like crazy to keep people out of a psych ward. There was a lady doing research on the effectiveness of different approaches to mental health who had reached two preliminary conclusions she shared with the center: that for most people put involuntarily into a psych ward for a 72-hour hold, it took over a week of counseling to recover from what passed for care in the ward; and that having two friends available who are willing to just be there for someone is more effective than intervention from a professional in a suicidal situation.
The one at my local VA did a good job. Not saying thats how it is everywhere just, my experience one time.
At mine, nothing particularly horrible happened, but it was still pretty traumatizing. You're leaving home and making yourself extremely vulnerable. You're put in a position where if you can't advocate for yourself, you just suffer. I remember my room was freezing, and it took me two days to work up the courage to ask the nurse to unlock the air conditioner to turn it down. Of course, when I was in psych ward, I had just turned nineteen, and I was still in high school and living with my parents. I was just old enough for the hospital to treat me like an adult, but I wasn't used to being my own adult yet. Not to mention, the walls are paper-thin, and you can hear when any of the other patients is having a panic attack.
Been there, it can be a frightening experience. The worst of the worst are often residing there.
It took me 3 months of EMDR therapy to get over what I have seen as a 14 year old in a psych ward. Children should never be locked up
I had my insurance company decide my chemotherapy "wasn't medically necessary" when I had cancer. Wound up getting it sorted out but it really pissed me, my family, and my doctors off.
OH SAY CAN YOU SEE
Big C for 10 years and counting. I still get bills for “medically unnecessary” chemo. Fuck outta here.
@@MetalRiffery666 11 years out for me. Wish ya well man
@@emPtysp4ce LOL i love this so much..
"Is it really necessary? I mean worst case scenario you die and we don't have to pay anything. I think we'll take your chances" -Insurance companies, prolly
I'm absolutely floored in that interview that he can say "oh, doctors do this because they believe the patient needs this care" as if it's a statement that they're making some immoral decision and not begging to get their patient help that they need.
Worse yet, is why in the F*CK do bean counters think they have a medically relevant opinion at all? They do not under any circumstance. They should have no say at all whether something is "medically necessary." The only thing "medically necessary" is for those bean counters to STFU and pay out like they are supposed to as an insurance company. Healthcare cannot be efficiently administered under a capitalist economy since it is NOT a normal good. A reasonable person will spend anything to save their own lives because money is meaningless when you are dead. The insurance/drug companies know this, which is why they charge what they do - because they are not constrained under regulation like other non-normal goods (i.e. utilities).
Amazing, isn't it? My mom's cardiologist semi- retired years ago because he was sick of spending half his time, and paying staff to fight with insurance companies. He said - if I wanted to be some damned accountant, I would have studied that! He kept treating only Medicare patients like my mom. No hassles with them he said - you know what is covered and they almost never dispute the charges.
I work in healthcare. These insurance companies and benefit managers are designed to operate this way. They exist to make money, not to provide you adequate care. The pharmaceutical and medical device companies share much of this blame with them. On the other hand, I’ve seen one therapist myself for several sessions and she was a nice lady, but utterly useless. We need more mental health care providers, but competent and effective ones.
The level of incompetence is ASTOUNDING when it comes to "therapists". Many of them have little to no training, and simply love the IDEA of helping others, but are ironically just intrigued by tragic tales, people with problems, and wanting to feel as though they have any answers. In the meantime, their OWN lives are disasters, and they are hardly aware of their own weaknesses.
i found out recently you don't technically need a degree to be a therapist. you should see how easy it is to be a counselor for kids with autism. I found that out the hard way when I was offered a job. I assumed with restraint training and not caring about my previous experience or education it was surely a scam, but according to my aunt who was already a special Ed teacher, that's been normal for many years. the bar is so low it's disgusting
It’s possible that a therapist is “ineffective” because the modality does not agree with you as a person. I’d advise people to do RESEARCH on their potential clinician and therapeutic modalities and choose a therapist who is trained in the one you need. For example, if you want advice and quick solutions, you’ll want to see a solution focused therapist or CBT. If you feel unheard or want to understand how relationships in the past affect you currently, you’ll want a talk therapist or one who uses a psychodynamic approach. If you’re talking to therapist and you feel they don’t give you the feedback you need, TELL THEM. This is part of the therapeutic process! And for the commenter who said therapists shouldn’t have “messed up” backgrounds I encourage them to go outside and touch grass. Therapists are humans, not mythical beings with all the answers because they were raised by Jesus in a meadow of gold. People have pain, people experience life death, grief, people hurt people. Why would a therapist not experience these things? Lol. I acknowledge that it takes empathy and maturity to understand this but come on.
@@MMK-vq7tq Yea, therapist are people, what do people expect? lol.
I was once in a Psychiatric ER for about a month while in active psychosis. Just waiting for a bed. When you're stuck in a small room with nothing to do, no-one to talk to, and the walls are laughing at you (among other issues), it’s not fun. Especially when you're 12 and people refuse to believe that a 12 year old could have schizophrenia. I'm 20 now and doing better but it was hell for a while.
definitely a subpar treatment scenario, with delayed delivery in a crisis = harm by design
I’m sorry you had to go through that. I wish you happiness and peace of mind
Thank you John, I’m a licensed psychologist in a rural setting and literally everything you talk about is facing the people that I treat. I wish I could take them all on, but it’s just not feasible. Also, to the insurance asshole, yeah, we do embellish, you’re right. Because if we tell the truth, even if that truth is severe, you still deny our claims!! If you viewed mental health care as the necessity that it is, we wouldn’t have to embellish!
Insurance is a scam and health insurance should be illegal.
I wish you and your fellows out there in your rural setting the best. Godspeed with the insurance fucks who argue your treatment.
ditto me. Seeing a rise in utilization reviews that aim to terminate my services. Never in my 30 years have I seen this except with Medicaid clients. Managed care is not actually about managing care: it's about managing profits. my next beef is with my agency, who charges four times what I am paid. I make less than a rural elementary teacher while my agency pumps the money into administration, adds to the documentation and never offers raises. Not even colas. We have therapists bailing left and right.
Monkey pox should be called pride pox!
@@bradyd.6332 And you should be called Derek and Brenda’s Failed Abortion but we all can’t have our wish now can we?
To anyone who argued against Medicare-for-all on the grounds that "other countries have long wait times whereas we do not", I await your response. Our system is indefensible.
There is a difference between long waits due to system overuse and long waits due to a lack of professionals.
Mental or physical, I'm waiting a month or more for an appointment. These are normal wait times for low cost/sliding scale and community clinics. Why is it those extended wait times are treated like a crime against humanity for those who can afford a $75+ office visit but treated as normal and acceptable for the elderly, disabled, and poor who simply can't?
@@RheaRobin A month would be a BLISSFULLY short wait for services! In my state (Maine), the wait for most specialist care, both physical and mental, is at least 6-9 months. Some specialties, like psychiatry, aren’t even adding new people to the waiting lists because it’s so long. And those are the wait times for adults. When it’s for a kid or teen, the wait is exponentially longer. I know a number of parents whose children have attempted or completed su***de during the long wait.
As much as I keep jabbering about the decline of the German healthcare system, but... even in its decline it is waaaay better, than this mafia-like shitshow of an insurance system you have to deal with in the US... This. Is. Depressing.
@@zufalllx you have lack of professionals because therapists have to join a thousand and one insurance networks to reach a certain clientele. If you had Medicare for all, anyone could go to any therapist that was convenient for them
"You're stuck waiting for care, and you can't. Get. It." That's it. That's the whole thing. I've had several bouts of depression where I've been on the phone in tears calling every psychiatrist/psychologist/counselor in my area that would take my insurance, come to find out that even if they ARE taking new patients, the first available appointment is weeks, sometimes, months later. And when you're in a crisis state, that can be devastating. I am SICK of insurance companies being able to practice medicine without medical licenses
The real problem is that the number one antidepressant is financial security
You are so correct. It is so hard for me to help people with financial problems because I know that's all they need sometimes
So true! The pandemic period has to a large degree been the best thing for my mental health in years because every program was suddenly handing out max benefits without requiring jumping through a myriad of hoops like a trained dog! For the first time in a couple of decades I didn't have to stress over what groceries to buy or whether I could afford a co-pay for a doctor visit! Now those things are coming to an end and I'm stressing already just knowing how tight things will be getting.
Very good point. The lack of financial security, family, good friends and health play often an important role in mental health although it’s not limited to these factors.
LITERALLY! MY MAIN REASON FOR BEING DEPRESSED WAS FEELINGS OF USELESSNESS. That I couldn't provide, and that I was a useless human being in debt and financial peril.
1,000%. Introduce Universal Basic Income and suddenly stress levels go waaaaay down which means better overall health for everyone (less heart attacks, less suicide, less cancer, etc.,) plus more people to spend money because OH WOW THEY HAVE DISPOSIBLE INCOME which means the country makes more money and companies make more money. A win-win for everybody. Healthier happier population. Also, the US and Canada are disobeying the UN when it comes to housing: according to the UN, *EVERYONE has the right to safe, comfortable housing without discrimination of any kind.* That means NO apartment buildings or trailer parks where only 55+ are allowed (in my city this is the only place where housing is remotely affordable,) no age or racial or cultural discrimination of any kind. No discrimination because John Doe is addicted to something or other - instead, let's make sure that John Doe has somewhere safe and warm to live, bringing down his stress levels so that he stops needing to self medicate so much, so that he can begin to heal and get off whichever drug he's beholden to. There should be no homeless whatsoever; in fact, there needs to be stronger human rights law dictating 'if so and so state/province/county/region/city/town has homeless than it will be subject to a heavy fine; the funds from this fine are to 100% go to building and maintaining affordable housing.'
As a therapist, thank you so much for raising awareness on these issues, John. Every issue you brought up in spot-on.
