Mental Health

[4Nikki]

Since the first onset of DD's symptoms we sought mental health which ended up being a failed treatment option. After being enlightened about of PANS/PANDAS, I've been at work over the past year and a half explaining to different services and doctors how DD's symptoms have been the result of pathology rather than a learned behaviour. However, since DD received a steroid blast treatment a few months ago her symptoms have changed and when she used to be unaware, she is now aware and able to manage some self control with encouragement and motivation. DD's symptoms have been traumatic over the past two years and she now has Learned Behaviours as a result of illness initially causing the Behaviours. I believe Therapy is now a viable treatment option. (not that it hasn't been during her periods of being unaware) I often hear that mental health treatment through government and social services is covered. Has anyone any experience going the route they can share about getting services implemented?

[MomWithOCDSon]

Do you mean that you're hoping to find some therapy options that would be provided by way of government programs like Medicaid or KidsCare, as opposed to private treatment options that would be covered either by your own resources or perhaps private insurance?

 

I will say that, unfortunately, I think good therapists can be hard to find, and because they tend to be in demand, many of the better ones decline to participate in government-funded programs or even private insurance groups. All of our therapists over the years, we've had to pay out-of-pocket for and then submit for a level of reimbursement (generally pretty low because these providers are "out of network") from our insurance company.

 

The good news is, though, that, at least in our area, a number of local hospitals have more recently opened outpatient "behavioral health" programs that I understand accept both government-sponsored payment and a variety of insurance plans. So if you can find a behavioral health department/program in one of your local medical groups, that might be a good place to start.

 

One final caution I'd share, however, would be that, unless you're one of the truly lucky ones (living near a place like University of Southern Florida, for instance), a behavioral health program such as this is unlikely to be openly accepting of, or knowledgeable about, PANDAS/PANS, so you'll want to keep the big picture in mind. You're getting your PANDAS/PANS health treatment elsewhere, and this therapist or this therapy program, while it would be great if they had some knowledge, is focused upon helping you and your child build some tools and techniques for addressing the behaviors, rather than the underlying health concern. So I would expect and accept the therapists' expertise in that "behavioral" area, even if they're not completely on the same page in terms of the underlying cause. We've found we sometimes have had to compartmentalize in this way in order to cobble together the best available supports for our DS's progress.

 

Good luck!