My Mental Health Provider Left Me on Read

During the pandemic, I finally did something I'd been putting off for years — I established care with a primary care provider. What followed was a months-long battle to access the medication I needed, a psychiatric provider who stopped returning my calls, and a prior authorization process I had to fight through almost entirely on my own. And I did all of that while being on Medicaid, working in healthcare, and coming from a culture that never really made space for mental health in the first place.This episode is about what it actually takes to navigate a system that wasn't designed to make things easy. It's about the panic attacks I couldn't name, the moment a PHQ questionnaire cracked something open that I'd been carrying for years, and the first time I took Vyvanse and grieved everything I realized I could have had sooner.But it's also about what I learned on the other side of it — about self-advocacy, about showing up for yourself even when the system doesn't show up for you, and about why none of us should have to fight this hard just to get the care we need.Happy Mental Health May! Let's Have More Good Days Together 🧠 Mental Health America — Free Mental Health Screenings Free, confidential screenings for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more.🩺 Zocdoc — Find a Provider That Takes Your Insurance Search for licensed providers in your area and filter by insurance.☀️ The Skin Cancer Foundation Learn more about skin cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. 💚 BetterHelp — Online Therapy Get matched with a licensed therapist and get 10% off your first month. 🤖 Can You Trust AI for Health Advice? — Mayo Clinic A helpful guide on how to use AI tools safely when researching your health. 📱 How to Use Social Media Healthfully — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Research-backed guidance on navigating social media in a way that supports your wellbeing.📞 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline If you're struggling, help is available 24/7. Call or text 988 anytime.Send us Fan MailHeads Up: The conversations on Scrub Talk are meant to inform and inspire, not replace medical advice. The voices on this show — including mine — come with strong professional backgrounds and even stronger opinions. That doesn't mean anything you hear is medical guidance for your specific situation. Always talk to your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider about your own health. We're here to explore, not prescribe.