Illustration of people sitting and standing

New here?

Chat with other people who 'Get it'

with health professionals in the background to make sure everything is safe and supportive.

Register

Have an account?
Login

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Looking after ourselves

BlueBay
Senior Contributor

BPD and DBT course

Hi Everyone 

i know a few of you have BPD but not sure if you all have done the DBT course or not. I know @Zoe7 is currently doing the course. 

The mental health system really gets on my nerves and frustrates me. 

Today I was told I could do the DBT course but my private health fund won’t cover the individual therapist session. It would only cover the group. And that I would need to pay $190 each time. 

This is where it’s so ridiculous. You need to have the individual session to discuss how you’re going in the group sessions. I can’t understand the mentality of the private health funds that don’t cover this. 

Its made me really angry and frustrated because I csnt afford this money and I was going to make a big commitment to do DBT. It is over an hour drive to the major hospital and I would need to go twice a week. One day for group the other for individual. 

So I guess I can’t do this program. I am seeing my psych next Tuesday but there’s really nothing he can do. 

I just get so angry because I wanted to take the step of getting better but now I can’t. 

Have people on here had trouble with their private health fund and what they can claim. 

10 REPLIES 10

Re: BPD and DBT course

This totally sucks for you @BlueBay I don't understand the system either - you are trying to do something very pro-active to help yourself but again it comes down to money and what most people cannot afford. My private health does cover both the DBT and pdoc sessions as long as they are done on the same day and I then am covered for a half day as an inpatient - anymore than a half day I wouldn't have been covered for - I suppose it depends on which private health fund and cover you have. So sorry you are not able to do this because of money - it really is unfair as I think DBT would be a great fit for you.

Re: BPD and DBT course

@Zoe7 And this is private health funds. Imagine how many people don’t have health funds. What do they do? There needs to be more hospitals or centres that offer DBT free or under Medicare. It would help so many. 

@utopia did you do DBT? I can’t  remember. 

Re: BPD and DBT course

Totally agree @BlueBay Smiley Frustrated

Re: BPD and DBT course

No DBT isn't the right program for me.

All I've done is the little introduction groups on subjects when I'm an inpatient in a private hospital. I don't think they offer any groups in public hospitals.

I got the EMDR therapy through a private psychologist. That was paid by workcover.

When my current psychiatrist and the private hospital both wrote to WC about me benefitting from a Case Management follow up - that the hospital run in Melbourne and the suburbs, and were just starting to run near the big town near me - Workcover rejected it twice. Then they approved the Mind Program to have my Case Manager through, becjause they were a lot cheaper. But not as good.

Public hospitals still don't offer EMDR therapy for patients with PTSD, even though it is the number one recommended treatment for PTSD in Australia. lol, Because public hospitals only take patients in when they are in serious crisis, and ony normally for a few days. They send you home and expect you to do ay therapy with your psychologist or treating time. But in the public system, this is the local community mental health team, who again (due to workload) sometimes only take crisis management. So you really just end up taking your meds and trying to survive.

Anything that I or my psychiatrist or psychologist recommend I need, has to go through WorkCover. They don't even make it easy when I'm suicidal and need hospital admittance. They have said no before and my mum interveined one time and my lawyers another time.There are absolutely no groups that I can attend in regional Victoria. Non offered in the large towns. And public transport can't get me to Melbourne on time to do the programs there. Because we only have 2 trains a day to Melbourne and 2 home again.

So I struggle and then end up in hospital again, which costs WorkCover a helll of a lot more money than me doing groups.

Re: BPD and DBT course

Hi everyone 

just wanted to mention that “Spectrum” are a service to support people living with BPD. They run community education events too. You can find out more on their website. 

BB 

 

Re: BPD and DBT course

I’m so pissed off right now. I rang yesterday a clinic that does DBT and the lady I spoke to gave me all the info. I emailed my psych to say can he write me a referral and send to this clinic. 

I needed to ring the clinic again to find out the fax number and contact name. I spoke to a guy who told me the course is only for people who are through the public system and nit private like me. Because I have a private psych I csnt attrnd. It’s so frustrating. I told him that’s nit the information given to me the day before. He apologised and said they had given me wrong information. 

So now there’s nowhere I can go. 

Wish there was somewhere I could go that didn’t cost a fortune. 

 

Re: BPD and DBT course

Sorry to hear about your experience with the clinic today @BlueBay - how frustrating to have been given conflicting information. There can be great programs available through the public system, but they can be difficult to access and waiting lists can be long. Has your psych been able to suggest any other programs, public or private?

Re: BPD and DBT course

Hi @Acacia there is Another private clinic but my health fund only covers the group therapy but not the individual session. I would be out of pocket $190 weekly and I csnt affird that. 

I need to do this course but there’s not much around and what there is is so expensive. 

The mental health system stinks. 

It doesn’t help the ones that aren’t financially stable. 

Re: BPD and DBT course

I can relate @BlueBay - not to DBT specifically but I can’t afford therapy either. In past years when less well I was in the public system but really all it did was keep me alive (obviously important but limited). I can’t afford private extras so now I have nothing except meds from my GP. You’re right, the mental health system is ducked.

Illustration of people sitting and standing

New here?

Chat with other people who 'Get it'

with health professionals in the background to make sure everything is safe and supportive.

Register

Have an account?
Login

For urgent assistance

Office Number:
Phone 03 9830 0566
Fax 03 9830 4793
Email: admin@arcvic.org.au

 

Location:

292 Canterbury Road Surrey Hills
Vic 3127 Melway Map 46 F11

Postal Address:

PO Box 367 Canterbury Vic 3126