You have a very extensive channel! I hope to watch a bunch of your videos later, when I'm not at work. I wanted to ask you about the neuroscience of non-behavioral diagnosis. Is it possible to diagnose abnormal psychological conditions like Bipolar or Schizophrenia with EEG? I feel like part of the problem John didn't address is that behavioral diagnosis can be very subjective. Some psychiatrists hand out diagnosis like candy. While certainly insurance companies need to do more in treating mental illness, they can't just write a blank check to treat undefined problems. EEG was popular in the 70's and early 80's until MRI was invented. It seems research hasn't been as steady since then. Now office computers are much more powerful and EEG probably has a place again. Everyone is "stressed" and "depressed", we need in EEG equipment in psychiatry offices to tell a patient's actual condition. Otherwise, the free market will continue to push clinicians to give every patient every diagnosis in fear the patient will go someplace else if they don't.
One company owes me 16,000. I couldn’t reach them during Covid. They weren’t answering calls. When I finally got a human, he didn’t know how to help and transferred a call to another human who was in another country. I couldn’t hear what she was saying because there was a rooster in the background. This is one of the largest insurance companies in the us. Months later when I was finally talking to someone who understood the issue, she claimed timely filing and hung up. I can’t take that company anymore which makes me feel horrible because people need care…but how can I?? I had a young kid with a raging ED call me tonight with the same company desperate for care and had called everyone on the list in her community and was trying to call therapists in other communities. What am I supposed to do? I already have so many people I see people pro bono because of the issues he mentioned. For every hour in session, there is more unpaid time with note writing, billing, collaborating with other providers…..and one ceo was paid literally billions on his way out recently. It’s horrible
Patrick Staight you won’t get a response. Remember they’re a therapist
@@cianbroderick4145 and you aren't helping, either, by putting down the kind of help people need.
@@MaryAnnNytowl maybe he can comment on their youtube channel directly,hopefully gets a response there if not here
Finding a black therapist in the SF Bay Area took me nearly 3 years. When I finally found one and got comfortable with her, she quit because she was overwhelmed during the the COVID pandemic. Thank you for this piece.
So can anyone just request a therapist based on their race because I prefer a white one but I always get stuck with one from India
I call a Lithuanian one!
@@thebayharborbutcher9115 Ja, l lived in the Punjab from early 1970 to the start of the Hindu Pakistani was Dec 1971. Now a prancing Sikh. We have a great Temple founded 14 years ago in Salem Oregon. I moved here to flee the California fires, which eventually got my home. I prefer the depth of India and am glad to see more women stepping out to a life of their own choosing. Not just boy baby makers and bringers of dowries to domineering fathers-in-law, as was so common 50 years ago.
@@thebayharborbutcher9115 classic! Keep up the good work... Or was the original comment satire?!?
@@thebayharborbutcher9115 In my experience I started with a white therapist (after a long search). She was nice enough to send me in the right direction when I asked for a black therapist.
As a healthcare professional this is absolutely accurate. Therapist feel and see the need in the community, are burned out, underpaid, and are also simply human beings with their own lives and troubles. Mental health is a large part of the foundation for overall health. If you can not take care of those providing care everyone will suffer.
I'm a therapist and I have to say, he really summed it up quite well. The only thing I would say is that the problems actually run quite a bit deeper than this. An entire hour could be dedicated to unpacking all of this but I appreciate that he covered this.
It’s kind of an ongoing “joke” in my masters program that none of us are gonna be able to pay off our loans or better our situation post-graduation because the pay counselors make is so shit, but we’re sticking it out anyways because we want to help people at our own expense. It sounds horrible, but with the work we do sometimes we just need a space to be horrible.
I'm sorry to hear that, but I can only imagine how many folks will be thankful for the work that you do
kzhead.info/sun/pbeOhbhrfJmEm68/bejne.html
Also an ongoing joke in my counseling program, especially among the school counselors. Our professors will say something like "why did we all get into this profession?" and we'll all say "The pay obviously!" and then laugh
Its terrible but pretty much everyone is underpayed/compensated accross the board, so do what you will enjoy (exception being top 5%)
I understand completely. I think my counselor absolutely deserves to be paid more, but I can't afford to pay her more because my crippling depression prevents me from having even a minimum-wage job. It's bleak out here for people with severe mental illness. I genuinely wish that humane assisted "un-alive-ing" was legal for whoever wants to go that route.
I remember when I got kicked off my parent's insurance at 26. I fucking cried at my last session. I got on medicade immediatly but the change in payment meant I was forced to leave both my therapist and psychiatrist and go out of network from the rest of my doctors. It took 4 months to find someone to perscribe my meds, bc my GP refused to give me holdovers, leaving me an emotional catatonic mess the entire time. I only have a psychiatric nurse now, who sees me for 10 minutes every 4 months to refill my meds. And prior to the pandemic, transportation became a huge issue because the office was minutes out of the way, and I didn't have a car nor was there any public transportation that could get me there in less than 3 hours. Covid forced the office to switch to telehealth and it's so much easier even if I'm not getting a ton of help. Fuck this entire system
That’s awful, I’m so sorry you went through that, mental health gets left behind every other health issue let alone how bad the system is. What state are you in if you don’t mind my asking? I’m in NY and it’s ok here if you pay privately but seems like good people leave public agencies fast.
@@sampal5352 Dental health as well. I had a psychopathic dentist, and later found out I had no legal recourse because there's no set standard of care or meaningful oversight in dentistry. All of the help is on the side of the dentist; if you've been victimized by one, good luck being believed or represented. (Apparently they don't need to adhere to HIPAA regulations, either. Despite multiple requests, I was not given copies of my own records (because X-rays don't lie). The statute of limitations for suing a dentist is also miserably short, despite the fact that injuries inflicted on the teeth, by a professional, will last a lifetime. Not a mental health-related comment because I'd never shut up if it were about that. For one thing, the best mental health practitioners I've seen were all people who don't take insurance. There's also the issue of Medicaid covering psych. meds, but often not a therapist- which can be important because some psychiatrists won't see a person if they aren't also seeing a therapist!
God I hope things get better for you. If I prayed you’d be first on the list.
It's maddening and downright cruel that GPs (PCPs) refuse to prescribe medications when a specialist cannot. It's only a temporary service and yet they rather leave people in pain and misery. What happened to "do no harm"??
I do wonder WHY your PARENTS "kicked you off their insurance" at 26. Why and what would they say about this?? Were they, or were YOU expecting them to take care of you and feed, and "transportation", house you and money, etc etc, for your entire life?? At some point they would die, and YOU would have to deal with this anyhow... at least they didn't "kick you off" of there place, or did they?? Were you like this your entire life?? Have you ever held a job?? There really is much we don't know to make an informed conclusion as some who have answered you have done.... just poor YOU, but your parents deserve some respect to have kept you well until 26, most people used to be forced to be independent much sooner than that. The idea in your case should be to get off meds if you can and learn to live independently and get any. job you can, and prepare for life without parents.
It's pretty depressing how we keep saying mental health is such a big issue, and how we care and how it's okay to open up and acknowledge mental health as a thing that exists, but at the same time trying to actually find someone to talk to is just impossible.
The amount of comrades in the military who just need someone to talk to, someone who listens and understands their pain is astonishing. I am happy to provide this small service for everyone in my unit without talking about anything I've heard , so by now I get visits quite frequently. My point is - if one of your family, friends or aquaintances suffers from depression, anxiety or something else - at least have an open ear for them. It seems that talking about your problems with someone non-judgmental has at least a small positive effect, and that is way better than nothing. Help your fellow man, you might need some help yourself someday. Hope y'all have a beautiful day, and if you are suffering : you are not alone. Even if it feels like you are alone - Someone is there for you. You are in my prayers too - keep your head up, things are never as bad as they look ! =)
Thank you for your service. It was not in vain, nor forgotten. If ever you need an ear, I know how to keep my mouth shut.
😂😂😂
Back when my son was young and having emotional issues, we found a great therapist that he liked. I was so pleased he would get the help he needed. 2 months in our insurance no longer covered her and we were told only of one psychiatrist he could see and be covered by ins. We gave it a shot. The doctor talked to us for 2 minutes, told us there is nothing wrong with him, that there were children much worse off and sent us on our way. I was so angry. At age 21 my son tried to commit suicide with drugs giving himself stroke that he never completely recovered from. He is often moody and angry. I still get so angry when I think that if had been allowed to continue with the therapist, his life could have been so much better.
Heartbreaking and infuriating . So sorry you and your family have to go through this.
sorry to hear that, thats horrible
Wow I completely understand what you went through. The same happened with my daughter. She couldn’t find a therapist. She was cutting herself. Thankfully we worked out a plan between her and me because we had a good relationship and she has not done it again but I couldn’t find a therapist for her at all. I’m sorry about your son. I cannot imagine the hardship you have had to go through. I hope he gets better. Have hope and stay positive. I really wish things would change. Thank you for sharing so others may act quickly. Oh and I want to add I found someone for myself way faster and easier than for her. Apparently kids just don’t need mental health which is in fact THE ONES THAT NEED IT THE MOST. Kids don’t get that things get better because they don’t have enough life experience to be able to weather the stresses of life. It’s just pathetic.
I'm so sorry about this. So sad. I encourage you to look into neurofeedback to see if it might help, and try to do some research on things your son can do with diet and supplements that might help the brain be healthier.
"Doctors will spin the data and make things seem more serious than they are because they feel strongly that patients need that care." Think about what that man just said. He said, "We, a health insurance company, wouldn't pay for healthcare, and so doctors started lying to us to get people the care they need. And because the doctors lie, we, a health insurance company, are now using that as an excuse to continue to not pay for healthcare."
I was thinking that if people with only a background in business are the ones calling the shots in regards to medical procedures, it's no wonder doctors are going to lie. Because for the business it's about the bottom line. That's it. And apparently they don't care whether their cash cows die, because there's always going to be somebody to replace them. After all the times insurance companies have been caught denying absolutely valid claims, they really need to stop with this.
