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My therapist has been trying to convince me to go into a DBT intensive outpatient program. I have been avoiding it because I am agoraphobic (I don't ever leave the house alone) and it's a hassle in terms of getting there. My disability attorney convinced me to do it because she said it would be very helpful for my case. I am scared though. Anyone have any experiences with IOP they want to share, good, bad, or ugly?

Hi there. I haven't posted on here for a while. But I badly need help and information. I'm moving to the US, arriving on May 14th in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I will be living with my partner and will be under an F2 visa - spouse. My partner is a graduate student in the University of Alabama. She has full coverage including mental health. Unfortunately, her dependents will not be covered so I need to buy an insurance for myself because I imagine it will be super expensive consulting with psychiatrists without coverage. I have Bipolar II and ADHD. So far, I am doing okay on my meds so mostly I just need to consult to get prescriptions regularly. I can only bring up to 3 months supply of meds or the TSA will be very suspicious what I'm going to do with them. And of course, unavoidable circumstances might happen so it's better to be covered. The visitor insurance I've been looking at online from different companies all DON'T cover preexisting conditions. The problem is I have also been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovaries. So I'm really going to bleed a huge amount of money consulting with doctors if I don't find a health insurance that would cover outpatient and preexisting conditions. Take note that I will not have an SSN because I am only on F2 - a dependent of an F1 (student). So I am not eligible for most compliant health plans. What I'm looking at are visitor insurance plans. There is one company, Cigna which provided me with a quote of a compliant health plan (that is for visitors) but it's amounting to almost $200 a month. I don't think it even includes outpatient care. Another company is offering about $600 a month! That's insane. I won't be able to afford more than $100 monthly, $200 maybe if really no choice maybe I can push my budget a little bit. I'd like to point out that my visa is not valid for working in the US so I will not have a job when I get there. I will have income from my online business but it's not a lot of money. My partner can cover most of our expenses but will be very limited to pay for all my health needs. Can somebody please help me with some information on what I can get? What alternatives do I have and is it really THAT expensive? Also, if I end up getting an insurance that does not cover outpatient care and preexisting conditions - could you please give me an idea how much I have to spend per consultation to a psychiatrist to get meds and all, without insurance? If you know how much endocrinologists or cardiologists charge (for my diabetes) that would be great also. And how much are meds typically? I haven't updated my signature but right now I am on - Lamical and Solian (Amisulpride), and as needed Xanor and Ritalin. Thank you so much! Looking forward to your informative responses.

I'm working on a teaching career, primary and secondary, in the USA. I'm pretty functional now that I'm on stimulants, otherwise I'm a mess. I'm in a program where I volunteer full time in a school as a tutor, in order to get experience to go into a residency which will get me my license. There is almost a complete masters degree worth of classes I'll be taking in the process. I haven't disclosed to anybody in my program. Any thoughts?