When my depression is in full swing, sometimes I wonder, "If I had a fairy godmother who could magically give me what I would need to get better, what would it be?" It always includes some way that counseling and medication --and maybe even time off from work or a reduced work schedule-- could be paid for without my having to go into debt. Medical debt is a huge stressor--how can that help a depressed person recover? The other constant in my recovery fantasies is some kind of social-worker type person who would check up on me every week or so to see if I am taking my medicine, going to my appointments, washing my dishes, brushing my teeth, all those things that people who are not depressed do without being checked up on, but maybe most importantly, to ask if I am paying my bills! WHen I get depressed, it is so hard to do anything, and paying bills gets put aside until they are overdue, and then the collection agencies start calling, and then it goes to the law firms and a bill for $5 is suddenly over a thousand dollars, and the more insurmountable the debts seem, the more insurmountable the depression seems. There should be some way for depressed people to get onto some kind of automatic bill paying system so the debts don't get in the way of getting better. Just a crazy thought.