While promising to their prospective consumers that " all your worry are covered". In my country, that's called Fraud.
The insurance companies admitting to being "death panels."
the profitability of a medical institution or system is diametrically opposed to the Hippocratic oath. it's as simple as that.
@@fakshen1973 I honestly hadn't thought about it like that. Thank you!!
Thank you for also talking to therapists. Something that wasn't mentioned, we have 90 days to submit a bill or the insurance company won't pay it BUT they can take back money at any point. And they do. Also, when therapists have to call the insurance company (yes, call because they evade emails) it is not unusual that we have a 2 hour wait time on hold, during which, we cannot see clients and are therefore not getting paid. Private practice therapists are gig workers.
I mean that's literally collecting payment as any company, if you go open your own business you then need to take care of business things. Like did you not know about any of that before you went into private practice and account for any of it? I mean I know the system is a dumpster fire, but complaining about having to spend time doing the office work for your office seems like no foresight
@@patrickmcpartland1398 I'm asking for change by pointing out the problems in the system. Just because it's bad doesn't mean we have to swallow it forever. It's a bad system, needs change. I went in with eyes wide open and engage in activism to get the system changed and it won't change if we don't keep pointing it out. Your judgemental attitude doesn't help get things done.
It's not just people in private practice. Most group practices are similar and the therapists are contract workers. You don't get paid for paperwork or calls or emails or doing paperwork for clients or any of that, just for sessions, and you don't get benefits. Insurance companies reimbursement rates are low (I've seen under $40) and then the group practice you're contracted through takes a cut (sometimes up to 50%, maybe more in some places). Yes, it isn't the only option. More and more people are leaving those group practices, and also leaving the larger agencies and non-profits that pay salary, because they tend to still not pay very well and they often overload people with clients.
As a psychology major, I am saddened that there is so much stigma around mental health care. It is also appalling that there is not enough help available. My heart goes out to those who are suffering.
There is *SO* little known about serious, debilitating, complex mental illnesses (BPD, NPD, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, etc.), that it's almost criminal to "treat" patients at all. I've NEVER met someone with more knowledge on the subjects than myself, and since I'm not an "accredited psychologist", I find it pathetic and embarrassing that I comprehend more about DSM-5, etc. than most "doctors" might claim. The closest example to seeing someone WITH knowledge was watching the Depp v Heard trials, where Depp's defense called this one particularly astute doctor (female, blonde, attractive). I do not recall her name offhand, but her knowledge and professionalism were off the charts. Simply exemplary understanding, and she also had a strong ability to communicate "to the lamen". But I've never met someone IN PERSON who was more knowledgeable than myself, and I find that to be extremely disappointing. 🙄
@@Novastar.SaberCombat Lemme guess, you need help with your narcissistic tendencies?
@@js66613 back off. I'm sorry but he's right even if you are somehow right in your assumption and if it's for the wrong reason, even the education mental health professionals are required to have to treat patients is in fact a bad idea. we don't have much funding or experience in the area of mental health because no one cares enough and the people who research problems that get added, updated or subtracted from the dsm are very obviously still affected by the bias from the stigmas of the past. Most therapists, psychiatrists, or neurologist I have met make the critical mistake of not keeping up to date. As such, so often they make mistakes that they shouldn't have any excuse for making. The data doesn't stop because they graduated but they treat it like they do. Unfortunately our research in mental health is too underdeveloped to give anyone proper treatment. that's not attitude it's the simple truth. The drug companies are usually the ones who fund research for mental health which means drug trials happen way too early and the results are manipulated way too often. It's not even out of greed but necessity. Often the only chance to find real treatment is to cave in to drug companies and get their funding so that MAYBE they can find a solution. The truth is we still barely understand the physical brain much less causes and treatment because the system is specifically rigged against it from the moment someone wants their issue acknowledged before it even enters the dsm. worse there are easy ways to become a counselor with minimal education and no training. which is why I respect the person here who is actually going to school for it. From what little we do know, though to be honest it's much more just common sense, dismissing someone by casually diagnosing them as a joke is cruel, ignorant and inappropriate. they might be emotional and angry but honestly who wouldn't be?
Thank you for studying and for your sympathy. If I may give you some advice? I know you're in a better situation than me in education but please look into the history of mental health as well as what's happening right now. The stigma may be preventing those who can find help from asking but believe me there is a REASON it's there and it won't ever change if you don't understand it.
@@Novastar.SaberCombat hahahahaha what an absolute mess of a comment
When a person has been struggling with depression or similar issues, just getting the courage to reach out and try to contact a therapist can be a major struggle. Finally making that step, only to be told "we don't deal with your kind of problem, go away", or flat out being ignored, can be very hard to handle. The last thing a suffering person needs to hear is a message that the professional world doesn't care about their problems.
that was my experience with several therapists. i'll never try it again. meds from my G.P. have worked just fine.
yup I gave up on "solving" my depression. I'm doing what I can to live with it. Given the state of our world I'm of the opinion that people that AREN'T depressed are the people with mental illnesses. Being psychologically healthy in an abnormal environment is abnormal.
As a new mom I cried at an ob visit and said I was experiencing postpartum depression. The doctor said wait here and then left the building.
literally my experience, as soon as i brought up my laundry list of disorders, they just shut down and try to get me out the door ASAP, bc it would be too much effort compared to the amount they get paid for to give people ACTUAL mental health care. have PTSD or are a survivor in any way, scares a lot of mental health "professionals" and it's so depressing that happens.
A lot of therapists aren't trained for certain diagnoses and aren't equipped to ethically offer care for the issues. And really, if that's the case, they shouldn't be taking on those clients, as it can do way more harm than good. That said, the appropriate response if someone comes and you aren't specialized to offer care for their concern is to offer them several referrals, and ideally help them connect. Though some skip that because of low pay/not getting paid for non-direct client work, etc.
"This would have been a good idea... _had we funded them properly."_ -America in a nutshell Also, the quote "this is truly the 'different look, same great taste' of America's failures" is pure gold.
and John, you didn't even touch on the subject that the 2nd Amendment nuts are saying: "It's a mental health issue!"... are we ever going to be giving HOMICIDAL people therapy when we can't even handle the suicidal ones?
Definitely
Murica
kzhead.info/sun/pbeOhbhrfJmEm68/bejne.html
Absolute facts
I'm bipolar and from the time I was nineteen until I was 27 doctors kept misdiagnosed me as being depressed and prescribed medication that threw me into manic episodes. I remember so many of my friends complaining about my erratic behavior and asking me why I didn't just go get help ...
I feel you man…❤ remember you are not alone. Your were not at fault for needing HELP. Hope you’re doing better friend.
im glad you were eventually diagnosed correctly. i hope that things get better for you. take your time
Been there, done that, and I know at least a dozen people who ended up in jail because they were prescribed the wrong meds due to a hasty diagnosis. One doctor believed in only introducing one medication at a time, so I was being dosed for depression and then for anxiety one summer and had some manic episodes where everyone could tell something was wrong due to things like me rock-climbing up a waterfall, chopping down a tree leaning over our campsite to get more sunshine, and dragging two dead trees from along the beach and rolling them into a bonfire. Though for me it wasn't friends asking my why I didn't get help, since they all knew I was seeing a psychiatrist, it was friends asking, "What the frak is wrong with your doctor?!"
As someone who grew up in and out of psyche wards- I was still in outpatient therapy when the COVID hit. I haven't been in it since. The horrors stories I have with both insurance and underfunded care is a therapy session of it's own. Not to mention you can be denied your practicing license in mental health fields if you have a history of mental health issues. Meaning the people with the deepest understanding and want to help are being barred from even entering the field
I’m in my mid 20s and I suffer from Autism and struggle with depression. The pandemic has definitely made my depression worse, but thankfully my mom has always been fighting for me and making sure I get the help that I need.
Family always knows. Glad to hear you have help. Hang in there 🙂
Be well, buddy.
Hey man. I'm 27 and within a few years I've lost all my friends. Lived in a terrible atmosphere family wise and really have no one in life but what always gives me motivation is to try and uplift people that are going through the same or much worse so keep your head up.
I struggle with depression and other "conditions," which are impeding interactions on a recreational scale. Social media isn't helpful at all.
An epileptic and bi polar here. Hope you see sunny days in the future. I finally did
I've struggled with mental health for years. Anxiety, depression & suicidal thoughts. While anxiety could be treated with medication, do you know what has caused the other two? Not being paid enough to live. I am disabled and am unable to drive. I live in a bedroom community where the majority of jobs are in retail and food service. I take home an average of $1,300/mo. and apartments start at $1,750/mo. Just this last week I called my fiancé on my break and instead of asking about their day, they had to help keep me grounded because I was dealing with suicidal thoughts. If you are poor in America, it just feels like your better off dead.
Please hold on, I am so sorry, but please don't give up yet.
THIS!!!!!. I totally relate. I have recently fallen on hard times and I have been employed for 20 years and have insurance but there are complicated circumstances and they are spiraling out and I can't get any help. I am 54... my partner is 59... Big part of my stress and depression and suicidality honestly is financial... I am just about ready to give up.
and I don't even care who reads this.. This is my story. I have ironically worked in the mental health arena in an administration capacity for 20 years.. it is also hard to find treatment in a small town where everyone knows each other..
Our experiences are different, and I can't experience the hell youre going through. You are not in hell alone though... I slide into medical debt after checking myself into emergency psychiatrist service... 3 days cost me 6k... Thank you for sharing your story, btw. I feel less alone in dealing with mine
Watch out the gestappo is coming for you now that ypu showed yourself to be a problem for the rich
I was at Aspen dental couple years ago. The person next to me was getting some serious work done. In the middle of the process they stopped and told the guy his insurance wasn't going to cover it. They started asking him what he wanted to do, with a whole bunch of tools in his mouth and barely able to talk. I didn't see how it all played out.
