Cerebral is taking advantage of the mentally ill

I used the telehealth service "Cerebral" for a year. In fact, I'm still on a very limited plan until my current discount is out. The only reason I'm still giving them any of my money is because I adore my care counselor.

Before we get started, I'd just like to say that my experience is entirely my own, and Cerebral may be seriously helping some other people. I also am only using the Medication + Care Counseling Plan (starting at $85 a month).

There are other options that I cannot speak to, so I would recommend doing some research or talking to someone that has used a different plan if you're interested in Cerebral.

Reaching out for help

I've struggled with depression and social anxiety for a large portion of my life. I've ignored it, dealt with it in unhealthy ways, and self-medicated to a point. I really felt like I needed outside help, and therapy alone had been unhelpful before.

I found a deal that made the first month only $25, and I signed up right away. I met with my prescriber first, and she asked me maybe 10 questions and immediately prescribed me Sertraline. Our meeting was less than 15 minutes.

I left that meeting feeling confused and overwhelmed. Two days later I had a bottle of pills sitting in my bathroom cabinet that I was afraid to take.

The next week I met with my care counselor. She's been the best part of my experience. She quickly caught on to the fact that I had a habit of minimizing my own feelings and comparing myself to others. She's made it a point to remind me that my feelings are completely valid every time we've met for the last year. We've discussed serious issues, as well as some of my lighter problems. She's easy to open up to, and I know I can talk to her about anything. She also helped my anxiety about starting the meds.

I will say, the meds helped significantly. I wished I was spending more time with my care counselor, but I was definitely improving.

Increasing dosages

At the beginning of the year, my anxiety got the best of me. After a short exchange with my coordinator, I had a meeting scheduled with my prescriber that week. After a short conversation, she had no reservations increasing my dosage by 50% and prescribing an as needed med to take. She even offered a sleeping pill, but we decided together that I would try melatonin first.

After doing some of my own research, I realized that melatonin on a regular basis could be a problem for me. I really wish that she had brought that up, as well as discussed side effects of the meds she ACTUALLY prescribed to me. I've gotten more information from my pharmacist.

Since then, my prescriber has also offered increasing my dosage even more so, but I've turned that down.

Leaving Cerebral

Recently, I had my annual with my general practitioner and asked her to continue prescribing my meds. She had no issue doing so, and as always, wants me to check in if I need anything, whether that be an increase or decrease in dosage, or anything else (not medication related).

This was my first step in being able to get rid of Cerebral.

My second step was actually contacting their support to cancel. I was offered a discount to keep me to stay, and I was also offered through the cancellation process to continue with counseling only for $50 a month (vs the $85 I had been paying).

I decided to keep that for now, and the support representative assured me the discount would apply to that too. I shouldn't have believed that of course, as I've now been charged for both counseling and prescribing meds with the discount. To make it even better, it's been over a week since I contacted their customer service about the incorrect charge, and I have yet to hear back.

I recently spoke with my care counselor, and she's going to help to make sure that my plan switches over. If it wasn't for her, I would have cancelled without hesitating.

Cerebral may be doing more harm than good

Enough with my bitterness though. Let's how Cerebral is actually taking advantage of mentally ill people.

They advertise their company to be a low-cost counseling + medication option. While technically that is true, you get a 30 minute session once monthly with your care counselor and a meeting with your prescriber maybe every 2-3 months.

They also market their chat option, and while they do note upfront it's not a live chat, they do not make it clear that your counselor will probably never respond. It's use is more about your account, meetings, or help with the app. Your coordinator will be the person responding 9/10 of the time, not your counselor.

They also say they accept insurances. Now, I have Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is a fairly common insurance, and according to their website, they accept them in my state, HOWEVER, they don't. I've tried submitting it on my own, and I've worked with their support and also been turned down.

Cerebral also advertises affordable meds. However, if I did not have insurance, I would not be able to afford my months. For 3 months of my meds, it would cost over $130 without insurance. Insurance brings it down to under $10, which is incredible, but not everyone has access to insurance. I did use my own pharmacy, so I don't know how different it would be if I had gone through their pharmacy, but I was also encouraged to use my own pharmacy when I first met with my prescriber.

The biggest issue I have is how quick they are to prescribe meds, as well as increase doses. I really think that meeting with my care counselor before my prescriber would have been beneficial, and I wish that I had more time with my prescriber to discuss potential side effects.

The dangerous effect of Cerebral is getting people on these meds while they're getting discounted months, increasing doses without hesitation, and then assuming people will continue to pay $85 a month just to get their meds and meet with someone for 30 minutes. I had that income to spend, but not everyone does, and people going off of antidepressants on their own, without someone checking in, can be super dangerous.

Any Positives?

If you're having trouble getting on needed medications for your anxiety, depression, or ADHD, Cerebral doesn't hesitate to medicate you. It may be easier to then get a prescription from your primary physician.

They did write me an ESA (emotional support animal) letter for my dog. However, I didn't actually need one, and had just reached out to ask if it was something they would do (if I needed one in the future).

I lucked out with my amazing care counselor. I can't speak to any others, but I did get to choose from a few when I signed up, and I've never regretted that choice.

Final Thoughts

I could not recommend Cerebral to anyone and feel good about it. If you need meds, and you need them now, you can get them. But I would highly recommend (if you're able) going to your primary doctor to see about medications.

As for the counseling side, 30 minutes once a month is not enough to really dig into any issues, but it might be nice to talk to someone as you adjust to your meds.

I also really struggle with their customer service. They lured me in at the beginning with fast responses and discounts; however, over time all of that was gone. They may not have enough support people, but even so, no one deserves to have their concerns sit in an inbox for over a week with no response or solution.

Have you used Cerebral? Or any other telehealth services focused on your mental health? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Need help? Please don't hesitate to reach out to someone.

National Suicide Prevention Line: 800-273-8255