This post is sponsored by Hers but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
"If you were to survey my friends and family to get a vibe for who I am and how I operate, there’s a significant chance you’d get some repeating adjectives like quick-witted, authentic, empathetic, generous, and dedicated. But (especially if you have a chance to chat with my mother) you’d also probably come across my other known, less-attractive status as a chronic procrastinator.
When it comes to my work life and my relationships, I have all of my affairs buttoned up with a plan B, C, and D to ensure success. But when it comes to my personal life (cleaning my apartment, renewing my passport, and staying on top of my appointments), I’m what I’d lovingly refer to as a walking dumpster fire. I don’t think many people were too surprised to hear that I essentially walked myself into a mental health debacle last spring after letting my Lexapro® prescription lapse as I got new insurance and had to hunt for a new healthcare provider.
Those few rough weeks in April 2022 were filled with a surplus of tears, helplessness that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, sleepless nights due to racing thoughts, withdrawing from my relationships, and feeling like simple tasks were impossible. I was simply the poster child for anxiety and depression and, if you’ve ever been that low, you know that finding help when you’re in the trenches can feel Olympic-level difficult. When I came up for air enough to mobilize my resources, I fumbled my way through finding an insurance-approved provider, only to find that their next available appointment was… two months out.
After I got settled, I found out about Hers mental health care services and did the biggest facepalm of my life. You mean I could have skipped the trauma of waiting weeks for help and had quick access to a medical provider, mental health meds, therapy, and a glimmer of hope without insurance? After some research, I found it wasn’t too good to be true. Now, here’s why I recommend Hers to everyone I know:
Hers
After taking a 10-minute, user-friendly health assessment, you can get connected to a provider who can prescribe you doctor-trusted medications and ongoing support—without the markups or hassle.
1. Get connected to a provider in 12 to 48 hours
When I was going through it, the last thing I wanted to be doing was calling all over town to get set up with therapy and a doctor who accepted my insurance. I wasted hours of my day tearfully calling offices only to encounter dead ends. I could put money on a response being A) “sure, we have appointments five weeks from now” or B) “oh, we actually don’t accept your insurance, that Blue Cross Blue Shield directory is wrong.” And in my very, very fragile state, each impasse sent me into an absolute spiral that took hours to recover from.
Hers saves you time and effort by putting mental health care at your fingertips—literally. Their intake process takes a mere 10 minutes and is free and user-friendly—hard to come by in the world of mental healthcare. It’s an assessment simple enough to navigate through wet eyes on two hours of sleep and, within 12 to 48 hours*, you can get connected to a licensed healthcare provider who will review your responses and recommend treatment, if appropriate.
2. Find a personalized treatment plan without the hassle
When I’m in a rut or feeling helpless, sometimes I just need someone to tell me what I need to help me get back on track. The mental load of making a plan can feel daunting, so it’s relieving to know that Hers connects you with a treatment plan to help you kickstart your healing process.
Once you get connected with a provider, they’re able to set you up with a personalized starter plan and ongoing care (yay for unlimited mental health check-ins!) which is huge because, when it comes to taking care of your mental health, consistency is key. Because their assessment gets down to the nitty-gritty of what you need, your care team can set you up with medication and provide dosage adjustments, if needed.
Graphics by: Kirra Wallace
3. Skip the pharmacy and get mental health meds delivered straight to your door
If your treatment plan includes getting set up with medication for anxiety and depression, you’re in luck because Hers also helps you get access to best-in-class, doctor-trusted medication, without brand-name markups. In the heat of my depression and anxiety, I knew that I needed to get back on my Lexapro® which happens to be the trade name of one of the meds that Hers offers (alongside other generic versions of Cymbalta®, Prozac®, and Celexa®).
And if the convenience of getting prescribed 100 percent online wasn’t a sign of relief, the free shipping and discreet packaging would be. If you don’t want anyone to know you’re getting a little extra help from a med, you shouldn’t have to.
4. No insurance? No problem.
Part of what sent me for a loop as I struggled for months to get mental healthcare was the insurance piece. Finding a provider outside of insurance can cost an arm and a leg but going through the more formal process of getting your insurance information, finding any provider (let alone one you actually like), and getting an appointment on the books to get meds is a real doozy and honestly, kind of medieval. A lot could have happened in the two months that I struggled to get help and I’m fortunate to have held on for that subpar evaluation that finally connected me with my medication. Me? Bitter? Never!
With Hers, you don’t need insurance—in fact, they don’t even offer insurance coverage. That means that everyone gets meds for the same price no matter where you work, who you know, or where you live, which is a breath of fresh air.
Hers
After taking a 10-minute, user-friendly health assessment, you can get connected to a provider who can prescribe you doctor-trusted medications and ongoing support—without the markups or hassle.
The verdict:
Hers takes the legwork out of getting help and with their ability to connect you quickly to a provider and send medication for anxiety and depression right to your door. They absolutely knock it out of the park in my book. Since learning about how user-friendly and accessible Hers services are, I always recommend them to my friends and family if they’re feeling like I was back in April of 2022. Life is hard enough—getting help shouldn’t be.
*On average. Actual appointment times vary by state and individual patient. Between 5/30/22 and 5/29/23, providers providing psychiatric care on the Hims & Hers platform were scheduled for appointments within 12 to 48 hours after intake form submission.
This post is sponsored by Hers but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.