Location May Determine Access to Mental Illness Treatment

After being medically discharged from the Army, More Than Borderline's Becky Oberg returned to Indianapolis to begin mental illness treatment. She soon learned that her location determined her access to borderline personality disorder (BPD) treatment almost as much as her insurance. She first saw a doctor in private practice, but transferred to a sliding-scale clinic after her COBRA ran out. She became suicidal and psychotic, but the hospital that treated cases like hers from her county was full. She was admitted to a different hospital, which wiped out her life savings because she was not eligible for its reduced rate.

A Patient's Need, Not Location, Should Determine Mental Illness Treatment

After being discharged from the hospital, she sought treatment in a community mental health center in nearby Hamilton County. But she was not getting the treatment she needed, and felt she had no voice in her treatment. So she moved into Marion County to access better mental illness treatment.

In this video, Becky talks about the need for a national standard for treatment. A patient's needs, not location, should determine what treatment he or she receives.

You can also find Becky Oberg on Google+, Facebook and Twitter and Linkedin.