How to Find Mental Health Care While Social Distancing
All of us have mental health, and our wellness levels naturally change with the amounts of stress we’re trying to cope with throughout our lives. Right now, we’re all dealing with a lot.
The same public health experts with credible advice about how to handle coronavirus know how common mental health conditions really are, especially during the coronavirus response. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states more than half of us will be diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in life. One in five of us, including children, are dealing with a mental illness every year. So, you are not alone. We all know someone who’s coping with a mental health condition, and everyone needs help sometimes.
Whether you’re just starting to notice issues of anxiety, depression, substance use disorder or another mental health condition, or if you’ve been feeling like you could use some help for a while - now is the right time to find a professional therapist, and you have options.
To help you find the right psychiatrist, psychologist, substance use treatment specialist or a number of other trained therapists it may be best to get a referral from your primary health care provider or insurance provider. Regardless of whether you have a regular doctor, nurse, or insurance there are additional ways to find the right therapist.
The national Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is SAMHSA’s confidential and anonymous tool to find a mental health treatment facility near you. Just enter your address, city, or zip code to find help. If you or someone you know is dealing with intense cravings for drugs, alcohol or nicotine that affect other aspects of life, FindTreatment.gov can connect you with substance use disorder recovery options.
To talk to someone who can help you find the right kind of treatment for what you’re dealing with, call the SAMHSA’s National Helpline (aka the Treatment Referral Routing Service). Operators provide free, confidential information in English and Spanish to help you find the right local treatment facilities, as well as support groups and community-based organizations. Call: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of a serious mental illness, like psychosis, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and other conditions, there are treatments that can really help.
Mental health professionals know the earlier someone with a serious mental illness gets treatment, the more effective those treatments will be able to help people live full and happy lives, avoiding a potentially preventable crisis later. Be on the lookout for some of the symptoms listed in SAMHSA’s Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator that are more common with first episodes of psychosis:
Changes in perception (such as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that is not real)
Changes with thinking (such as believing in something that is not real even when presented with facts)
Changes with mood
Changes with social functioning
We hope this information and these resources help you find the care and support you need. Taking care of your well-being is critical all the time, especially now.