Post by Dan on Feb 2, 2017 9:58:19 GMT -5
Here are the basics of the mental health care safety net. (Applicable for the US; might be helpful elsewhere as well.)
There are many organizations that provide emergency or ongoing support to those in crisis or stressed situations. If any of these apply to you, seek help immediately:
If under EXTREME and SUDDEN stress, don't hesitate to call 911. Hopefully your emergency dispatcher will not only send the police, but will also call the county crisis center to send folks actually trained in mental health crisis situations.
But you also need assistance if any of these less emergent situations exist:
But how to you find assistance? How do you find the right help?
1) If you (or anyone in your family) are already seeing a therapist or other mental health care professional, start there. Tell them what is going on, and ask for referrals. Likewise, ask your general practitioner/family doctor.
2) Most counties designate one of their hospitals as the central focal point for emergency mental health care needs. If you can find that hospital (by Googling), call them. If you can't call ANY local hospital, explain the situation. They'll either have the resources to help, OR they'll refer you to that county-wide crisis center.
When you first call, they will be doing a "triage": do they need to send a crisis team immediately to your location? Do they need to send a crisis team AND the police? Or will they recommend you to come in? Or refer you to other teams/resources/doctors/groups? Any of the above might apply.
3) There a great many facets to mental health care: substance abuse, marital/family matters, violence issues, developmental issues, and many other mental health conditions. There are a plethora of professional and self-help resources. One national organization is kind of a clearinghouse for all of them; a loose association of associations. It is called the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. See www.nami.org/. Contact your local NAMI chapter, spell out your situation, and they will let you know who in the area does what.
4) Your health plan: if you have medical insurance, you probably have SOME coverage for mental health care. Call your insurance company; see who is in the plan. Make some calls. Schedule an initial consultation with one or two.
5) Your employer: in additional to your insurance benefits, your employer may offer something called "EAP", Employee Assistance Program. This will vary from one employer to the next, but the basic idea is help when you need it for a sudden emotional crisis of any sort: death of a family member, for example. The EAP program may or may not have the same mental health providers as your "regular" insurance plan. It may be capped at something like five visits. How do you find out if you have this? Look at your benefits information, or call your HR department and ask if your company provides EAP.
6) Other trusted sources. If you trust your pastor, that is a possible resource. (Do this only if it is right for you and you feel you won't be judged or cajoled to follow the party line: many contemplating divorce or just struggling with sexual incompatibility may not feel comfortable discussing it with religious personnel.) If you have a trusted friend who perhaps has used therapy himself/herself, consider asking for a referral.
Three more important tips to keep in mind:
1) All these steps are applicable if YOU feel you are in a mental health crisis (or on the verge), OR if you have a family member in that situation. For example, a good portion of NAMI's resources are for caregivers of those with mental health challenges.
2) While we'd like everyone of the resources listed above to know every other resource, IT JUST ISN'T SO. If the crisis center refers you to one group, good. But don't stop there: the crisis center may not know that a private therapist in your area also runs a support group that you could benefit from. Likewise, you health plan probably doesn't know if you have EAP; your current therapist might not know all the resources that NAMI does. Keep looking: you may need multiple levels of support. (If you have kids, they might need support too.)
3) No mental health care is "one size fits all". Any one therapist, or group-based support, might suit you. If you find them on your first try, great! But not all will. You feel you therapist is not "getting you"? If you even have a shadow of a doubt you are probably right: find another therapist! You attended group-based help and the people there really didn't have the same problems as you? Fine. Don't give up on group help, find another group!
You are on a quest to find the emotional/spiritual/physical support you need. Plan to TURN OVER MANY STONES in your quest to find what you need.
There are many organizations that provide emergency or ongoing support to those in crisis or stressed situations. If any of these apply to you, seek help immediately:
- You are in a relationship that is physically abusive, or you or your loved ones are in danger of physical assault.
- You are having ANY thoughts of self-harm, or harming others.
- There may be other signs...
