I’m glad this forum is here. I need help finding a knowledgeable therapist to work with online, one who knows schizophrenia and the current understanding of it well, who knows and can coach me in CBT/DBT, and can help me both with my grief and with doing the best I can for my son going forward. Some telehealth situation where we could meet every couple of weeks, someone who already knows about severe mental illness unlike so many others I’ve come across in the last 20 years. Ideally a telehealth situation that would take my BCBS insurance, but private pay would also be an option. I’ve been so disappointed so many times with behavioral health providers in my small community, people who know so much less than I need them to. I want to pour my heart out talking to one person, to explain enough to be understood, and then be able to go deeper. I’d be grateful for any ideas.
My son is 27, and I’ve just been visiting him in at his house in South America. After twenty years, it’s clear to me he’s living with schizophrenia, which has been suspected though he’s not been diagnosed with it. With anxiety, with high-functioning autism, with PTSD, yes. But his life is finally less chaotic than it’s been for years, and what remains looks like classic schizophrenia. Yes, the positive symptoms, the delusions and psychosis, but also the negative symptoms, extreme disorganization, anhedonia, disorganized thoughts. It’s tragic, so tragic. I could tell the whole long story, but I’m exhausted. He has always refused diagnosis and medications. I’ve read “I am not sick, I don’t need help” many times, I’ve taken the NAMI family-to-family class twice, etc, etc, etc.
Welcome to the forum. My healthcare is a United Healthcare
Dual Advantage policy and TeleHealth appointments are the preferred setup right now. I see the psychiatrist sees me once a month on TeleHealth as does my psychologist. If there is any issue to report, it can be done on the once a week phone call that comes from my mental healthcare team by myself and/or my husband.
Since making this post, I’ve learned about PSYPACT’s map (effective per website as of 12/6/2022: AL, AZ, AR, CO, CT, CNMI, DE, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, [enacted not yet effective RI], {active psypact legislation: MA, MI, NY}). This allows the practice of telepsychology as specified in https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/PracticeUnderPSYPACT. More generally, https://www.americantelemed.org/resource/ is working on this issue.
It looks like PSYPACT applies only to psychologists, not to LCSWs or psychiatrists? Anyone know more?
I was interested in this post as my daughter lives in Mexico. She is having auditory hallucinations. A neurologist prescribed Seroquel, and after 2+ months on the medication, it does not seem to be helping. We found a psychologist for her, but the woman doctor said she’d be away until mid-Jan. Also, I am not confidant that this doctor will have expertise in this particular problem. From my reading it seems my daughter has paranoid schizophrenia. The symptoms match.