Referral for Coping with Health-Related Anxiety

shoshannah said:

Julia Turovsky, PhD. In Chatham.

orzabelle said:

I totally get it, OP. I am similar. I think, though, that this is just the kind of anxiety for people with great imaginations.

Anyone with anxiety as a specialty should be helpful, I think.

unfortunately, I don't think either Turovsky or Heckelman takes insurance. Why is that always the case? And these days, a lot of people have no out of network benefits, so no reimbursement

health related anxiety can be super hard to shake. Woody Allen has been famously disturbed by health anxiety for decades! (and think of all the help he has probably received, but also of course his morals are questionable and this may be the true cause of his distress). Of course you can learn ways of coping & decreasing the overall level of anxiety will help. Therapists often don't take insurance for the same reasons you dislike dealing with your insurance company (sometimes they do not pay, or they take forever to decide whether they will, etc). Also, the rate the companies pay the therapist is ridiculous, way below market value

"also of course his morals are questionable and this may be the true cause of his distress"

Um, say what?? This sounds suspiciously like the logic of those who say disasters like Hurricane Katrina strike areas that are famous for "immorality," or that bad things happen to gay people, or, or, or...

Regarding the fact that many therapists don't take insurance, they usually will provide receipts so you can send them to your insurance company yourself and claim reimbursement. I did that when I was getting help trying to adjust to the fact that I had become somewhat disabled about four years ago.

PeggyC said:
"also of course his morals are questionable and this may be the true cause of his distress"
Um, say what?? This sounds suspiciously like the logic of those who say disasters like Hurricane Katrina strike areas that are famous for "immorality," or that bad things happen to gay people, or, or, or...


Regarding the fact that many therapists don't take insurance, they usually will provide receipts so you can send them to your insurance company yourself and claim reimbursement. I did that when I was getting help trying to adjust to the fact that I had become somewhat disabled about four years ago.

many insurance plans don't have any out of network benefit......if a doc is not on my plan I cannot be reimbursed at all.

Just so you know, those of you who suffer from anxiety, your kids do pick it up. If you don't speak of it, they may not have words for the experiences and/or feelings, but kids are sponges. They do have some experience of it. It doesn't means that you are messing them up, we all affect our kids. But the anxiety does have some kind of effect.

Peggy C, not sure how you took my original statement but I meant not that Woody Allen has or deserves health issues (I of course have no idea what his actual health history looks like) but he is famous for his hypochondriasis (or excessive anxiety related to health). we all have some anxiety about health related issues, its the excess that can be difficult to manage and/ or can be pathological. Anxiety can be free floating (generalized) or attach itself to particular issues (i.e. phobias). Woody has questionable morals and MAY have some free floating anxiety related to his actions. Who knows?! I hope he does! But he has spoken about his health anxiety many times. In any case, therapy can ease the anxiety but therapists often cannot afford to operate solely with insurance as payee. And many insurance companies do not offer out of network benefits.

I developed a severe health-related anxiety, and it was greatly relieved when my internist started me on Zoloft. It was a lifesaver/game changer. When I made it to the psychiatrist a month later, he said that he would have started me on Paxil but since the Zoloft was working, he wasn't going to change it. He also was very pleased that the internist started me on medication rather than waiting for the psychiatrist to do it.

My personal opinion is that a good therapist, healthy diet/exercise, and medicine when appropriate is the best combination. I, however, was shocked at how quickly I benefited from medication. Not that I have a rosy point of view, but the extreme anxiety is gone.

I have this too. I did see Dr. Turovsky for help for a while. But my anxiety was so awful that I couldn't concentrate or focus on anything. I now take a small dose of Celexa and also see Dr. Beth Dorogusker who I find very helpful and calming. The Celexa has really changed my life. I can't believe how much brain space was spent on this anxiety. I almost have my life back!