Parity Matters to Me (Depression), 1990s, by Lisa Gibson
From MemoryArchive
Who: Lisa Gibson What: Insurance and mental illness When: 1990s Where: New York, New York
Charles Dickens began his book David Copperfield with the words "I am born." If I were to write an autobiography, I would begin with the words "I am born with manic-depression," for this illness has been the single most defining factor of my life and my personality. No other factor -- being female, being southern, being the middle child -- has had such an impact on me as this disease.
I felt that I lost much of my childhood. As a child, I knew I was different. I would cry every day, but not be able to explain why I was so sad. I would sit for hours, staring into space. At the age of seven I would sleep 16 or 17 hours at a time. I had terrible aches and pains that could not be explained. I had chronic health problems including bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia, but none of the doctors could make me better. I was in and out of hospitals and clinics constantly. My parents and the insurance company paid huge medical bills because the doctors were not treating the primary illness.
When I was 23, I suffered my first major clinical depression. I was teaching at a private school and I had health insurance, but I was unable to afford the higher co-payments necessary to see a mental health professional. As a result, I was constantly visiting my primary health physician with various health problems. My depression lasted two years. I eventually lost my job and my housing. No one at the school could understand what had happened to me. I was a Phi Beta Kappa, and just the year before I had been a popular new teacher and a recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award.
We know that outcomes are best when manic-depression is diagnosed and treated early. I suffered needlessly for 12 years because I could not afford treatment early in the course of my disease. I cycled between bouts of depression and mania for years without the benefit of the latest treatment. It took me five years to complete a three year graduate program because my illness caused me to drop out of school many times. So much of my early adulthood was lost to me and society lost many years of productivity from one of its citizens. In addition, during bouts of mania, I depleted savings accounts and ran up huge debts.
After the birth of my first child at age 30, I suffered another debilitating depression that lasted 18 months. I needed treatment, but could not afford the $75 co-payment for a psychiatrist who was part of my insurance plan. It only cost me $10 to see my dermatologist or my ob-gyn at the time, so I visited them weekly, trying to get help for the various physical ailments that the depression was causing. Because of my postpartum depression, I lost the joy of being a new mother.
If I were to go through these same experiences after full parity was enacted, I would probably fare better. With the enactment of full parity, insurance companies could no longer charge higher co-payments and deductibles for mental health services as opposed to physical health services. I wouldn't have to endure the wasted years of my life, the needless pain and suffering, and insurance companies would save money by treating the right illness.
There are those who think that people with mental illnesses should just pull themselves up by the bootstraps. However, dealing with a mental illness isn't a question of strength or weakness. This national debate is about illnesses that are just as real and treatable as cancer, heart disease or diabetes.
We pay for health insurance so that mental health treatments can improve the quality of our lives. Can people with a debilitating illness that an insurance company refuses to treat truly have quality of life? Thanks to the hard work of so many, we will soon see changes. Maybe my children, who have a good chance of inheriting manic-depression will be able to receive treatment, if necessary, early in their lives and can avoid 35 years of needless suffering.
Reproduced with permission from New York City Voices, where you will also find more information about recovery.
