Mental Health Care
Once the decision to seek professional help has been made, the following are places you can go.
* Your personal or primary care doctor (to rule out any physical illness first)
* Your confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
* Your Student Counseling Center. (Most colleges provide free counseling services for their students. Some limit the number of sessions. After that number is reached, students may still need to locate a private therapist for continued treatment.)
* Family members, friends, or co-workers n Your religious advisor (i.e., priest, rabbi, minister)
* Your County Mental Health Department (search for this online or in the white pages section under Government Offices). Contacting them is especially important if you have no health insurance.
* Professional organizations, such as your state’s psychiatric, psychological counseling, or social work associations
* Community mental health centers and/or hospitals. Ask for their departments of psychiatry, psychology, social work, or their crisis center.
* Community agencies, such as Catholic Social Services, Jewish Vocational Services, Family Services Agency, etc.
* Crisis Intervention Centers – especially if you need help immediately. Check online for local listings under “Crisis,” “Suicide Prevention,” “Drug Abuse,” “Rape,” “Domestic Violence,” or “Hospitals.”
* Self-help groups and local campus or national organizations for specific disorders. Examples include: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Agoraphobics in Motion (AIM), National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA).
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine