I'm very depressed, and on medication. But I've been extremely upset the past couple days, and I'm having suicidal thoughts. I know about the hotlines, but I want to know about inpatient care.

I'm afraid of going because of the cost. If you just walk into the ER and ask to be admitted, I can't imagine it would be cheap. Does anyone have any experience with inpatient care? Or know approximate prices? (I'm in the US without health insurance)

(Also, I know cost shouldn't be a deterrent if I need to go. But humor me and please tell me.)

I'm sorry, I don't know the cost, which would vary wildly depending on where you live. But most, if not all, hospitals also offer free care for those who can't afford it, so you might qualify for that. Forgive me for assuming this; but I've found that most of the time when people don't have health insurance it's because it's too expensive. If you think you need to go, just go and they will help you apply for free care if you need to. I hope things get better for you.

There is absolutely no way any of us could tell you that. So much depends on how long you are there, what kind of treatment you receive, what hospital it is and what state you are in.

This info is based on an average length emergency mental health stay (3-6 days on average):

"The average cost of inpatient hospital stays for mental health or substance abuse disorders vary widely from state to state. The average cost of a mental health stay in the highest cost state ($13,300) was four times that in the lowest cost state ($2,900)." *

So without insurance, you're going to be somewhere within that spectrum just for a few days. My friend has no insurance and was billed over $80,000 for two weeks. She is still paying it off. The hospital paid $5000 of it out of a charity fund but she was left with the rest. The thing is, if you're seriously considering ending your life, go anyway. Your life is priceless and money comes and goes. There are payment plans for these things a lot of the time anyway.

Have you tried other types of mental health care? Most walk-in ER mental health stays are 5150s. That means they hold you 72hours, or till they think you are stable enough not to kill yourself (or someone else) and then you leave. You don't tend to get real therapy, one-on-one help or anything other than supervision and maybe medication. My experience with emergency mental health care is...depressing. If you already have a therapist, they can often get you a spot in a real treatment center where therapy and medication are given. Therapists often have ways of getting reduced-cost care for people too, or sliding-scale. Often walk-in ER mental health stays are costly, are are really meant for stabilization only. In my experience they offer one group session and an OT session every day at the most, so there is not much real one-on-one therapy. I am referencing my experience as a patient and as a health care worker.

Once again, let me stress that if you are truly going to act upon any suicidal thoughts, get yourself help no matter the cost.


* piperreport.com . . .

I work in a mental health facility. Our 5 day stabilization program is $4,725.00. However, we are a private facility and a bit higher than others in our area. We are also in Utah, which is probably lower than in other places in the country.

Go here:

findtreatment.samhsa.gov . . .

Pick your state, put in your zip code, and choose 'select services'. Choose 'Mental Health Services' and 'Sliding Fee Scale' and/or 'Payment Assistance'.

Or, go here:

store.samhsa.gov . . .

Same deal, you just can't specify facilities with payment assistance. You might have to call a few places, but it'd be worth it.

Worst comes to worst, walk in to the ER and have them recommend somewhere for you. Plenty of places will work out payment plans with you, and your life and health are more important than money. I hope you get the help you need soon.

~*~Punkgirl~*~

Long live punk rocK

I can't say how much inpatient care would be for depression, but I've been hospitalized for other medical problems and it's been at least $2,000 for 3 days. I don't know if that's helpful or not and like everyone said it'll vary from state to state and I'm sure it depends on why you're hospitalized.

It's a lot. Where I am is around $1000 per day, but I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country.

But someone at my current program pointed out that medical debt does not accrue interest. (I'm assuming this is true.) So you can take your time paying it off, even if you just throw $10 per month at it for the rest of your life.

If you have any other questions about anything, feel free to PM me. I don't care/won't tell who you are and I've been inpatient several times.

^The hospital I work for time stamps bills and expects a certain amount to be paid regularly. We have a collections office that calls and harasses people. I previously worked in medical billing and helped people figure out payment plans all the time.
I have a chronic illness and have been hospitalized numerous times. I've gotten bills with late fee after late fee after late fee (making a $6,000 bill into $6,400) in just a few months. You can't just pay $10 a month in my experience. It may be different elsewhere but I know that we report people to collections and people have lost their homes, cars, possessions caring for a chronically ill family member or just trying to pay back a single, large medical bill.

Look at programs and hospitals in your area and see if they do sliding scale or pro bono.

You have to pay SOMETHING each month. If you don't pay, of course you'll get charged. But everything is negotiable with the hospital. Most hospitals will allow payment plans with low monthly payments and no interest. Just depends on where you are.

Thanks for the replies. I'll check to see if there is a sliding scale somewhere, but chances are I won't do inpatient. I'm a student and I don't want to have debt because of this for a long time. And I know it would cause me so much anxiety that I don't know if I would benefit from being there.

If you are not safe outside of the hospital, GO TO THE HOSPITAL.

They might not admit you, but they'll set you up so that you'll have support systems and you're going to be safe.

Seriously. I've been there. If you're not okay and you know you need to go (and you'll know in your gut) then GO.

Everything will work out in the end, I promise.

Go try to get on medicaid, right away. Call the office before you go apply - all of the DHS offices around here have a certain day of the week where they will see people that day, and process your paperwork right away. Go, right then. Be the first person standing there when the door opens. You'll have to be able to prove your income (or lack thereof), where you live, and of course, who you are.

If you don't qualify for full medicaid coverage, alot of states have reduced cost coverage, where they'll cover most of the service, but you have to pay a little bit (on Michigan's plan, office co-pays are like $5 or something).

And qualifying is sometimes easier than you think. When my sister was in the hospital after her car accident, most of the hospital time was covered, but there was some amount of it that wasn't. The hospital got her on the kids insurance for the state, and that covered the rest of the time she spent in the hospital.

Once you do that, go right to the hospital.

I agree with the post about medicaid. Also, if you're serious about your feelings (and I believe you are), getting yourself to a hospital is the best chance you have for getting through. A little time away can do a great deal of good. I know one of our local hospitals is funded through Catholic Charities, and they work with you based on your ability to pay. If I'm correct, no hospital can turn you away based on your ability to pay if you're in serious condition (i.e. bleeding out, in active labor) and I would hope they would see suicidal threats as a serious condition (but seeing how the government doesn't recognize mental health issues as high priority, I could be wrong).

^I just want to point out that you must be pregnant, blind, disabled, or have children under 18 to qualify for medicaid. It may be that their definition of disabled is broad enough to include depression or anxiety in extreme cases, I'm not sure about that. Here's the link to their eligibility page: www.cms.gov . . .

To the OP: Best of luck. If you feel that you are a danger to yourself then don't worry about the cost because your life is worth so much more than any monetary amount.

anonymous wrote:

If I'm correct, no hospital can turn you away based on your ability to pay if you're in serious condition (i.e. bleeding out, in active labor) and I would hope they would see suicidal threats as a serious condition (but seeing how the government doesn't recognize mental health issues as high priority, I could be wrong).

If a patient is suicidal *enough*, they will be placed on a 5150 hold (72 hours) and placed in a psychiatric facility. Yes, there is a point that is considered "not suicidal enough." It's quite sad, actually. For example, being sad and depressed and actively seeking out help at an ER does not equal actively suicidal. Previous attempts of suicide in the past and being more depressed than usual does not equal suicidal at that moment.

OP - For a cheaper alternative to the ER (and a less demoralizing one), I'd recommend calling your local ER and seeing if they have any contacts for a voluntary walk-in treatment center. For example, in Los Angeles there is the Exodus Mental Health Urgent Care Center - www.exodusrecoveryinc.com . . . . It is a walk-in mental health urgent care facility that anyone can go to for help, thereby avoiding the horrible ER experience (and bill that comes with it).

Whatever it may cost, it will be worth your well-being and life.
Good luck

Thank you all. For caring.

I really appreciate the replies, and it's good to have this information for if/when I feel that way again. For the time being, I'm feeling somewhat better. I truly appreciate your support. I don't get much in real life. So thanks.