Treating Depression: Don't Go it Alone

I think I've come up with a great way to save money on medical bills. Let's face it, they can be ridiculously high, and not everything is covered by insurance. Even though I have good medical insurance from UC Berkeley, we still get billed $50 for emergency room visits, $35 higher than the copay at the doctor's office.

I can only assume the higher copay for the emergency room is to discourage you from going there. Because, you know, it's such a blast. If Lawrence's pediatrician had been willing to meet us at his office on Saturday a month ago when he dislocated his toe, do you think I would have said, "Naw, we'd prefer to wait in the emergency room for a few hours instead, trying to keep a bored and hurting child amused. Thanks anyway, Doc." Actually, believe it or not, our insurance company wanted us to to get permission from the doctor before going to the emergency room. As you might guess, I said, "Screw that," and called the doctor while we already on our way there. I mean, for crying out loud, part of my son's toe was sticking out at a right angle.

By the way, by the time I took this picture Lawrence was no longer in pain (until the doctor popped the toe back into joint) and he had been making a real nuisance of himself while we were waiting, despite the books and entertainments I grabbed (along with Babar, which he had, between sobs, begged that we stop at the house for) on the way to the emergency room. So this is actually the pitiful face he put on for the photo. Afterwards he went back to trying to dis-assemble all the equipment in the exam room.

Anyway, to get back on track, here's my idea. When you're sick, why not just treat yourself? So much quicker, easier and cheaper. Granted, you can't get prescriptions, even for things like the strep throat I had recently or, you know, crucial prescriptions like insulin or heart medication. But hey - free! And think of all the time you'll save not waiting to see a doctor.

You can forget high bills for surgery. Just suck it up and do it yourself! You've probably got a hacksaw somewhere in your garage. And honestly, why did I bother to take Lawrence to the emergency room when I could have just snapped his toe back in place myself?

Does this sound like the dumbest idea ever? Geez, I hope so. There is a reason why most of us decide to pay doctors - they spent untold thousands of dollars and several years of their lives to acquire knowledge and experience that the rest of us don't have.

So why is it that so many people who would never dream of treating their physical ills themselves decide they're going to treat their mental ills themselves? These same people, who would never think of drafting their own will or getting under the hood of their car to give it a tuneup, often think that they can treat their own depression. They try a new diet, a nutritional supplement, aromatherapy, positive thinking, copper bracelets and every thing else under the sun except for going to a doctor.