Insurance and Therapy?

[quintile55555]

SWIM believes he is suffering from moderate depression and has been for months. This has been made worse lately by his overuse of mephedrone (when he has it, he uses about 450 mg a day, every day, until it runs out and he orders more and waits an agonizing 2+ weeks for more). His parents and girlfriend (neither of which know about his mephedrone habit) have both noticed he's been a little down lately, and they have both suggested separately that he should see somebody about it.

To head off any "be honest with your parents, girlfriend and loved ones" responses, SWIM feels he can't tell his girlfriend about his mephedrone habit, since she's always merely tolerated his drug use with the substances she knows about (regular cannabis and occasional alcohol). He wants to get off of mephedrone and stay off for a while (maybe a month or two) before revealing his usage to her, just to prove to her and himself that he can fix his own problems.

SWIM is interested in obtaining a consultation with a psychiatrist/psychologist about it, but he's worried that said consultation will:
a. Require SWIM to pay out of pocket (expensive in the USA) OR...
b. Require the use of SWIM's insurance (therefore giving him, a 20-year old, a permanent "MENTAL HEALTH RISK" blotch on his pre-existing conditions list).
c. Put a "DRUG ABUSE" blotch on his pre-existing conditions if he is honest about his drug use.
d. Require SWIM to go on some kind of antidepressant medication as part of his treatment (something he will never do).

Can any USian D-Fers out there relate their experiences with obtaining professional help in dealing with their mental health and/or substance use problems? Are SWIM's concerns unfounded or should he try to receive help from himself and his friends and family before resorting to a professional?

[ex-junkie]

cut up credit card/cancel paypal. make it a bit harder for swiy to obtain. if it means opening a separate bank account which is not (for example) visa debit/credit.. thus cannot be used for purchases over the net.

just a suggestion..

the mental health issues will more than likely take up to a year to fully pass by, though in swims experience with mental health is only related to amphetamines/methamphetamines. nobody knows how long it takes to recover from mephedrone related mental health problems..

perhaps ring up some free helplines to speak to counsellors if swiy wants to avoid being labelled on medical records, but seriously if shit gets too bad seek help.