How to Get Help for Depression (Without Raising Your Insurance Rates)

by Nathan Barnes Content Writer

It’s not unusual for a person suffering from a mental illness to be concerned about whether or not their insurance provider will cover them. Purchasing life insurance with depression may be a particularly difficult task since severe episodes of depression can be viewed as risky by insurance companies.

Having a mental illness can cause your insurance provider to raise your premium rates, and many can’t afford that. The one thing that has grown increasingly prevalent but is still under-discussed is how even small episodes of mental illness can interfere with your daily activities.

You shouldn’t fear seeking help for your illness because you’re afraid your insurance rate will increase. Below we will discuss where to get treatment and treatment alternatives.

How Depression Affects Life Insurance

Unfortunately, obtaining life insurance coverage might be difficult. Depression does not automatically preclude you from purchasing life insurance, but it will be a challenge.

Although not all life insurance companies regard mental health concerns negatively, people who are depressed are covered by life insurance companies every day. Many insurance companies will refuse to cover you if you have a history of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-harm, or other pre-existing illnesses.

Those with milder symptoms of depression and no other types of mental health disorders have a better chance of being accepted for life insurance coverage.

The way you manage your depression also has a big impact on whether you qualify for life insurance. For example, if your depression is caused by a lack of sleep or working too much, you can work to keep it in check by following a more healthy lifestyle. You’re more likely to be covered than someone who relies on a range of medicines.

An insurance underwriter may ask various questions about your illness to determine how severe it is and if having it will affect how long you live.

Life Insurance Rates When You Have Depression

In many cases, depression without other issues or symptoms, or mild to moderate depression, may not affect your underwriting class. An underwriting class is a group of people who have similar characteristics that affect their rates.

When depression or another mental illness comes into conflict with school or work, or if you've had a lot of medication changes, you may have to pay a higher premium.

Nevertheless, you may be ineligible for basic coverage in extreme cases when your depression makes it impossible for you to live a healthy life.

It is difficult to provide precise policy rate estimates since each person's level of suffering differs and each business assesses the risks differently. But failing to disclose your disease is the one element that can definitely exclude coverage.

The rate increases that go with depression are why some people fear getting treatment. They don’t want the illness to show on their medical history, ruining their chance of getting life insurance or having to pay a high premium because of it.

Alternative Depression Treatments

When you work with a medical professional to treat your depressive episode, they are required to update your medical file. If you don’t want your mental illness to be included in your medical file, you can try an alternative depression treatment to manage and diminish the symptoms of the mental illness.

Stress Reduction Through Expressive Arts and Painting

Art therapy is a type of therapy that employs art materials and the creative process to explore emotions, boost self-esteem, alleviate anxiety, and treat any other psychological issues that a person may be suffering.

This type of treatment is a specific field of mental health that may be worked through with or without a professional’s help.

Therapists and other emotional and mental professionals can offer advice on how to deal with anxiety, but being that they’re medical professionals who will update your medical file, you may try to avoid seeing them.

If you don't have access to a therapist, this is a safe option you may attempt on your own. Creating art may help you get things off your mind and leave you feeling relaxed. Art both psychologically and physically distracts you.

Furthermore, this is a type of self-care. Massages, pedicures, and manicures are not the only forms of self-care. It includes anything that centers on taking care of oneself. It entails devoting time to your body and mind while not caring about anything else.

Yoga Therapy and Dance Therapy for Depression

Yoga and dance therapy are a form of self-care just as art therapy is. When yoga and dance are taught with mindfulness at the heart of their teachings, they provide great advantages. Yoga can help reduce impulsive behavior, enhance patience, and manage mental health issues.

When someone is under mental or physical stress, their body produces an excess of the stress hormone cortisol. Too much of that hormone causes an imbalance in the body, leading to sadness and anxiety. This causes a chain reaction that releases an inflammation-promoting chemical known as cytokines.

During high-stress circumstances, this chain reaction causes your body to ache. Yoga aids in the relaxation of the mind and the comfort of the body in order to de-stress and reduce the instances in which cortisol is generated.

Additionally, your physical health is improved by the consistent movements you have to make in yoga and dance. Participants in yoga and dance must transition in and out of stances, movements, and poses that strengthen their core muscles while increasing their coordination, strength, balance, and flexibility.

Physical movement benefits mental health by decreasing anxiety, sadness, and bad moods as well as boosting self-esteem and cognitive performance. Staying active and fit also helps with depressive symptoms including poor self-esteem and social withdrawal.

Keep in mind that these types of treatment alternatives may not be suitable for you since everyone is different. If it works for you, that's fantastic, but you don't have to limit yourself to just one type of treatment.

You can experiment with different treatments so that you always have a variety of alternatives when it comes to taking care of yourself.

Free or Inexpensive Counseling

In certain circumstances, a hormone imbalance or an underlying disease may make it difficult for treatments like art or dance therapy to help you. If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or depression on a regular basis despite attempting various approaches to manage it, you should seek professional help.

Begin your search for a counselor at a school you are attending or are a graduate of. School counselors and psychologists may lend a sympathetic ear for free. They can help you assess your circumstances and, if necessary, link you to other resources in your area.

If your school counselor can’t help you, you will need to search more to determine how to get assistance. Other free or low-cost mental health care options to consider include:

Employee assistance programs (EAPs): These free programs allow trained therapists to assess patients for mental health issues and give short-term treatment. However, this advantage is not available to everyone. EAPs are administered via businesses, so you or your parents must work for a company that provides this sort of service.

Local mental health clinics and facilities: Since these organizations are supported by the federal and state governments, their fees are lower than those charged by a private therapist. Look for "mental health services" and the name of the county or city where you reside on the internet.

Private therapists: Request referrals from reliable friends and other adults, then contact to check if they provide a sliding cost scale (this means they charge based on how much you can afford to pay). If required, some psychologists will even provide complimentary services.

Universities and colleges: If your local institution provides graduate degrees in psychology or social work, students may be required to operate inexpensive or free clinics as part of the school curriculum.

You may have to demonstrate the financial necessity to qualify for low-cost services. If you still live at home, you might need to bring your parents or guardians in on the process. However, your therapist will keep everything private from them.

Unfortunately, speaking to a therapist may lead to a higher premium for your life insurance. Nevertheless, it is worth it if your depression has been hard to manage on your own.

About the Author

Imani Francies writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, QuickQuote.com. She is passionate about helping her readers find affordable, trustworthy help for both physical and mental illnesses.