Dear Editor,
My name is Brian Walter and I suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. I also suffer from depression, anxiety disorder, and PTSD.
My medical care is covered through Medicaid. I reapplied for AHCCCS in October. By November I got a notice that evidentiary requirements had changed thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill and I needed to submit different proof of income. None of their letters tell me what’s wrong with the proofs I’ve submitted. Every day I call the 1-800 number to find out why my application is stalled and what they need to move it forward. Every time, an automated phone system tells me there are so many people waiting ahead of me, I’m not even allowed to wait on hold. It just hangs up on me. And I call back the next day. And it’s been like this the last 7 weeks.
So now I’m panicking, mind racing through multiple “Plan Bs.” I qualify for Ryan White, but that doesn’t cover my mental health care. I slump into the waiting room’s corner. I feel screwed.
Because I have no insurance, I’m not able to get talk therapy for my depression or EMDR therapy for my PTSD at Mohave Mental Health, but that’s not even my first concern at the moment. I’m also not able to refill my prescriptions for psych meds until this mess is cleaned up. I’ve been warned that stopping these meds suddenly makes you real sick. Like the flu. Also I might kill myself, because that’s a side effect of the drugs too. You’re never supposed to stop taking it without a Doctor’s supervision, but what the hell else am I supposed to do? If I just take them, I’ll run out in a month and get sick anyway. Best I can do is look up online how to wean myself off the pills.
“Hey ChapGPT, my health insurance was canceled and I need to know how to come off my meds w/o getting sick.”
“You know that’s not safe, right Brian?”
Yeah, I know ChatGPT. I know.
The AI finds a Science article that suggests I take down my dose 5mg every two weeks, supplimenting it with talk therapy. Again, talk therapy is a no go. So the only thing I can do to mitigate my pain is to start cutting my dose.
This is medication I don’t want to stop taking. In the last year, I have seen more improvement to my mental health than I have in the last decade. It has been a long time coming, in fits and starts, with nothing but trial and error to figure out what is wrong with me.
Which brings me to Victor Grippi’s incredibly stupid letter Dec. 3, accusing JM of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. If you didn’t read it, I’m jealous of you, because Mr. Grippi can barely contain his snarky contempt for the mentally ill. “Help is available if I’m willing to ask for it?” Mr. Grippi couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve been begging for therapy for weeks and only reason I don’t get it is because of Republican policies.
If Republicans cared half as much about mental health as they pretend to, Charlie Kirk would still be alive today.
My name is Brian Walter. I suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, depression, anxiety, PTSD and I will not let you take my health care from me without a fight.
If you feel the same way, join us: mohavedistrict1vc@gmail.com
Brian WalterMohave Democrats, Dist.1 Vice Chair
