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Comment by omosubi | Hacker News Reader

What are good countries/societies that have good mental health systems? What does that even look like? Is this a uniquely American problem?

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Canada is better than United States from my experience of living in both countries.

I sought help with gender dysphoria in the United States. Ended up being drugged with antipsychotics, while stuck in a hospital for two months against my will and when I just wanted to start HRT. Doctor wrote untrue statements on my medical records and I couldn't find anyway to sue since I was a poor university student at the time. Almost resulted in suicide. Insurance was billed approximately $55,000

Now I'm in Canada and I'm suicidal from the past events in life but I can see a psychiatrist once a week. She doesn't recommend drugs and mostly just wants to talk with trying to improve my outlook. I'm trying to get death with dignity in Switzerland and got a positive evaluation from her after several months. Everything in Canada is covered since I was born in Canada (citizenship). I'm in Montréal and from what I've seen most doctors don't push prescription drugs compared to what I saw in United States (Michigan). Canada also has a phone number (similar to 911) but is a direct line to speak to a nurse or social worker for help. People here actually can get help concerning their health right away and not fear having to pay anything.

edit: I think the cost of the healthcare in the USA is why people that don't get help, end up mass shooting and mental health stigma is a result of people not being able to afford it; trying to rationalize it's for people really messed up (not them).

Thanks for documenting your story, appreciated reading through one of your blog posts and would recommend others to take a look.

You don't know me, and I don't know you, but I hope the words of a real person from a different country behind a keyboard help you at least get through your day, week, month or year.

Best of luck to you, friend. Whatever your endeavours, however you -truly- want things to be, I hope it goes the direction you plan.

Geez, sounds tough. You seem like a smart person, I think you'd be worth knowing.

I think the cost of healthcare has something to do with it, but surely the culprit is the gun culture that's everywhere you look the moment you leave big coastal cities. The culture that says - "feel threatened? Reach for your gun!"

Also, second what other people are saying - I'm so sorry you were hurt for so long. I hope that you stick around a while, continuing to advocate online for the trans community.

Oh please. Guns are no more the root of gun violence than BitTorrent is the root of digital piracy. Gun control is the cheap easy path to kudos and biscuits, where improving the mental health system is the long tiring hardwork nobody wants to do. Muslim examples in Europe have shown vehicles and knives to be just as effective.

Last but not least, if you vote away my hobby/toy, don't whine like a little piggy when I rally others to vote away your hobby/toy. Government is force which should be used sparingly and responsibly.

> Muslim examples

As you've almost spotted, the problem is one of radicalisation rather than either gun ownership per se or mental health. Other countries have guns. Other countries have people with depression or PTSD. Mass shootings in other countries are generally correctly labelled as terrorism. But people are unwilling to realise that the American mass shooting problem is one of terrorism.

Do you think the people driving trucks into people have no mental health issues?

Some of them, probably. But not necessarily all of them, and I don't think it's a necessary precondition. I've certainly not heard of very many suicide bombers or mass shooters that had diagnosed but unmanaged mental health conditions.

Is someone having political beliefs that they're willing to die/kill for a sign of mental illness?

> Is someone having political beliefs that they're willing to die/kill for a sign of mental illness?

I think you're making an assumption that this is what is happening. What do unsuccessful, captured suicide bombers say?

There are a few of these: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-conversation-wit...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/raza-rumi/an-interview-with-a...

Thanks! The first one isn't very relevant because it is the leader, who can say what he likes to indoctrinate anyone.

The second is incredibly interesting and seems very much like a brainwashing. I can see how an otherwise normal person can end up this way.

> Muslim examples in Europe have shown vehicles and knives to be just as effective

No they haven't. This is a bizarre misrepresentation of the scale of gun violence in the US, and obviously access to guns causes gun violence.

At least in the US:

    * Health-care is a cost center.
    * Denying Health-care is a profit center.
    * The populace has been conned in to believing it's an "insurance"
    * vvv

The population also mostly doesn't realize, at a logical level, that those without coverage still factor in to costs.

    * Increased suffering
    * Increased crime
    * Decreased GDP (both from less able workers and more broken windows)
    * Actual costs of care are passed along as inflated prices.

I would really like, and as long as there weren't other blockers would vote, for candidates that supported at least /basic/ healthcare for all. Profits to be had in line cutting during non-triage critical moments.

Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finnland, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands. Not sure about the other countries in Europe.

But honestly, every time I hear anything about the American healthcare system, I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry.

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