I've called dozens of doctors and therapists over a two-year period that blue shield said were taking patients and covered in my plan, and none of the ones who ever answered or called back were taking patients. At one point my mother and I sat down with the entire list and called everyone in one day and got four answers, none of them currently taking patients.
As a psychologist, I want to thank LWT for covering this important issue. Spot on in every argument. Just need to add that while working for a school for traumatized students and then a residential program for autistic teens in crisis, I can tell you that the public system of funding (i.e. the education system and Medicare) are woefully underfunded and over-regulated. The audits, absurd documentation requirements, constant reports, and draconian bureaucratic requirements, all for scraps, make working within such systems a burnout mill for care givers. It is seemingly designed to be as miserable, inefficient, and untherapeutic as possible. These public funding systems need a major overhaul if we want to use public funds to cover mental health services.
Yes, I was going to say the same thing. They did forget to talk about all of the RED TAPE that makes us clinicians live in fear and burdens us with unnecessary paperwork.
Well-said
It's absurd that sometimes the largest amounts of red tape are for medical professionals like yourself, so you don't spend "too much." Thank you for all of the work that you do.
Dr K and his org are doing excellent work on this
Missed the asinine expectations for grad programs that go far beyond merely doing well in undergrad (and application fees), the unavailability of them, academic push for professionals to go into lower professions like social work, and the insulting compensation for any position outside those requiring the endgame magical piece of paper - and even then, it's still often not adequate. I've since given up on the dumpster fire that is contemporary psychology, but what does it say when someone with at least a BA and is charged with the health, safety, and well-being of clients is yet expected to function on wages barely above a Walmart shelf stocker? Especially given how often we're physically assaulted by clients, emotionally abuse by administration, and aren't given consideration over others who've merely worked at a facility for a couple years with no formal education. And don't even get me started on some of the crap I've had to put up with just applying for work as even basic floor staff - multi-level background checks, finger print profiling, the expectation every literal week of my time since I was 18 be accounted for, and bizarre questions like "do you yell at clients?" Yeah, I just spent years of my life studying the human condition just so I could scream at people. And the few times I've passed, the people I meet in these facilities are as mediocre or detached as you can get yet administration can't figure out why outcomes are so poor. And you aren't kidding about over-regulation and documentation. About 60-70% of my day was spent slapping together notes for billing or filling out reports rather than actually engaging my kids at an RT facility where I did group and individual sessions. More horror stories if ya want.
As someone who’s dealt with autism/bipolar for most of my life I can say this is so nice to hear someone talk about the hell that is our mental health treatment system
I gave up on treatment years ago, even when it does work as intended it's still not particularly helpful for people that are very troubled. I guess the only upside of our system is that they can't just lock you up unless you're dangerous to others.
If you DO have a physiologist or therapist that accepts your insurance, *You need to thank and appreciate them, because they deserve better*
This entire episode is relatable- from struggling to find a therapist that's relatable, to struggling to find proper help as a teen, to struggling to find a therapist that my insurance covers or even finding someone taking new patients, to constantly hearing "just be positive" from people who have no idea what it's like dealing with depression/anxiety/PTSD, to the cops sending me to an adult mental hospital as a teen without my mom's consent... This country is terrible at helping people dealing with mental health problems.
I always during pandemic wondered why our society is so opposed to universal health care based on that reality A lot Like working remote in college with diagnosed mental health disorders was hard
"Just imagine an insurance company reversing their decision in the middle of any other serious treatment." Seen that. Former boss of mine had a degenerative bone condition, insurance company didn't like their expensive medication and decided boss had to "try other methods" despite them already doing so and those methods not working (causing permanent damage). This is just standard practice in a system where your insurance company gets to decide what is "medically necessary" instead of your actual medical professional.
At that point, talk to your doctor and sue the insurance company. People taking it lying down is part of the problem.
yeah that was a weird quote because that happens all the time. American health care sucks ass.
Enjoy American FREEDOM!!!
Free-dumb I corrected it for you.
This! It happens all the time to those with any sort of chronic illness
Fun story- in the pre-obamacare days I was in an inpatient treatment facility for physical therapy rehab when my insurance decided I actually didn't have insurance. The facility had a team of full time lawyers who just sued to keep patients in the facility once they'd gotten in the door who took my case immediately and won some 6 figure settlement. I didn't even know it was happening at the time and I only found out when I got a call months after discharge saying I needed to sign the settlement papers at the state courthouse. Didn't cost me anything extra since the facility had this problem so frequently they built the cost of retainer into everyone's treatment bill. The practitioners never treated Tuesday mornings just to testify in court to treatment necessity. That's how Healthcare coverage gets decided like a legal case and it's dumb and incredibly expensive and that's in the like best case scenario
Wow. That is fucking wild. Thank you for sharing your experience
This is utterly disgusting to read. TY for sharing it.
that's awful, but i'm so glad that you went to a facility that was able to successfully adapt to this hellscape and get you treatment.
Similar story here 🪢💙🎯🌚🏄♀️🌊📌
To solve American healthcare system problem looks extremly difficult. But it actually is not. Not that healthcare is not complex. But health care functioning has been solved so many times. Just look at developed countries around the world. All of them have solved this. Each has slightly different system of affordable health care but all of them have a system which is actually functioning. Just copy one of them. There are problems which we dont have solutions to, climate change, covid, housing crisis... But afordable healthcare is not one of them. Trump was actually right: healthcare is easy. The solution exists. It just need to be implemented.
As someone who studied psychology and is trying to help her mother with a substance abuse problem, this episode could not have come out at a better time. 😬
My sister spent months in an Eating Disorder clinic and during that time we watched so many families come and go before treatment was finished because their insurance cut out essentially saying that one week was good enough. Those kids went home and starved ending up in hospitals their parents couldn’t afford.
I can't put into words how wonderful this man and his show are. He has dedicated his platform to being a voice for the voiceless and shedding light on our society's most dangerous and destructive systems. You're an American treasure John! Thank You!
john oliver is phenomenal
@@elizabethbennet4791 So weird. That's my best friend's name. I call her Lizzabennet.
😘👊🗽🔥✌💫
Being forced to have children is more important than gas prices. the traditional birth control that contains estrogen shrinks the clitoris volume by half. They’re castrated. Only the mini pills w only progesterone is the one that doesn’t completely ruins women. . This is not a male issue. the fetus is not viable up to at least week 26, it’s not killed bc it’s not live yet, take it out and the tissue has no possibility in any way with all the money and medical help in the word to survive, it’s not alive yet, so this is only about controlling females. Women need their clithead rubbed to get off, that does not take more than 5 min or longer than men=sex education, the angle of the dickrod need to rub the clithead while thrusting, that’s it, we all get off and live happily ever after. I’m just posting it here cause it’s like people don’t know these basic things in the US. A law just passed forcing all men to have vasectomies, that makes u feel a way, that pain is what women are feeling now😒😒
English treasure
I remember when I "had" insurance I was just trying to find a general practitioner and spent many hours making phone calls. What I found was two of the doctors were deceased, many were not taking new patients, and other doctors accepted appointments 3 months or more out. Our entire medical system in the US is broken from the top down.
Name one thing in the US that‘s not broken entirely
I too hate having to call to find a doctor, it makes me put off going to the doctor risking greater injury.
@@Thesakeable it’s true we’ve been used to better services of every kind. We haven’t been investing in ourselves. We don’t need billionaires we need people who invest in communities
The military complex. Policing (the Brutality means it’s working as designed). Private Prisons (again, the suffering and high recidivism is a feature, not a bug)
Remember when people were arguing against universal healthcare on the belief that "the socialist government will make me wait in line for care?" Yeah, it's become painfully clear that none of those idiots have ever had to use the healthcare system we already have. We're already waiting in line for healthcare. Several years back I was experiencing severe anxiety and burnout. It took five months to get a therapist and a diagnosis. Most of that time was spent with my doctor apologizing and saying there was nothing they could do about the waitlist. Eight months ago I requested a simple sleep apnea test because I wake up choking every single day. They still haven't been able to schedule an appointment for me. Thinking about taking a road trip up to Canada just to see if there's something I can do about it up there. I pay three hundred bucks a month for insurance that does this to me. What the hell are they even using that money for? Playing rounds of 'soggy biscuit' on a pile of cash every day?
I had a therapist during the early parts of COVID-19 if not before. I only went enough to count on one hand, including a couple phone call sessions and I found out from my insurance that he was billing my insurance for sessions that never happened for several months. I'd love to consider seeing one again but after the ordeal of disputing this, I don't wish to end up in the situation again.
I thought privatized healthcare meant we were getting quality healthcare, quickly. Turns out, we're getting terrible healthcare, slowly, at an exorbitant cost.
Capitalism for ya. I will never fantom how anyone can think it's a good idea to privatise for profit any public services 🙁
We have the best Healthcare in the world. We just also have the worst access to Healthcare in the first world.
@@necro6767676 many other countries have healthcare that is equivalent to the US (or better in some cases) along with much better access.
@@necro6767676hahahah no, no you don’t! The outcomes speak for themselves and the US is often the worse outta all other developed countries, not even up for debate!
@@necro6767676we haven't had the best healthcare in the world for awhile, by any metric.... Do we have some of the top specialists worldwide that, because of our system, anyone can fly in on a private plane to see? Yes. Does that mean our healthcare is the best though? No, it doesn't. It just means that the best doctors treat the richest people. There unfortunately isn't any trickle down economics with health care: the person at the top getting better doesn't benefit those below them. So, we have some of the best doctors? Absolutely. Some of the best specialists in their fields with expensive private practices? For sure. But the best healthcare when our nation leads the developed world in as basic a measurement as highest mother deaths per birth?
