It would take me several hours to come up with a number. But I do know that all the times I was in the hospital (sometimes for a month) that it averaged $1000/day. So at least two of those stays were $30,000 to $40,000 each. Nineteen ECT's totalled $5,700. The Zyrpexa was $1200/month for a long time, and now I think it is down to about $700/month. That's not even counting my other psych-meds. I had therapy for 5-6 years anywhere from twice a week to every other week, but usually once a week. Those would have cost around $100/ea. I also see my psychiatrist 4 times a year (or more often if I'm having problems) for medication review at anywhere from $75 to $300 per visit. (It was on the high end each time he went to the hospital to see me -- amost every day I was there.) But I did have excellent medical insurance and just had to meet a low deductible each year and make co-pays for doctors, hospitals, therapy, and meds. I did have to fight the insurance company many times, though, to get them to pay what they had contracted to pay. They would say things like, "There is no proof that you were insured during 2000 (even though they had paid in 1999 and 2001 and my insurance was in force with the same employer from 1997 to the present.) Sometimes it took years for them to pay and my therapist ended up having to write off $2500 the insurance company owed her and wouldn't pay. I am very, very glad I had good insurance. Otherwise, I would not have been able to explore treatment options and definitely would not have gotten the same quality of treatment.
And then, of course, I have no idea what lost wages would be. I lost a job making $41K per year in 1997 and then just worked for minimum wage sporadically, switching to SSDI in 2005. And I also lost my house, my husband, my car, and worst of all, I lost my independence and had to live with my parents for about 12 yrs. Plus the 93 lbs I gained on Zyprexa makes it necessary to see my primary care doc at least every 6 months for treatment and blood work (due to high BP, low thyroid, GERD which would most likely go away if I could lose enough weight.) So I guess it took away some self-esteem and pride in my looks and has probably shortened my lifespan. And most probably I will only have a subsistence living in the future, like I do now.
Still, I know I have much to be thankful for. People who care. Insurance. Access to mental health resources. And I am substantially recovered now. Able to enjoy the beautiful sky outside my window, to read a book, to go to a movie. Those were also taken away for a few years. Sometimes I think the meds are just propping me up and I would fall quickly without them. But of course I am very grateful to have them. Still, there is hope that there will be a cure for depression and schizophrenia some day soon.
Donna
Hi MM
I'm a loner
I didn't have the skills to fight it
It cost me alot of money
Especially the three hospital visits in 2008
I try to convince myself that it wasnt my fault
It was the last time
Now the void is getting larger
People get married people die
These are the things I dont understand or relate too
I dont want to leave
Its a day we all have to face
Jon
Hi Merely Me, all. I suffered from Anxiety/Depression as a child but it wasnt diagnosed, although I do remember getting sedation for panic at 7yrs of age.
I suffered awful migraines. When I had a bad break-down with social phobia, agoraphobia and Depression at 18yrs approx. The Hospital was a public mental Hospital, horrific, made 'One flew over the Cuckoos Nest' look like the Ritz.
I was working in and out of jobs, but my once a fortnight 55mins with prof. of psyciatry was $100 alot in those days, the 70s.
I tend to think of my Depression more in terms of what I missed out on, the cost emotionally. The low self esteem and subsequent low grades and leaving school early. not going to college and majoring in a subject that would lead to a decent job.~ The bad retention, fatigue, apathy, exaustion and phobias, insomnia and total lack of belief in myself was not something I equated with Depression and so it went, largely untreated. I tended to work at mediocre type jobs because I lacked Education and confidence to do courses/College. I also lacked the real confidence in myself to form a lasting Relationship and I now realise that I subconsciously sabotaged alot of my relationships in my 20s and when I was in my prime years for meeting somebody. I also picked men who wouldnot treat me with respect so it was a viscious circle - low self esteem - My Depression in recent years, cost me my home, In a very low Depression I blamed where I lived and the area, the house itself [anything but looking deep inside] and sold my small home. This was a disastrous move. I never was able to purchase a house again and it was the only bit of stability and an Anchor as I dont have family that are supportive. Even more recently about 5 years ago, I began to become agitated whilst on Efexor . I would just get hurt and literally verbally 'go' for somebody and tell them exactly how I felt. I lost some friends because of this and apologies and explanations werent listened to. I am sad about this.
