depression_now!

Check your state laws. In the state I practice in (PA) once you’re 14 you don’t need parental consent to start psychiatric medication. You would still have the issue of funding but one thing at a time, I guess

There is also no requirement for your parents to be notified if you pursue outpatient care.

Please note this only applies to the state of Pennsylvania. Other states vary and it is my understanding that Pennsylvania is abnormal compared to other states in the northeast in giving minors a somewhat significant amount of autonomy in terms of medical decision making for mental health, abortion, dental services, etc.

Also SUPER important to note because this is not always clearly explained: even if you are in PA and you discuss your situation with your provider to ensure they will not notify your parents there are some things that will compromise this:

PA has mandated reporting laws that are fairly strict. If you disclose physical or sexual abuse we are legally required to report it and cannot report anonymously. If your abuser is your parent they may find out that they were reported by some psychologist or whatever and do the math

If you’re on your parents insurance (highly likely) they will rat you out. The insurance company has legal and regulatory requirements to send a document called an explanation of benefits after every medical bill. This is not the actual bill but a cost breakdown explaining what the provider charged, what the insurance company paid, and what you as the subscriber were responsible for. As a result even if you intercept and pay every bill related to treatment they will still get these, either through mail or their patient portal. Depends on how thorough they are though, some people check these diligently and some people ignore them all. But the do identify who got a service, where the service was, and what the service was