The price of happiness

Money doesn’t buy happiness

We all know that saying. It’s said so many times when we can’t afford the latest model of phone, that “freaking amazing game that came out last week”, the tickets to the next Ed Sheeran concert or whatever. But from a medical and clinical psychological point of view, I don’t think that’s the case.

I was calling up the psychology clinic I usually call the other week. This was after mustering every last bit of energy and pushing down every bit of doubt I had towards getting help. These clinics are the free ones where even though they don’t have free psychologists, they have free counselling services. Unfortunately, because of this, waiting lists are up to 4 weeks long. As you can imagine, this doesn’t work for someone with mental health issues on the verge of breaking down. For me to get a more permanent solution…or instantaneous rather. I need to pay around $40 per session.

Now, this doesn’t seem like a lot. But honestly. This is a lot more than the nothing I originally had to pay. I’m lucky in the fact that on top of this I don’t need to pay for drugs, and a psychiatrist, and various other treatments that cost a heck of a lot more.

I was discussing this with my boyfriend, and telling him that I probably can’t afford it. He didn’t quite get why I needed it exactly, until I reminded him about the mental break down with him around. He then very jokingly said “I thought that money couldn’t buy happiness”. I, so very well, wish that wasn’t the case. No amount of physical possession will ever make any one happy. But this being said, apparently when you need medical help, your mental health becomes an extra. Since when was your brain and mental health not a priority? I guess it’s got to do with that stigma thing. The fact that no one particular wants to talk about stuff they don’t understand.

I was watching a BuzzFeed video about pills and stuff. I don’t mean like recreational drugs, I mean medications.

Jeez, this is getting expensive. What is the price of happiness? When my insurance wouldn’t this medication, I got changed to this medication.

Okay. So I’m a strong believer in buying generic brands. But when it comes to trying to change hormones and chemicals.. and medicating such a temperamental part of the body, I am weary. It felt like in this case, she was given a completely different pill and multiple different types of pills.

What is the price of happiness?

Well according to some it’s about $20 a month. For people on health care card it’s closer to $6. I don’t even want to think about the other various therapies that people go through and how much that would cost without benefits.

Then there’s the time involved. Oh. Dear. God. Time. Man, I sometimes feel like I don’t even have time to sleep and eat. What the hell makes you think that I have time to travel to someone to pay to talk to them. Or taking time out of your day to go to the doctors to refill prescriptions and then go to the pharmacy. It really takes a section out of your day….

Okay, okay I’m over dramatizing it a bit. But for someone with depression, these things take a shit tonne of effort. Day to day tasks already feel like climbing Mt Everest, what makes you think that going out to a doctor and getting the necessary referrals would be any different?

So for me, money is a big thing. I’ve skipped meals because I didn’t think I deserved a meal because I thought I was spending too much. No matter how much the thing is, if I’m in that frame of mind, if I don’t feel it necessary I’ll usually contemplate getting it. Like I’ve stood in front of the fridge section at the shops and wondered “do I really need to get this discounted $3 pasta salad?” After not eating for 12 hours after a 7 hour shift. For me, medication has always been an after thought for me when it comes to mental health. Not just because of monetary value but also because of the effort it takes to get it, with no guarantee that it’ll legitimately help.

So whether you can actually put a price on happiness…I don’t know. I’ll leave that for you to decide. But I don’t think it’s completely out of the question that you can place a price on happiness when trying to treat the various types of mental illness.

Guys. I need your help. If you’re actually reading this, say hi! Suggest oher things I can write about. I need to make this more relatable.

Anyway that’s it from me!

K. Thx. Byee