Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

There was a girl I knew once who had bipolar disorder. She didn’t have the highest income she could have had, so sometimes it was difficult for her to see a psychiatrist or to get medications. This was especially true since she didn’t have medical insurance.

But she was resourceful. She discovered methods of finding low income psychiatric care and medications that I didn’t even know about at the time. Maybe some of these methods will help you.

If you happen to have a school of psychiatry anywhere near you, or even if you have a school of psychiatry that has a branch in your area, then you can ask if they have a local residency program. This is a program that allows psychiatrists in training to see patients so that they can finish learning. Usually these professionals, albeit still in training, are nearly as knowledgeable and skilled at their work as any practicing psychiatrist. In the meantime, because they are in training, their rates are usually cheaper, or they may even go on a sliding scale.

A sliding scale is something that is important to know about. It is a scale that bases your fees on your income bracket. Each place that has a sliding scale works differently as far as income brackets, requirements, and fees goes. You can ask at your local psychiatrist’s office whether they have the option of a sliding scale, and if so, how their version of it works. After all, it’s not just residency programs that have sliding scales. So it’s worth asking if another place does or not.

Insurance is the most obvious way to get around paying high fees for a psychiatrist. But there are tricks to insurance that you may not have known. Some insurance policies will only allow you to see certain doctors, or may have cheaper co-pays for certain doctors, so you will want to ask your insurance company what their policy is on psychiatric care in specific.

Also, most insurance will not pay for pre-existing conditions until you have been with them for so long. Ask your insurance company if they will cover your condition at all, and if so to what extent.

Sometimes you will find a psychiatrist who functions in a primary care group setting. When you find this, the group may be able to bill your insurance to the primary care group, instead of to the psychiatrist themselves, which will cause it to look different to your insurance company.

You may also find a psychiatrist through a specific program that is free of charge or very cheap, but who will not write prescriptions. In this scenario, you can have him or her recommend a medication and dosage to take to your primary care physician. Most primary care physicians are willing to prescribe psychiatric medications if a psychiatrist has recommended them.

As far as medications go, start off by asking if there is a generic version to the medications you need to take. Generics are usually much less expensive. Also, look for prescription discount programs. Some of these you can find online, if you search for them. Others you can get through a pharmacy, or through your psychiatrist.

Different pharmacies also have different starting prices for their medications. Don’t be afraid to call different pharmacies to “shop around” before you pick one. If you really just cannot afford your medications, then there may be a assistance program through the brand name’s company that will pay for your prescriptions for a certain amount of time. Ask your psychiatrist about this; they will know whether there is one, or at least know how to find out.

You can also find coupons for your medications, or get samples from your psychiatrist. There are many ways of being resourceful when it comes to finding low income psychiatric care and medications. Other options are out there as well, you just have to keep your eyes open for them.

What ways can you be resourceful when it comes to these things?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave