Urgent Hardship After Medical Crisis

A year ago, I had a severe medical emergency caused by a dangerous interaction between stimulant and SSRI medications prescribed by my primary care doctor. These triggered me to experience psychosis and began my mental health crisis. I reached out for help, got into therapy, and was diagnosed with Bipolar I, Major Depressive Disorder, ADHD, severe OCD, and Complex PTSD.

I later learned that the combination of medications I had been taking for a year is known to be potentially fatal for individuals with bipolar disorder due to its ability to induce psychotic mania. This experience was terrifying and deeply traumatic, and soon after starting therapy, I was placed on a long-term medical leave because I admitted to being suicidal with intentions and active plans to end my life.

Out of shame and fear, I didn’t tell anyone how bad things had gotten. Disability payments were delayed for months, and during that time we drained our savings, maxed out credit cards, and took out cash advances just to cover the basics. We thought it would be temporary, but things snowballed. Our car payments fell behind, and while mine had flexible options, my husband's did not, and his car was repossessed. We’ve tried liquidating what we can, and looked into loans and debt management programs but we’re still barely treading water.

I was in an intensive outpatient program but had to stop due to a $100/week copay I couldn’t afford. My medical bills are now in collections, and have been on a waitlist for a new provider. Navigating all of this while unmedicated and untreated has made everything harder.

We’re now facing an urgent deadline to recover our second vehicle, which is essential to keep working and rebuilding. I’ve held off asking for help because this is deeply personal and painful to share... But we’re at the point where we can’t do it alone anymore.

If you’re able to contribute, it means more than I can ever express, and if you're someone who prefers to loan rather than donate, I would be happy to work out a repayment plan once I’m back on my feet.

Thank you taking the time to read this and for any support you're able to give whether that's financial, or just sharing this with others who might be able to assist us.