The blue shield one? My experience too. I was near catatonic and was sent a list. I called so so many, while catatonically depressed. Do you know what that amount of rejection did to my soul? I couldn't even get through the list, cause every call I was in tears. Like, I realized NO ONE CARED and the insurance company sure as heck didn't.
I felt this so hard, I hope you found/find help. I know I'm a stranger on the internet but I promise I care. Your comment brought me right back to when I was depressed (I managed to find a miracle working therapist many years ago). I promise you, even if the universe feels like it has it out for you, we want you here. You're valuable even if you think you can't contribute because youre catatonic. You're valuable just for being you.
I live in Germany, so it may be less severe for me. Still, I was given 1 phone number, who told meshe can't accept new patients, amd as I have adhd, I should return to the child psychologist who diagnosed me, who I didn't meet in 25 years and who I can't even remember. Then after some more googling and phoning, I landed with a physiatrist, who isn't payed for by my insurance. She managed to send me over to her other clinic, which is payed by state insurances, but I'll have to pay for the first session. All the while, my mother kept telling me to stop going to psychologists, as all I need is pull myself together.
They do this with primary doctors if you're on their pilot "Blue Cross HPN network". They dropped ALL my doctors and didn't warn me or the clinic. I got hit with several thousand in bills that should've been a few hundred. And few doctors accept it.
@@indigopines Thank you.
I have gone through this same experience with myself and another family member, both with Blue Shield. I was insistent that I could help them find someone given the directory until I actually started calling around. Directory says taking new patients? Most of the time they’re not. It made me realize how absolutely demoralizing and terrible it is to make people who are already depressed or maybe suffering with something even more debilitating call random numbers and get rejected over and over. No wonder these for-profit services are getting so much business - at the very least they will connect you with a human person relatively quickly most of the time. The insurance companies should be forced to do something similar. Find a compatible therapist or psychiatrist and help the patient to set the first appointment. Dealing with mental health is hard enough as it is, and when a patient chooses to get help there shouldn’t be this many roadblocks to getting treatment. I hope you’re doing better now, and if you’re not please keep trying. I know the system is rigged but you deserve to be happy and healthy and if you pay for insurance you deserve to get the benefits(however small they may be!) of that plan.
Can we appreciate, for a second, how important this show actually is? This show has changed my far right dad's mind on a lot of shit. Including his views on Donald Chump, and the rest of the GOP, and the flaws in our country that needs repaired. Not only that, but how many of us would pay attention to these subjects if not for this show?
Amen to that. John Oliver is a national treasure 😁
@@g.d.graham2446 *international
@@Cr0ydon Yeah John Oliver is basically the answer to when I ask my american friends "How bad is it?"
For boomers Maybe. For those that jave f'n lived this shit it is f'n depressing. If your not standing against your More the problem than marcissism
You should check out Beau of the fifth column
"the ladder's also on the shelf" one of the truest things said on this program so far
I started my first full time job as a case manager for a community mental health center. $17/h with my BS. I have to see ~15 people every week. Almost all are on Medicaid.
"In fact, it is often said that correctional facilities have become the largest providers of mental health care services in our country." As someone who works at a County Jail, I can say that this isn't just bluster. There are people in this county who are arrested and charged with crimes because they simply are not receiving the care they need for the issues that they have.
So true. My son could not get a job because of mental health issues. Therefore he had no insurance
Therefore, he could not get medication. So he used marijuana. Then he was arrested and put in jail for that. So, the state could not afford to help pay for his medication, but they could afford to pay for jail for 6 months.
Jails and Prisons take the place of Institutions that were closed down back in the 80s.
@@awesomesmasher999ftw4 I am so sorry to hear this, there are so many wrong things about it from declining mental care to criminalise marijuana
@@awesomesmasher999ftw4 And unfortunately, he was probably able to self-medicate easier in jail than on the outside. I work in a maximum security prison, and right now fentanyl is killing about one inmate a week. Most of the ones lost would have been identified as having one or more mental health issues if anyone had taken the time or money to address them.
When you have mental health issues and end up without a job, you end up on state insurance, and it tends to be better than most insurance. You get used to having decent insurance, eventually get help, get doctors and meds set up, feel a bit better, but.... as soon as you get working again you lose the insurance, lose your doctors and meds and spiral back down into depression. Myself and a number of people I know, with serious mental issues, either lie about our income or live in poverty just to keep our state insurance. It's a losing fight here at the bottom.
Very true. Idk when America will get universal coverage. Freaking insurance companies turning a profit like no other
Single payer would help so much!
Or you wind up homeless until you die, or go to jail. Because the scenario you are describing is insanely lucky, and privileged to have a place to live, transportation, cars, access to government aid, access to family and friends to help you out, information on how to get by, a phone, food, avoiding addiction, or other self harm. Even the nightmare you are describing is pretty much the best you can hope for. I was homeless for a while, there are people I know will never come back from it. Even if you can get it, keeping government aid for the poor, or people with serious mental issues, are a joke. And they hide these things behind not just a paywall, but a social grace wall.
SSDI and Section 8 housing ain't much better. Those of us that are unable (not unwilling, there is a difference) to work because of mental health issues, and are 'lifetime residents' of those programs; Basically exist under a 'red tape tyrannical dictatorship' because of the strict rules that are in place, simply because some rando at some point in time tried to scam the system. They don't provide nearly enough help, yet say that no outside help can be provided, lest we lose the little help they provide, and get kicked to the curb literally. Both of those systems are so strict, that they might as well start putting on the forms: "Your life, is all it's forms, is henceforth null and void. Welcome to undeath. Your not a corpse, but your not allowed any form of life unless we allow it."
Everything in America's system is a fucking catch 22.
This video made me so grateful I have a mother who cares about my mental health and a therapist who I have such great chemistry with and who cares about my problems so much and the financial stability to afford it. To whoever is out there that is struggling, I promise it will get better. Maybe not tomorrow, or next week, or next year, but it will. Someone always cares about you. I hope everyone eventually finds the help they need. I know this may all sound dumb coming from someone that seems fortunate, and I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way, but I promise it’s the truth. If any of you need a friend, I’m here.
As someone who has been tossed around the mental health care system like a baseball since I was 12 (going to be 29 this year), I'm extremely thankful that this topic is being discussed in more detail, and I hope you do more pieces about it in the future. In 2017 I was in a psychiatric hospital 5 times throughout the year, and some of the people I met and the experiences they had with doctors mistreating them or getting them addicted to medications ... it just broke my heart. I've had psychiatrists tell me to "just get over it", to "take 3 or 4 pills", etc. The system is overloaded and people are suffering. Sorry to ramble, would just really love to hear more about this and have the public hear more about it as well. Thank you again to the LWT team!
Blows my mind seeing these parents actually want to help their kids, that's awesome, all I've ever gotten out of my own family is making fun of my mental health issues.
Yep or straight up being ignored
Well cant even talk my fam since I willl get same response
I am so sorry that your parents aren't helping you. I have two kids both with anxiety and depression and I understand that it can be a lot of work to deal with that, but they're my kids, I love them, and I want their health and happiness. This should be how all parents respond. I wish I could help you too.
I think there is a component of deep-seated fear underneath stigma and most people's reaction to mental health issues. They can't 'see it' or truly understand it, and are too afraid to even consider asking questions. Not an excuse, just a realization that I had that helped me at least partially accept the all-to-common recoil and ridicule.
Not to mention sexism telling me im bad becuase im male.
I wish there would be a Supreme Court decision on making an insurance company accountable for a bad patient outcome.
I'm looking for a ruling indicating "private insurance has no claim to exist" but i dream big
I find it hard to believe that will happen with the current set of judges
Or making pharmaceutical companies responsible for health complications caused by vaccines...
Some European countries made it a law to have all private insurance companies be non-profit. This makes sense.
it would give them incentive to give care.😏
A few weeks ago I took my friend to the ER so he could admit himself for severe depression and suicidal thoughts. We waited in the lobby for an hour, and witnessed the hospital staff blatantly disregard its patients, even joking with each other behind the glass as people on the other side with us pleaded for help. Eventually we left and found a better hospital, but yeah, not a great experience.
I am in happy tears that this is finally being addressed publicly. I have been in the middle of the mental health care system for 21 years. I watched my parents struggle to find ways to help me afford it & I tried to find free or low cost solutions. I've been on better help, but couldn't afford multiple sessions and I could never talk to the AI about anything serious. As a child I constantly felt like I had to convince my teachers and doctors that I was in a rough place. My parents were only able to pay for therapy by asking for help and we were lucky enough to receive it from some family. Still therapy helped me be introspective but it didn't actually help me. when I did find a treatment that worked, insurance stopped covering the treatment half way through deciding it was pseudoscience despite the practice having the most proof. when I did start becoming suicidal & went in for an evaluation I spent 7 hours in waiting room before having my phone and personal belongings locked away from me and sitting in an empty room for 2 more hours with nothing to do. I was only showing warning signs and hadn't made an attempt yet, but I know what to worry about. they were severely understaffed & couldn't even see everyone. It felt like the experience was designed to make you crazy. Mental health on all directions has needed to be taken more seriously for a very long time, from funding the places who provide support and keeping drug & insurance companies accountable to funding research and properly screening and educating special ed teachers & schools. matching appropriate accommodations to a kids conditions and work benefits providing more than just random counselor numbers you can call where you might get a few sessions for free. As well as the fact that many people mental health issues aren't able to easily obtain a job or go through the process for applying for disability. even if they have the motivation, if you are maybe a child in the same house as an abuser, you don't have your own money to use. there are warning signs for suicide but they are treated like most as someone who is just lazy and attention seeking. And then people have the nerve to say we don't ask for help. The reality is many of us deny help because we are exhausted from looking for it only for the people who are supposed help us to tell us or do something to us that deteriorates it further. I am so grateful to you for finally acknowledging the elephant in the room. I have been screaming my lungs out trying to prove it but maybe something will actually get done about it if it comes to someone like you. Seriously thank you
I've read a lot of your comments. They are all so thoughtful and well articulated. Your writing and arguing abilities are truly rare skills. I find myself struggling to communicate with others, and I had similar experiences growing up. It's still a struggle. Honestly, I'm finding it difficult to put into words how nice it is to see comments like this. To see people who think like me. I truly think the point of it all is human connection, and so much of mental health is about personal responsibility, which is so frequently isolating. Anyway, thank you for giving me a much needed hit of dopamine this morning. Cheers 😁
Thank you for this accurate piece. I am a psychologist located in North California who accepts Medicare and MediCal, and I was promised that I would be able to accept any members who had those insurance companies from anywhere in California. Come to find out, MediCal started to deny reimbursement for about half of my patients because they were located in "districts" that had "splintered" off from the state MediCal. This really hurt my finances and ability to support my daughters and pay the sky-high prices in my area. My friends all charge patients $200 to $250 per hour, and do not take insurance. I pay $175 per session cash to my daughter's therapist each week. I really wanted to serve the underserved, and help where it is most needed, but it has become difficult. I am still trying to help my patients and new MediCal patients, but I have to get their insurance verified and this can take up to a month just to get a response from the insurance companies. And don't even get me started on Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Aetna. I really wish I had never signed up to be a provider for them. We only get reimbursed about 40 to 45 percent of the time. We have to have two billers working for us full time, each making about $75,000 per year, for only four full-time psychologists and neuropsychologist in my little group. We need change.
