Getting help, a lottery

This is something that bugs me a lot and I just have to put it out there, like a Tuesday rant if you like. There is a huge difference when it comes to getting help for mental problems as opposed to physical ones. You can have an appointment at the doctor's office the same day as you call them if you need prescriptions or having tests done. Doctors know pretty much the same as the next doctor and are available in cities and most small villages. 

The available, or unavailable rather, help for mental problems makes me mad. How easy it is to get in touch with a psychologist depends on where you live. You either have to spend time getting to and from the appointment or there is a long waiting list. I'm not trying to set up what's worst between x and y, but it clearly can't be healthy to wait a month or two for your first session. I'd say the difference in professionalism is bigger among psychologists/psychiatrists than regular doctors. It must've been a psychiatrist the person I saw ten years ago, when I lived at home. All I got out of it was prescription for medications and a date for the next appointment. In retrospect, that didn't help me one bit.

My experiences where I live now is the complete opposite. First I had six months or so at the therapist office available for students when I still studied. It's a low threshold kind of thing, so it's not meant to be for a longer period of time. But I had my first session within a few days from the day I called them. To be allowed to see a psychologist at the hospital's psychology department, your doctor has to send a recommendation/application for you. What happens next is that the psychologists review the applications and see who might need to get started. I don't think I waited that long, to be honest. 

My wish is that the psychology department at every hospital are funded well enough to expand the selection of help they're offering, and not needing to downsize. Sadly enough, money talks even within healthcare. Budgets demand that something's got to go, either the number of psychologists, bedposts for the admitted patients and so on. Healthcare is not a post on the budget where you can expect a positive number without making sacrifices for people like you and me. A negative number would to me mean more being done to help more people. Quality of life can't be measured in money.