Maya Hollister 
Sofia was twenty-nine, a graphic designer in Minneapolis, when her midwife noticed something during her 28-week prenatal visit. Sofia had been crying in the waiting room. She had lost weight that pregnancy week instead of gaining. She told the midwife she was fine, the pregnancy was wanted, the partner was supportive, and she was just … Read more
Diane was forty-four, a bookkeeper in Cleveland, when she got the call about her son Eli at 11:47pm on a Tuesday. He was twenty-two. He had used heroin in a parking lot behind a Dollar General with a friend, and the friend had recognised the blue lips and called 911 instead of running, which was … Read more
The Bill That Should Never Have Arrived You found a therapist. You verified that they accepted your insurance. You attended sessions for two months. You were finally making progress. Then the bill came. Not the usual 30copayyouexpected.Abillfor30copayyouexpected.Abillfor1,200. The insurance company denied every single claim. The reason code on the explanation of benefits read: “Service not medically … Read more
Diego Salazar’s mother had been calling Medicaid offices in Houston for ten days when she finally cried in the kitchen. Diego, 19, had returned from his first year of college with what the campus counseling center described as a major depressive episode and possible bipolar features. The family’s Medicaid coverage was through Texas STAR. Diego’s … Read more
The Wrong Therapist Can Make Things Worse You finally did it. After weeks of putting it off, you searched for mental health providers near meand booked an appointment. You sat in the waiting room. You filled out the intake forms. You sat across from a stranger and told them things you have never told anyone. And … Read more
Daniel Park did not call himself depressed. He called himself tired. The 29-year-old second-generation Korean-American software engineer in Seattle had been working through chronic neck pain, headaches, and a stomach that kept rejecting food for almost a year. His mother brought him soup and herbal teas. His father suggested he sleep more. His primary care … Read more
Rachel, a 41-year-old corporate attorney in Chicago, sat in her office at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday and realized she could not remember the last day she had felt anything other than tired. She had spent fifteen years climbing to senior associate at a top-fifty firm. Her billables were strong. Her reviews were excellent. Her … Read more
When Marcus Whitfield opened the denial letter at his kitchen table in Cincinnati, his hands shook so hard the paper rattled. Three weeks of intensive outpatient therapy for severe depression — denied. The reason cited by his employer’s Anthem-administered plan: “not medically necessary.” His therapist had warned him this might happen. What she did not … Read more
Hannah, a 41-year-old librarian in Madison, Wisconsin, walked into her psychiatrist’s office in February with a printout of a 2016 JAMA Psychiatry paper. She had read about the Charles Raison hyperthermia trial three times and wanted to know whether the local Finnish-style sauna at her gym counted as a reasonable substitute. Her depression had partially … Read more
Marcus had been drinking a fifth of vodka every night for six months when his wife in Boise issued the ultimatum. He expected a thirty-day rehab bill that would empty their savings. Instead, his primary care doctor sent him to a clinic on State Street that ran an outpatient detox program three blocks from his … Read more