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The Pills I Take Keep Me Sane — But $1500 a Month Feels Like a Punishment for Being Mentally Ill
Who knew the hidden costs for those who would have been locked in asylums in another age?
This isn’t an article for anyone who doubts the existence of “mental illnesses” and their diagnoses. If you want to argue semantics, I’m not the person to tango with. I can only share my lived experience, and I am no monolith for a wide array of disorders out there.
With that out of the way, I must admit: I’m dreading January 1st, 2022. My current insurance lapses at that point, replaced by my new premium for insurance costing me over $400/month. The deductible is high, and only a percentage of my prescription costs will be covered.
I wouldn’t worry, but the medication I take daily costs $1500 each month for those who are uninsured (or chained to heinous insurance plans).
I’ve been taking this medication since 2013, when I experienced psychosis for the first time, and I experienced firsthand that stopping the meds will likely just make the symptoms come back with a vengeance. Almost a year to the day, in 2014, I had another case of psychosis. Having delusions, imagining voices in my head, becoming manic — these were just some of the things I went through.