So, living alone, still having some good friends, but not socialising much, I feel that Depression had some very profound effects on my life, regarding having children, marrying, being stable, having belief in myself.
Its never too late to change though, and my Birthday was last week and I am determined, in the Autumn [winter?] of my years, to make the very most of what years the Lord has left for me. I intend to do some type of course and I believe its never too late to start afresh
I'm with Judy,...OMG...I can't even begin to think about how much $, Time, Opportunities, Friends, Promotions, Etc. I have missed out on. It is depressing just to begin to think about it! I would rather think of all the things I have "Survived" and "Prevailed" living with anxiety and depression. Note: I just had an appointment with my therapist yesterday and she told me that I have OCD issues as well. NICE! My toy box is just chalked full of miss fit toys! 
Hi M/M & all,
Cost? WOW!!!! I wouldn't really know ow/where to start. I could most likely better track the emotional & social cost(s) better, so here goes.
I too, never went to college as I hated school; I was more 'street smart' than 'book smart' so I took that ball & ran with it.
I believe my biggest 'cost/expense' as a result of Depression has been relationships. A failed marriage, a string of relationships, etc etc.
As for work, I spent 25+ years in an increasingly toxic environment fighting to make through the day (once the fight to even show up for work was 'won').
Yes, my Insurance covered part of my Rx; I have yet to explore REAL therapy however that is next on my agenda.
As you know I have recently weaned myself away from Effexor XR, however it has come with a cost. As I look back on the last 6-7 months I've noticed a pattern of bad decision-making, ups & downs & a few serious 'meltdowns'. Long story short it's time for action.
The 'costs' aren't limited to monetary by any stretch. Thank God I have family & friends who understand & support me.
More to follow...
Carl
With the new mental health parity law, there is no longer a restriction on the number of mental health visits you may have in a year (at least in New York). In many ways, mental health treatment is to be treated the same as going to any other specialist.
As to the big deductible you had, and the confusion about how much your insurance was going to pay, that's rotten. In New York, The NYS Dept. of Insurance would have been the place to write when and if you thought you were being taken advantage of by your insurance company -- that is in addition to whatever disputes and/or grievances you filed with your insurance company.
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OMG - I wouldn't even be able to begin accurately figuring out what my treatment has cost. When I first started therapy with my present therapist, it was $60 an hour (!), plus I was in group therapy weekly for about two years ($80 each). That was 20 years ago. A while back, I was doing 1-1/2 hours every week at the rate of about $120 an hour; in those days, there wasn't a cap on the number of visits. That changed, of course, and now I pay $210 about twice a month for 1-1/2 hours, which is really what you need, at least, to do EMDR. My insurance paid only about half, after a $500 deductible (which counted toward the number of visits), until this last year when they decided that because they were granting extra hours, they would pay at the in-network rate of 80%. That's been a big help. I'd say my medications probably run around $100 a month with insurance.
I believe that the mental health parity law has gone into effect now so that if your insurance has mental health coverage, they're supposed to pay at the same rate as any other medical condition, without caps on the number of visits allowed. I haven't seen the evidence of that, yet, but it would be nice to not have to "beg" for additional hours every year. I'm lucky in that they get approved, but I'm sure that's not the case for everyone.
There was another hidden cost, as well - I didn't go to college because I didn't have the energy, I was too afraid to aim very high at my job in terms of advancement, so that cost me salary, plus pension benefits and Social Security I could have had, plus I might have still been working if being where I was didn't make me even more depressed. Also, the depression caused a lot of stress on my marriage and we've been in couples therapy for years, although I can't totally blame depression on that - it may have been a catalyst, actually.
So, you see it would take me a day or two to figure out what it has cost me financially and I don't have the time! Scary, isn't it? But, to me, it's been worth it and I'm thankful I had the insurance to cover whatever it did.
Judy,
Noting that you missed college because of your depression is right. I'm thinking
even though I went to college, after I graduated I was unable to apply what I learned. Depression can rob you, especially before you understand what it is.
Ric