I went to therapy for six months. It definitely should have been longer or at least started sooner. The price of those mere twenty visits was $2,500.
Let that sink in: $2,500 for only twenty visits, only a half a year of treatment, not even once a week. I stopped, mostly because I was happy with the state of my recovery, but partially because the new year meant a new deductible on my insurance. I mostly don’t regret stopping (at least not right now, there were some days in April when I probably should have set up an appointment). And thankfully, for me, the decision wasn’t totally motivated by the cost. But there should never be a question of whether someone can afford treatment.
When 1 in 5 mothers are diagnosed with peri- and postpartum mood disorders (and that just the ones who are actually diagnosed) that’s 1 in 5 mothers who are already in a bad position because of their health, and the cost continues to put them further behind their peers. Or, even worse, puts them at risk for not receiving the treatment they deserve because the cost is prohibitively high.
According to a 2011 study, white mothers were twice as likely to seek postpartum health care than Black or Latina mothers. That does not mean there is a higher incidence of maternal mood disorders in white women, it means many women are living through the struggle of PPD/PPA without the treatment they need.
Many contributing factors to not seeking care are like mine, where there isn’t enough time in the day to fit in treatment, concerns over high costs and insurance coverage, or the struggle to find a provider who is a good fit. But these barriers are even worse for low-income or non-white patients. To say nothing of the prejudice and fear of separation from their children that thee women often face.
Supporting organizations like the Loveland Foundation, Hope Unexpected, or the University of Michigan’s Zero to Thrive program can provide mental health support to people who are most left behind in our health care system. These organizations, and other like them, work to remove barriers and provide more people access to the therapists and treatments they deserve. . . .