It's mental health awareness month!
- Locked due to inactivity on Jul 13, '22 3:54am
Thread Topic: It's mental health awareness month!
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My favorite month and I just realized it halfway through smh.
Anyways for mental health awareness month I wanted to post some FAQ about them and some links to help anyone who's struggling. -
can I get over mental health issues without medication?
The answer to this truly is that it depends. Research is ongoing in the mental health field with many professionals differing in their opinion on treatment. Research has begun to show that there are both environmental and physiological factors that may affect your mental health.
If your depression is caused by your external circumstances, medication may help you deal with the day to day but ultimately the only way to fix your depression will be to fix your external circumstances.
Conversly, if you find out your mental health is caused by biological differences in your brain chemistry then you might seek medication to help with your symptoms. As of right now, biological mental illnesses are considered chronic and medication is considered the best way to manage them, unless your phycologist says otherwise.
Most people have a combination of environmental and physical factors causing their problems. Your needs may vary a lot depending on what your symptoms and environment are like. If you're unsure of whether or not you need medication you should seek medical advice from a licensed professional. -
Why is it so hard to get medical coverage for mental health issues?
There's a few reasons why it's hard and I'll try to help make it easier for you!
Insurance companies often refuse to cover illnesses or conditions they believe to be preexisting. Insurance companies also sometimes feel that mental illness diagnoses are not accurate and will refuse to pay for them. Unfortunately, most insurance companies are primarily in the interest of making money and since mental health treatment is very expensive and also very commonly needed, they try to protect themselves from paying for it at all costs.
While there is legislation being worked on to help make it easier for people to get the help they need were not quite there yet. Here's some cheaper ways to help you get the help you need in the meantime, because everyone deserve to get the help they need.
Sliding Scale Therapists
-Sliding scale therapists are psychotherapists, psychologists, and social workers who adjust their hourly fee to help make therapy more affordable for the client. They will often base their rates off your income and there are even free options for some people.
If you think this sounds like something you might be interested in here's a link to a glossary of sliding scale therapists. You can filter search results to your region and pricing/speciality needs.
Free or low income mental health services
If you don’t have health insurance, and you can’t pay out of pocket for mental health care, low fee or free community mental health clinics can provide the care you need.
These clinics are staffed by psychotherapists and psychologists but often are able to expand their services through the use of student psychologists, student mental health counselors, and student social workers who are supervised by licensed, experienced professionals. Services are often provided at no cost or at a remarkably reduced rate.
Here's a link to help you find a low cost therapist near you.
Therapy apps
Therapy apps are a very modern invention to help make mental health care more accessible to people. Many of them are not free, with rates starting at about $60 a week, but it is good if you have a busy schedule or anxiety that makes in person visits hard.
Some therapy apps include Betterhelp and Talkspace.
If you're looking for a free mental health app, you could try apps like like Calm, Headspace, and Expectful. They can help with meditation, relaxation, and breathing exercises.
If you have ADHD or have a hard time remembering to take your meds it's also worth it to look into reminder apps or set alarms on your phone regularly. It can help you feel less anxious to know that there's something that'll help you remember things and stay on track if you forget. -
Support Groups
People experiencing eating disorders, postpartum depression, alcohol and substance use disorder, and grief or loss may benefit from attending a support group.
There are both local and online options depending on your needs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, online support groups have risen in popularity to keep patients safe.
Groups offer specific benefits that you might not find elsewhere like the ability to connect with others over similar experiences, the ability to receive active feedback and also a sense of community and safety while you work through your emotions.
Mental Health America lists support groups to help you find one that fits your needs.
Local Schools and Colleges
Most schools will have an therapist on hand and you can often go to them with any issues you may be having. They are often free and will try their best to keep your information confidential and get you additional support if you need it.
If you're in college, some colleges have licensed professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree who offer free, time-limited, short-term counseling. There are also many sliding scale therapists opportunities in universities across the world that are work looking into. -
Where are the best resources for suicide prevention
According to the National Institute of Mental Health on its website and is taken from: Conwell Y, Brent D, 90% of people who attempt suicide have a mental illness. Because of this the best resource you can have to prevent suicide is help.
As mentioned above, what that help looks like is different for every person but if you or a loved one is suspected to be dealing with ideation, you should start by reaching out to trusted loved ones to create a support network and begin to seek help.
A good place to start looking for information about suicide prevention is at the:
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) at www.sprc.org or by telephone at 877-438-7772.
Another resource is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org or by telephone at 800-273-8255.
Also check out the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) at www.afsp.org or.
If you don't feel safe talking to anyone in person or seeking external help there's a lot of online resources to help and support groups for people dealing with mental illnesses. -
There's a million other questions about mental health and if you have a specific one that wasn't answered, here's an link to an article with more questions and answers about mental health.
I hope this helps someone this month! Mental health awareness is very real and important. I know many people who committed suicide and it breaks my heart to think about how their life might be different if only they had access to the resources they need. Please reach out to someone if you are feeling unwell or know someone you think might need help. It's never too late.
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