Amén.
that is a disincentivising system.
#BlueShieldBlueCross ...never again. They took my money for my pre natal care, then denied me coverage for the Delivery!? Scam artists.
California's Medi-Cal system incourages each individual county to utilize a Regional Managed Care Program, like Partnership HealthPlan, BlueCross Partnership, HealthNet, CalViva, etc. Each of these program will only pay for services within their region (typically 2 to 4 grouped counties). So, crossing a county line will likely cause payment problems.
That's heartbreaking
Just another example of how we can't reasonably expect for-profit insurance companies to pay for anything. Their whole business plan, is built around not paying for anything, which is beyond stupid. Imagine if we allowed GM or Ford to sell cars without ever delivering one. Imagine if HBO could get away with charging people for access and then refuse to provide any content. Imagine if people weren't free to dump AT&T when they charge you for a service that doesn't actually work! Insurance is the only industry where we are perfectly fine with the people who collect the money deciding at their sole discretion whether they are actually going to provide the product or service they promised.
Finally it's here kzhead.info/sun/ad2ahpalq4eBiGg/bejne.html
For Profit healthcare is an abomination.
Nationalized Healthcare could prevent all of this but we dare not for fear of some stupid made up boogeyman. The USA is doomed unless we fix these issues.
You forgot 1 other "industry". Congress does the same thing .
@@evanpatterson7098 Congress is not an industry.
The new Joker movie does a *great* job of showing us what happens when we don't care or *want* to care about the mentally ill. Or, more to the point, what happens when the *government* doesn't care or doesn't want to care about the mentally ill. Your episode, here, does a greater job by examining and telling us about the finer points of the problem concerning the American side of mental health care.
Mental health care in this country is abhorrent, and everything covered here is absolutely true. Another issue I’d like to see covered in more depth is the relationship between addiction treatment and mental health care. It’s really hard to find anyone who will treat both, because various restrictions mean someone can either get addiction treatment with a sprinkling of mental health care if they’re lucky, or mental health care with a sprinkling of addiction treatment if they’re lucky. The two are extremely comorbid and extremely closely intertwined. But when people with both seek help, they can be bounced between addiction treatment and mental health treatment with each saying that the other needs to help with the problem.
I love the consistent focus on mental health in John Oliver's segments. Having it in the mainstream will eventually force the politicians to take it seriously. But for some reason, people still think you can cure depression by just "not being sad"
Right. Not understanding the obvious difference between depression and sadness. I would argue that given the ripple effects mental health can have its a more important topic than so many other topics covered by politicians. Unfortunately it's not really marketable for them as a topic. That's how they think
They also think a person whose never smoked can TALK a smoker into quitting when the smokers brain has developed a dependency for nicotine, however the NON-addict cannot understand the issues of the addict so how good is their "treatment"?
The more cynical part of me would like to point out that nobody _really_ believes that that's how it works. What they mean to say is, "I don't care about your health if it will cost me anything to help".
@@HexIsme human lives? But what about the MONEY?
Or worse - "pray the 'malaise' away"
Any mental health care professionals reading this just wanted to say thank you for saving more lives than you know 💜 You are loved and appreciated.
Your words are appreciated, Anthony. Thank you.
Take $200 from people just to go "yep" to everything a suicidal person says for 50 minutes. They really are the true heroes in this tragedy.
@@zBorderPatrol find a new therapist, my guy.
Watching this video is just a reflection of what the average ethic clinician / provider knows is happening and is actively trying to change. But I'm glad to see John Oliver use his platform to give clients a voice. You should watch his substance abuse segment. It's maddening.
@@zBorderPatrol if that’s what your therapist is doing you need to find a new one. I am a therapist and I definitely do not do this. I am worth the money my clients pay me. That’s why I rarely have cancellations and I am booked solid every week.
As someone in my final year of an MSW degree (Masters of Social Work) we are having these conversations often. Doing therapy as part of unpaid internships required for our programs, it is obvious that some of the most severe and underprivilege members of our society are having assistance by the most overworked and least experienced professionals (interns and new social workers going for licenser). If we want to make any kind of sustainable income and keep some kind of sanity with caseloads, many who are not looking to work in private practice are forced to move into that field and are still overworked. When I tell people I am going into the field of social work I get a laughing wince as they tell me I won't be making money and the attitude is that I should get out and trying to go into psychology or a more "science" field if I want to make a living. How about instead of feeling bad that I won't make money, and telling me I'm kind for doing this work, you help advocate for mental health's importance and support us and our clients/patients?
I’m Swedish and we don’t have great mental health stuff here either but if I lived in America I would be dead and I am 100% certain of that. At one of the points where I was the closest to killing myself I got sent into a thing called day care where you’re essentially in a psych ward but you go home and sleep at night and come back in the morning and I was there for three weeks and I’m pretty sure that saved my life. Now I had extreme anxiety and no self esteem and those were my main issues so if you had told me at that time “hey, we can get you into a psych ward like you need but it will cost thousands out of your mothers pocket and she will get into debt” I would 100% have pretended that I was fine and killed myself that day cause my worst fear was that I was in any way making my mothers or anyone else’s life more difficult.
That’s called intensive outpatient (IOP) here
John's ladder on a shelf analogy for why we can't have single payer is hilariously sad and accurate. I can't wait to cry into my jammies later.
i'm going to cry into the receipts for insulin
Yo 🔥kzhead.info/sun/pciDacarhWmAdK8/bejne.html
and also the wallet you would need to buy a new ladder is on the shelf, as well as all the paperwork you need for a job or loan to make enough money to buy a ladder without your wallet, as well as your forklift certification that would allow you to forklift yourself up
You own pajamas? Lucky
I didn't watch this, but I'm positive John gives examples of corporate America and maybe conservatives in the senate, then says something to the effect of, "We can do better." And this means we need to rely on good-hearted politicians from the good team, team democrat. Honest, caring people like Nancy Pelosi will ensure greedy evil corporations don't hurt you. LOL.
I have gone through many times where I was on the verge of suicide. I’ve been in a psych ward. Multiple. It’s always the same. First person you speak to is the finance person. When I was just 19, I had to talk to the finance person and they asked me if I had anyone in my life that could help pay. I broke down crying and told them I felt alone. They told me to stop crying and gave me a couple hard brown paper towels you get from a bathroom to wipe my tears away. A few years later, I checked myself into a rehab for alcohol and oxy addiction. The place was great and actually had therapists that cared. On day 10, I got called into the finance office and got told that my insurance deemed me “cured” due to the fact that I was doing better and stopped coverage. I was supposed to be there for 30 days. My therapist at the place tried to fight it, but ultimately it got rejected. He really seemed to care about me too. I had to leave that day because I couldn’t afford it. The option my therapist gave me was to move into a home that costed roughly 4x the amount of my current rent. No way I’d be able to do that. So I went home feeling depressed, rejected and hopeless again. I’m doing better now, but from the time I left there and where I am today, I had some of the absolute worst and darkest moments of my life. I even tried to finish it all during those times, only to go through the same psych ward shit again.
ive been there, keep fighting. wish u the best
L
I've been dealing with suicidal thoughts for my entire life pretty much. Never attempted or went to a ward. What good would me being locked up do for me? Being institutionalized like that wouldn't create some sense of meaning to my life. I want to stop struggling and I see no way out
God, that's so sad and awful. I'm so sorry you went through all of that!
I hope you're doing better, I really do. I quit trying to find help years ago.
Dealing with health insurance has probably caused many mental health issues; Mostly when they refuse to pay and the patients and their families have to go into debt. Having lots of debt can be seriously stressful, and stress is a major component in mental health.
This is so true. I went through this. When you already are suffering with severe anxiety and depression it's outrageously hard to muddle though this system.
I love how insurance companies are not medically trained but are allowed to remotely practice medicine without ever seeing the patient...
Honestly if they're were slaughtered the one who did the slaughtering would still be morally correct compared to them.
@@dgalloway107 Everyone talks about it, nobody ever does it unless it’s hillbilly assholes being manipulated by their betters.
@@dgalloway107 This was one of the takeaways of Saw VI.
If the insurance companies are practicing medicine, they should be liable for malpractice lawsuits whenever denying treatment causes harm.
@@tenebroussapiens2800 This. I'm pretty sure that insurance companies would go out of business pretty quickly if that happened.
