Volume 17, No. 1, Winter 2009
By Dr. Shannon J. Scarry,
Medical Director, Division of Behavioral Health, Cape Cod Healthcare
In general, people are worried about the state of the economy, but I have not personally seen patients whose illness is causally related to the economy, except as they list it as another stressor in their lives. I’m concerned that there may be more and more patients who are losing their health insurance as a result of layoffs and will not be able to pay for appointments or for their medication. This could have a direct effect over time of making people more ill.
Actually, this problem is beginning to surface here, and we are trying to refer patients to pharmacies that have discount programs for generic medications. This may affect some patients clinically, as some people do not respond well to generic medications. We try to find medications that work, but it can be difficult. And, we cannot treat patients we cannot see.