this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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[โ€“] AndyLikesCandy@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Access is about more than billing.

In the US you need to wait multiple months to see a specialist, about 9 where i live as a new patient, and/or pay massively out of pocket for a private specialist ( $300-1000 per session).

Your other option is to say you're thinking of killing yourself, but this is a direct route to involuntary care which red-flags you and gets your guns confiscated with virtually no hope of having your rights restored, as well as a record that gets in the way of getting a new job, housing, etc.

So, if you're the average depressed person, have zero friends and have non-zero guns, you're kind of on an island.

We have long waits her, too, generally. It's also still quite expensive here. If you don't speak fluent japanese, also be prepared to spend a lot (my therapy was the same as my monthly rent, over 100k yen), but that's a non-issue for most people in Japan