Anyone had SPECT imaging brain scan for ADHD Bipolar Depression etc, like Amen Clinics &did insurance cover?

Question by Nani T: Anyone had SPECT imaging brain scan for ADHD Bipolar Depression etc, like Amen Clinics &did insurance cover?
Here’s my full question: Have you or anyone you know of had SPECT Brain Imaging at a specialty place, such as Amen Clinics, OR any other place that does this, for psychiatric evaluation of disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Depression, Bipolar, head trauma, Dementia, drugs/alcohol abuse, etc. and got the insurance company to pay all or part of the cost?

It is well over $ 3,000 and they make you pay up front, providing you with only a walk-out receipt for (possible) reimbursement from the insurance carrier. On the Amen Clinics website, it says that some insurance carriers will reimburse but not all. However, I have read some websites where some people said that their private health insurances don’t cover it and have yet to find anyone’s testimony on the internet saying that it was covered (except for one, whose doctor wrote a letter of necessity to the insurance company).

I’m 19 and don’t have insurance but am thinking about it in the future. I have had symptoms of ADHD as a child, teenager, and adult, as well as some depression and sadness as a teen (because I was emotionally abused at home by my aunt & uncle), and maybe a little bit of bipolar symptom (not the extreme mania or psychosis you might hear people do have). I also had a few epileptic seizures as a child and so far have taken Carbamazepine age 8-10 for that & Zoloft and then Lexapro (not together) when I was 16-18. I have not yet taken ADHD meds, but might in the near future when I begin seeing a psychiatrist again.

I haven’t been recommended yet for this treatment and I know it’s risky to choose it all on my own for insurance purposes without referral. Other than the example I gave above, can anyone tell me about their own and/or someone else’s experience and specifically what insurance plan type (HMO, PPO, etc) and carrier was used to reimburse for this, and how much of it they paid? Tell me what happened in detail to give me some clues, so I know if I can get this also.

Even if they didn’t reimburse, please feel free to share your story; every little bit helps. Thank you so much and sorry about this being so long 🙂

I have seen previous responses here but so far NONE of them provide the answers I need for my question. Now just to clarify, I have been on SEVERAL different treatment medications and NONE of them worked. ADHD stimulants are the only medicine my psych doctors haven’t prescribed to me yet because of other (slightly false) diagnoses of depression and even bipolar. I’m not directly planning on doing the SPECT scan anytime soon, only as a last resort. I know better than that‼ It may take up to 5 years or more before I ever start such a thing! The other issue I have is that I will do anything to prove if I have REAL ADHD because some psychiatrists are reluctant to give stimulants to adults *sometimes* because they think we might abuse them.
NO I am NOT trying to abuse anything; I just want to take it IF it’s found to be right for my condition. I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO TAKE ANYTHING‼ Even if I do get the ADHD stimulants, if that doesn’t work, then what am I gonna do? I would only want to do the scans to speed up the process if other treatments have failed. Please don’t tell me what not to do because I never I was going to do it right away. I may be young but I know better than to do something expensive and under-necessary. I just need my main question answered: HAS ANYONE HAD THE SPECT BRAIN SCAN DONE AND ALSO GOTTEN PRIVATE INSURANCE TO REIMBURSE YOU FOR IT??? One example is Amen Clinics that does this. No unsolicited mental health advice, please!! unless you have an answer to give and/or a story to tell me about your experience. Sorry, it’s just that I don’t want the entire page to be clogged with stuff I didn’t ask for. Thank you.
For example, blue_bipo2 is the only yahoo member at this time who has given me the type of answer I’m looking for, but I’m still not finished yet and may extend the answering period for my question if I need to.

Best answer:

Answer by dragonfly6816
What is your reason for wanting the scan? If it is just for diagnosis of ADHD, your doctor can diagnose with out a scan. I currently am taking Lexapro and Adderall XR for ADHD. And for insurance are you able to get medicaid or some government type insurance

What do you think? Answer below!