Ask for Help, Carefully
Ask for help. Such a simple statement, but in the context of reaching out to mental health services for help, it’s quite complicated and daunting. Where I live, and on my disability income, my choices for services are limited to who takes Medicare, and out of that, who has openings, or what kind of waiting list I’ll be added to, and not about being able to search out styles or reputations of practitioners. So, what do I face if I’m struggling and take the suggestion to reach out for help? To aid in simplifying the answers, I’ll divide my response into three problematic aspects of mental health treatment. Did I say problematic? Yes. These three aspects are: 1) inpatient psychiatric hospitalization 2) medication 3) therapy If I call a crisis line or 911 or tell someone it’s really bad, I feel like ending it all, or I want to or have already hurt myself, I’ll likely be assessed for inpatient psychiatric treatment. If I say no, but the social worker or p