If under EXTREME and SUDDEN stress, don't hesitate to call 911. Hopefully your emergency dispatcher will not only send the police, but will also call the county crisis center to send folks actually trained in mental health crisis situations.
But you also need assistance if any of these less emergent situations exist:
- You are in a relationship that is emotionally abusive. (If you feel like you are constantly "tiptoeing" around the relationship, or a "prisoner in your own home", the applies to you!)
- You are depressed to the point where you can't get out of bed; or it is affecting your job performance or interfering with your responsibilities as a parent.
- You have any concerns that your relationship may become physically abusive.
- You don't feel financially secure; your partner has control over your financial well-being (controlling accounts; locking you out; or a gambler, etc.)
- You really want to talk about your stuff; you are tired of hiding it; you feel uncomfortable discussing it with friends/family, or you have and got a cold shoulder or you are concerned you are over-taxing them with your problems.
- There may be other signs...
But how to you find assistance? How do you find the right help?
1) If you (or anyone in your family) are already seeing a therapist or other mental health care professional, start there. Tell them what is going on, and ask for referrals. Likewise, ask your general practitioner/family doctor.
2) Most counties designate one of their hospitals as the central focal point for emergency mental health care needs. If you can find that hospital (by Googling), call them. If you can't call ANY local hospital, explain the situation. They'll either have the resources to help, OR they'll refer you to that county-wide crisis center.
When you first call, they will be doing a "triage": do they need to send a crisis team immediately to your location? Do they need to send a crisis team AND the police? Or will they recommend you to come in? Or refer you to other teams/resources/doctors/groups? Any of the above might apply.
3) There a great many facets to mental health care: substance abuse, marital/family matters, violence issues, developmental issues, and many other mental health conditions. There are a plethora of professional and self-help resources. One national organization is kind of a clearinghouse for all of them; a loose association of associations. It is called the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. See www.nami.org/. Contact your local NAMI chapter, spell out your situation, and they will let you know who in the area does what.
4) Your health plan: if you have medical insurance, you probably have SOME coverage for mental health care. Call your insurance company; see who is in the plan. Make some calls. Schedule an initial consultation with one or two.
5) Your employer: in additional to your insurance benefits, your employer may offer something called "EAP", Employee Assistance Program. This will vary from one employer to the next, but the basic idea is help when you need it for a sudden emotional crisis of any sort: death of a family member, for example. The EAP program may or may not have the same mental health providers as your "regular" insurance plan. It may be capped at something like five visits. How do you find out if you have this? Look at your benefits information, or call your HR department and ask if your company provides EAP.
6) Other trusted sources. If you trust your pastor, that is a possible resource. (Do this only if it is right for you and you feel you won't be judged or cajoled to follow the party line: many contemplating divorce or just struggling with sexual incompatibility may not feel comfortable discussing it with religious personnel.) If you have a trusted friend who perhaps has used therapy himself/herself, consider asking for a referral.
Three more important tips to keep in mind:
1) All these steps are applicable if YOU feel you are in a mental health crisis (or on the verge), OR if you have a family member in that situation. For example, a good portion of NAMI's resources are for caregivers of those with mental health challenges.
2) While we'd like everyone of the resources listed above to know every other resource, IT JUST ISN'T SO. If the crisis center refers you to one group, good. But don't stop there: the crisis center may not know that a private therapist in your area also runs a support group that you could benefit from. Likewise, you health plan probably doesn't know if you have EAP; your current therapist might not know all the resources that NAMI does. Keep looking: you may need multiple levels of support. (If you have kids, they might need support too.)
3) No mental health care is "one size fits all". Any one therapist, or group-based support, might suit you. If you find them on your first try, great! But not all will. You feel you therapist is not "getting you"? If you even have a shadow of a doubt you are probably right: find another therapist! You attended group-based help and the people there really didn't have the same problems as you? Fine. Don't give up on group help, find another group!
You are on a quest to find the emotional/spiritual/physical support you need. Plan to TURN OVER MANY STONES in your quest to find what you need.