Whenever John says "The solution is money, resolve, and change" all I hear is "This will literally never happen."
I’m fully convinced this show only exists as a document for future non-human historians to use to understand how it all went wrong. It certainly never actually accomplishes any meaningful change.
@@mzaite well yeah…it’s a show
Because of attitudes like yours
@@mzaite At least it helps spread awareness and gets discussion going. It's not realistic to expect sweeping change for the masses to happen in a few short years, unless we're talking complete revolution. But that often is just a symptom of many problems accumulated in a country rather than being a solution. If John could just solve any of these issues by throwing money at them, well, I'm sure he's quite happy being the sole owner of the last three of a particular kind of giant frog fountain statue. But it's not every day that HBO can cover the medical debts of millions of Americans for a certain period.
@@mzaite Yeah, but I don't blame the show for that. I blame the US political system for being hopelessly broken.
Finally! Kodos for addressing one of the most critical problems in US today!!!!!!
As an EMT I have had patients that are supposed to go to the county approved facility for mental help, but those facilities are so overbooked and understaffed that we end up transporting the patient to the ER. At the ER they are placed in a secure room and everything taken from them while they wait for a case worker. That case worker may not so up for days. That patient really gets no care while they wait. They are watched to make sure they don't harm themselves but they are basically in hospital jail till a case worker comes.
He said something My boss said years ago: “the most common residential treatment is prison.” This is exactly the issues I’ve been identifying for years, and damnit, we need help!
As someone who has tried (several times) fruitlessly to find a therapist who my insurance will pay for, I now pay for care out of pocket. The system is broken.
Good that you decided to pay for it yourself. It may be way too expensive, but at the same time, you're worth it.
Same.
Yo 🔥kzhead.info/sun/pciDacarhWmAdK8/bejne.html
It is but I have multiple family members who regularly see therapists and honestly after you've gone a few times you know exactly what they're going to say. Therapists have degrees but they are not more intelligent than your average person. The only benefit of having a therapist is it is someone not directly in your circle that won't judge you. You could make a friend that isn't at all close with your family or other friends and confide in them. Therapy is overrated as my point.
@@TimsFoyleHeadgear definitely worth bettering yourself but no therapy is worth the money imo. You're just paying someone to recite things you should already know.
I relate to the "suck it up" thing. I'm not in the US, so I have some access to mental health care. But I've been told to become an alcoholic because that's how everyone else manages. And it's kinda true in my field. I'm working towards going to school to be a counsellor as a side gig, hopefully that'll curb both money issues (paid better in my country) and being able to help people (for free as well).
Thank you so much for this!!! I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor who recently went into private practice and struggle to fill my caseload due to insurance denials and people not being able to pay out of pocket. I am still recovering from burnout and would love to see you guys do an episode on agencies (including non compete clauses and them taking half of clinician's pay and not providing what they promise). There are so many other issues that I could write a full paper on but getting the word out can spark change! Thank you again for advocating for us.
John, Thank you for doing this piece. One month ago my brother committed suicide. He was 24. My family and I are reeling, and amongst that I wish that the facility he went into when he dealt with suicidal ideation in high school many years ago was better funded, staff and cared for. They shoved all patients together of varying levels of violence and his roommate nearly choked him to death and I think it was the reason he didn’t go to a hospital of his own volition this time. The system is a mess, it’s caused stress where he didn’t need it and now he is gone. There is nothing to do at this point for him other than raise awareness and get help people who need it. Thank you for covering mental health repeatedly. It is so much more important than many people realize.
I am so sorry for you and your family, may your brother's soul RIP. Wherever he is now, I am sure he is at peace and without suffering.
Katie, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. ♥️♥️ It's tragic that people are unable to access and/or lose trust in a system we desperately need.
I'm so sorry to hear that Katie, I hope you and your family are holding up alright
I am sorry for your loss. Also you are doing amazing work by raising awareness. Blessings.
This is totally heartbreaking to have read. Condolences to you and all in your brother's friends and family's circle.
I was brought to a counselor for depression when I was 13, which led to a lot of Rxs. The medicine effected my behavior, which led to different Rxs. The depression got worse and led to an attempt, which got me hospitalized (against me and my parent's will). I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder because I had "mood swings" & heavily medicated for that. The hospital released me when the insurance was maxed, with no comprehensive after care. Decades later and after experimenting with countless prescriptions, it turns out that I do not have Bipolar Disorder and medications were not effective. I had counselors later diagnose me with PTSD from the hospital stay (I was exposed to some horrific things and treated like a lab rat). Every single therapist and counselor I've seen since starts the session asking if I want pills. I called one of those hotlines...and was put on hold. That fiasco got me a session 6 months later, and the place they referred me to got me on 4 Rxs and I couldn't talk anymore: there was a disconnect from my mind to my mouth. Then: the Dr couldn't see me to give me refills, so I de toxed at home (which was like that Trainspotting scene, but for months: I found out later how dangerous it is). I got myself sober from alcohol and medication ( I have critiques about recovery programs too). I'm to the point where I feel like if I tell anyone how I really feel: I'll be punished with: sedation, incarceration and astronomical medical bills. Another fun part: my medical problems are now often dismissed as hysteria, which discourages me from seeing a Dr for anything. So, in my case, I'd say the mental health care system not only failed, but created more trauma, more neurosis and financial ruin for me and my family. I still believe that therapy and counseling works, and meds can help people, but it is impossible to do it in America with our absolutely defunct for profit health care "system".
I agree with you 💯. The health industry, more pointedly, the mental health care industry is broken to the point of going against the hippocratic oath. Many practitioners are equally frustrated with this outcome. Healthcare reform is going to take lots of time, brains and bravery!
I am so sorry you've gone through all that. It's horrible. May I ask how old you are?
In my experience, you are absolutely correct. all doctors do with mental health conditions is dismiss the person and say medicine will solve everything. Everyone i ever saw (and i am “lucky” to have the resources to do that) only made things worse.
Yeah, I had the exact same experience. You put it really well, and it must take a lot to be able to speak up. Sometimes it feels more convenient to stay quiet because it is traumatic. Detoxing for me happened when I was able to distance myself from family (they are doctors). I spent a summer catatonic, but determined, and all the things I was being treated for went away. My life flipped a switch and I finished college, no longer had issues with mood or impulse control or self-harm, and my life righted itself pretty instantly. That was about ten years ago. These days, I work for an international cloud computing firm in a challenging role. When I was being hospitalized and woken up with needles in my arms, drugged out of my mind, they were telling my parents that I would never be able to live without in-home care. This is common; but the stigma of mental illness makes it nearly impossible to speak up or get justice. Edit: I was being fed fistfuls of drugs from age 5-25, so twenty years. I was robbed of the opportunity to have normal brain chemistry, or childhood experiences.
John should have interviewed you. Spot on.
My sister was a psychology major in college because the field really interested her, but now she has no idea what to do with her degree because the pay for any job her degree qualifies her for is terrible. At best, she would have to go back to school and get (and pay for) a masters to get a better paying job in the field.
As a therapist, I beg your sister to consider going into the field. We desperately need more master's-level clinicians, and there are loan forgiveness programs for it these days due to the shortage. Every new therapist lightens the load on the rest of us just a little. And that gives us the endurance to keep going, and the mental energy to provide better care.
I can sadly attest that our so-so mental health care system is getting even worse. My symptoms are quite acute and I've been on 7+ month wait lists (and then dropped!), get residents or nurse practioners rather than docs, with less frequent appts. The local 24hour crisis phone line doesn't even always pick up... instead, you can get a recorded message suggesting to try calling again in 15 minutes. Clinics also fail to make good on referrals. And diagnoses can vary across providers, as can treatments. After decades of inadequate care, I'm about to give up on this system, as poor care can actually be worse than nothing
Oh boy I can relate to this one. Several years ago my husband's psychiatrist retired. He got a supply of his medication (among them anti-depressants), to last him for awhile, and a list of supposed referrals. None of them were taking new patients and/or would take our insurance. His medication started running low, I started getting increasingly more frantic, making dozens of phone calls (and let me just emphasize I HATE making phone calls), until I found one who was at least taking new patients. He still wasn't on our insurance so we have to pay out of pocket... but he's good, does well by my husband, and we (fortunately) can float the cost.
I'm glad you at least found somebody. Many people have to fall back on family doctors which is a frustration for many of them, too. (As to what "health god HERMES" meant in reply here, I've no idea.)
@@richardhn6481 it's a spam bot that people pay someone to advertise with, report it.
@@WindsorMason Right. But why haven't you reported it? I have done it now.
@@Aaackermann I have, it takes time to work through the system (more people doing so seems to help.)
@@richardhn6481 that only really works for some conditions where family doctors are comfortable prescribing the medications. I dread the day my psychiatrist decides to retire (because he also does therapy so I'd have to find a therapist too) but being bipolar not every psychiatrist specializes in treating that, and family doctors don't handle those kinds of treatments, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and such, and generally are not comfortable prescribing them.
