LifeStance Health
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Returned Patient
I just recently went back to Lifestance just last week. I was a patient back in 2023 for around six months, seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist. In 2023 I was trying different meds, as well as getting therapy. I tried several meds and got scared towards the end. I kept telling myself I didn’t need meds and to just get off, since it felt like they were making me worse. I ended up going off my meds for around two years and stopped therapy. I had my first appointment back with a different psychiatrist (by choice) last week. My new psychiatrist seems to be very understanding and gave me time to express any concerns I had. When asking questions she allowed me to explain some things in greater depth, rather than just answering yes or no. She seem extremely supportive and knowledgeable. She is gradually starting me on one med at a time since I’ve been sensitive to meds in the past. She has reassured me to reach out with any problems I may have before my next appointment. I have reached out once already and she responded promptly. I feel confident I have the right psychiatrist this time and I would like to start therapy again soon too. The only thing I don’t like about Lifestance is it’s very hard to get through to your local office where your psychiatrist is. I have been giving a phone number by two different people with Lifestance and when I call it just takes me to the main line. There are certain instances I would prefer to speak to the specific office my psychiatrist is at. Also, the day before my first appointment I had called billing to set up any payments to be automatically taken off my debit card. That way it is one less stress for me and one less thing to think about. Around 20 minutes before the next day before my first appointment, I got a text from Lifestance to verify my billing info and everything. For some reason it kept freezing and wouldn’t let me get through the process. So I had to call Lifestance and get them to do it over the phone. Then I got my link for the virtual appointment. The problem with this is I was already a nervous wreck and this added to it. I don’t like cutting things that close. What if when I called, I was on hold longer and ended up missing my appointment while waiting to speak with someone? Then I would have been out of luck and missed my appointment, setting my mental health further back. Granted, I got lucky and only had to hold around five minutes. I think to avoid the added stress and risk of someone missing an appointment, they should send that text verifying your payment info at least an hour before the appointment, if not the day before. I was confused about it anyways because I called to set up my card info the day before to avoid any of this and agreed to have the payments taken directly off my card. So I’m not sure what I needed to do it again the day of the appointment by text, which didn’t work. I don’t remember them doing this before back in 2023. I’m hoping that I’m not going to have to do this for every appointment because that is nerving. Other than that I really like Lifestance and the fact they got me in with someone so soon. It is very convenient being able to do virtual appoints, as well as in office. This makes it easier for patients that maybe don’t want to come out or if they have hectic schedules.