LastWeekTonight, I have some information about this. I recently graduated from a social work masters program in PA. And my social work department were the most incompetent professionals I have ever met. Im a 24 year old black man who always excelled in school in Maryland. Then when I went to this university in PA the department always labeled me as “unprofessional” or “not up to there standards” whenever I came to them for any sort of problem. And normally your department would seek to assist you because they should want you to succeed, right? Nope. When I start my masters there I was faced with a supervisor at my internship who discriminated and humiliated me because of my stutter and gave me bad performance review, then failed me the week before the semester ended. So essentially she had me work for her for free twice a week for two months then fired me last minute. I told my department the whole semester “this supervisor isn’t a good fit to lead me, she doesn’t answer my questions, critiques me without ever giving solutions, and treats me less then her less competent white intern”. My department said I just wasn’t trying hard enough to and held me back a full year. Anyway I found a better placement and passed so I graduated. No thanks to them. (There are way more situations of incompetence that I’ll share if others ask). But now I’m living in Maryland and the state licensure to practice/work in my field is so incredibly difficult, I’m questioning why my department never had a class to help students pass to enter the fucking field. I’m pissed on how useless this school was but I’m not surprised. But I found out this secret. Because Maryland is a majority black state and PA is a majority white state. If you take the exam in PA it’s significantly easier to pass with easier questions. Marylands exam is harder. Because essentially MD has a less white privileged individuals who can afford therapy than PA. Therefore PA has a more “need” for social workers. Even though MD needs people like me the most. So right now I failed my Maryland state exam twice now, spent nearly 1000 on exams fees, text books and study guides to pass and I’m being block because of systemic racism. I’m trying to help my community and fill gaps for my brothers and sisters as a social worker/therapist. Anyway that’s all I have to say. And to anyone supporting this system, FUCK YOU
Mental health and the eugenics movement were and still are inseparable. As a gay man I've been to over half a dozen therapists and only one (a queer woman) respected me as an individual. Being gay might not explictly be a disorder, but my straight therapists nonetheless gave me diagnoses such as "personality disorder NOS." Women and minorities are still much more disproportionately labeled as mentally ill and targeted with involuntary treatment compared to cis white men.
@@vitas4783 that is awful. Situations like yours makes it seem like they don’t want modern culturally and sexual orientating competent practitioners in this field.
Board exams have had a really bad history of systemic racism. It makes sense that people doing a certain job need to be able to prove their knowledge, but a lot of times the exams are very arbitrary and passing it requires you to have gone to a certain school. This is also why there aren't many black lawyers.
Yea as someone who was in the system on the client's side as a teen in PA...oh boy was it not good. Even as a white girl. That shit leaked through and I could tell I wasn't getting the standard of care I needed.
As someone who's pretty much given up on the system on the client's side of MD, I feel you, OP. It's a horrific mess here... and odds are the "care" you do get if you seek it out will be unhelpful or just makes things worse. And like Poi, I'm a white female.
I remember when I was told I wasn't su!c!dal enough by children's hospital. There were so many severely mentally ill children, that I another severely mentally ill child could not receive treatment as I was not su!c!dal enough.
I called a crisis line one time when i was suicidal, because i knew going to the ER was not something i could afford, and the person literally told me "just suck it up, get over yourself, and stop crying." And then they hung up. On the plus side, I was so mad I didn't do it.
This might be THE most poignant ep ever, thank you John Oliver!!! This retired nurse, and daughter of a psych nurse, will be sharing this HEAVILY. My mother would have appreciated your coverage on this topic immensely.
💯
Therapist here. Thank you for covering this critical issue. 1) Therapy apps provide inadequate, unreliable care and underpay clinicians. Anecdotally, I have heard of therapists quitting and their clients WERE NOT INFORMED by the app. What if that person were suicidal? 2) Insurance companies will not pay therapists enough which causes therapists to not contract with them. In San Francisco, where average rent for a one bedroom is $3,000, a therapist's fee is approximately $200. Most insurance companies will pay $66-100. Therapists can't afford to take insurance clients. 3) There is an insanely high rate of burnout for therapists. Since the pandemic many have been working non-stop.
I simply want to thank you. Therapists are a rare breed of human willing to help us cope with the insanity of life, while somehow managing to stay sane themselves. There isn't enough ways to thank you for what you do, but I hope it lets you know how special you are!
Therapy recipient here. There has not been a single therapist I've ever met that hasn't been an absolute sack of shit
all mental health drugs are more dangerous then weed
@@balover214 Lisa literally just said they have to prey on people's mental health for money and you congratulate them?
@@balover214 ❤️
Finally, we needed to shed a light onto this 🙌
This was probably the most bitingly close-to-life story you guys have ever covered for me personally. It took me months to find a therapist with workable availability, who also accepted my insurance and was in the same state and I've still have never met her in person (we exclusively use telehealth). It's a fucking nightmare.
As a new mental health professional, thank you so, SO MUCH, John for finally covering this topic accurately and in-depth unlike so many articles I’ve seen about the current mental health crisis. Mental health professionals who take insurance or work in community mental health centers are not paid living wages. It’s not good for us or for clients. We absolutely need systemic reform.
I hope you are black, if you are other race black patients don't consider you professional enough to help them. Watch the interviews above again.
@@GigiDuruDuru the mental gymnastics you go through to think like this are dishearteningly impressive
@@betapotataOld obviously you mental capacity wasn't used much, that's why it seems impressive to you. Let's do together a simple gymnastic exercise for your overly relaxed brain. Imagine the couple from this clip were whites complaining they can't find a white therapist cause they are all inconveniently black. Thus not good enough for them as professionals. And when asked if the color matter the answer would be "of course it matters, it's a cultural thing".. Can't you imagine their crucifixion and stigma they had to bare for the rest of their life as racists? Un employable, outcast for eternity. No? Still don't see it? Tell it to the scores of people screaming endemic racism and white supramacy or privilege how disheartening impressive their mental gymnastic is. Why don't you?
I am in tears watching this because I had the same experience searching for a therapist for my daughter. I eventually found one and it was heaven sent. My daughter is doing much better!
As a therapist, I feel seen. Thank you.
Thank you John Oliver for saying it like it is!!! Our Mental Health System is beyond a disaster. I am a Mental Health Advocate and have witnessed everything and more you discussed in your show… We need help! We need help in a BIG way but no one seems to want to help.. My heart breaks for parents of those struggling because if they do not get the help and support as a young adult they will end up homeless, in jail or deceased… been there and it’s not a nice place.. Let’s not give up the fight for those in need! 💜
This episode highlights every single issue that has led to my burnout as a counselor. I’ve wanted to be a therapist since high school after the lack of quality care I received when I was suicidal. As a black woman, I recognized the absolute need to have more cultural representation in the MH field. So I got my BA and then MS and have been working in the field for 11 years (I am counting my grad school internship as I had two caseloads- the on-site clinic at school and my off-site location working with teens). I’ve loved helping and guiding people in crisis yet the work is exhausting. I knew that going in as I, initially, worked with children of trauma and their families and currently work with individuals in early recovery. While grad school educated me on the importance of self-reflection, self-care and supervision, it doesn’t prepare you for the truly demoralizing experience of insurance reviews. Insurance companies are ruthless in finding any way to not pay. The criteria they use to identify appropriate levels of care are bare-bones. As stated, I work at a community residential program (it’s a hybrid of sober living and group/individual therapy where the clients can leave for work) and with the County government’s CSB which he used the term community mental health. Same thing, different name. I mention this because the population I work with are low-income thus we typically take Medicaid. Working with the reviewers means I have to go to battle and scrape for every penny daily, up to 4x. A patient presents with obvious signs/symptoms that deem continued care necessary but oh no! “They’ve been sober for 90 days and haven’t had a craving in two weeks. They’re stable and can go.” Um, the person hasn’t seen their doctor or psychiatrist yet, isn’t med compliant because appointments are hard to come by and they wait for weeks, nor have they been able to utilize their coping strategies as they begin to experience their emotions and/or re-live their trauma. But they are stable? Okay. So, I end up embellishing to get my clients more time. The counselors are tired, drained and burning out because we are short-staffed. Our supervisors are stressed and leaving for private practice because they don’t have to deal with insurance appeals or budgets or BS. And the clients coming in are more and more severe in their MH because there isn’t enough resources provided to them before they reach our program. I could go on for days. But what I’ve shared is just the tip of the iceberg. And it’s enough. I am burnt out and will be leaving my jobs (and the field) in January 2023. I don’t regret my decision to go into this field yet now I have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up…again. 🤦🏾♀️
Thank you for all the work you have put in the mental health care system. I'm glad you are able to leave and find something else that doesn't cause so much burnout. I'm glad you are taking care of you.
@@sonjalarge8880 thank you so much! I’m a ready to leave…And a part of me feels guilty for leaving.
Understandable! Mental health professionals tend to be natural helpers and leaving sometimes makes them feel selfish. But you've devoted 11 years of your life helping people in crisis. That can't be selfish. You matter as much as any of your clients, so if you're not doing well, you deserve to live your life in a way that benefits your well-being just like they do.
@@sonjalarge8880 🥰
I go to a methadone clinic and the turnover rate for the counselors is absolutely crazy. Rarely does a counselor stay past 2 months, I've been there nearly ten years sadly and this trend started probably around the same time as covid lockdown ended. Before that it was rare to see a new face or someone leave. Whether they were a nurse, counselor, or supervisor. Now even the supervisor who was there since it opened about 20 years ago has left and we've had 3-4 others since. No one can cope anymore, it's a really brutal world
Holy shit that Scott Pelli comeback was beautiful like goddamn he destroyed the guy
his arrogance made it easey. the guy was practically begging for it. only a very bad journalist would let that go unchallenged and Pelli is great
I tried to use a community clinic yesterday but the intake process was clearly trying to get rid of me. It was very traumatic. It reminded me of the John Oliver episode recently. I have a disability & Medicaid & asked to use Zoom. The intake person mocked me for this and tried to focus on my medical problems & push me to get psychiatric medication from my GP dr. Or go to the ER for my disability. I told her I would never manage my disability through a GP or the ER. She mocked me no matter what I said. I wanted counseling & to see a psychiatrist who accept Medicaid but she kept saying I would never get through the waitlist & arguing with every answer I gave to her questions. It was very rude & upsetting. I started crying because she kept telling me why I was not a good fit to get counseling or see a psychiatrist!! I was told to go there by everyone bc they accept Medicaid and have disability case managers!! I could not find a single therapist or dr who accepts Medicaid. It was so traumatic bc I waited months and already went there once and lost my therapist, then was told they do not have zoom when they do. Never again.
Love John Oliver. He speaks so much it's like he says a whole essay every breath.