First
Steps.
What
questions should I ask about my insurance plan's mental health
benefits?
Where
do I go for help if I don't have enough medical insurance,
income or hospitalization coverage?
Where
can I find self-help and support groups for clients, caregivers,
and family members?
Understanding
mental illness, treatment and wellness/recovery.
Understanding
mental illness, treatment and wellness/recovery
This section provides information about diagnosis and
treatment, and how to use mental health services.
Understanding
the symptoms of mental illness
Understanding
severe mental health symptoms
How
to talk with your mental health clinician
Learning
about diagnosis
Learning
about medications
Dual
diagnosis: When alcohol and drugs compound mental illness
Understanding
wellness and recovery
First
Steps
- Call
your health insurance plan and find out if you have a mental
health benefit and what kinds of services are covered.
- Find
out if your health insurance plan has a toll-free number
you can use to access mental health care services.
- Talk
with your primary care physician about your concerns. Your
doctor may able to suggest services or supports that will
be covered under your insurance.
- Find
out if your employer or your spouse's employer has an Employee
Assistance Program (EAP). EAPs are designed to respect confidentiality
while providing support for people going through hard times.
Many EAPs provide mental health services, including individual
psychotherapy, family counseling, and assistance with substance
abuse problems.
- Find
out if your health insurance plan or EAP has a Web site
where you can get information about your mental health benefit
and a list of approved mental health providers.
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What
questions should I ask about my insurance plan's mental health
benefits?
-
For answers to your questions about managed care and for
tips on how to choose a provider, explore "What
to Look For, What to Ask," produced by the U.S. Mental
Health Information Center.
- The
"Facts
for Families" series by the American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry includes questions you can ask
in order to help you understand your mental health coverage
and rights.
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Where
do I go for help if I don't have enough medical insurance,
income or hospitalization coverage?
-
Look in the Yellow Pages® of your telephone book and
make a list of local mental health clinics, family service
agencies, mental health self-help groups, private psychiatric
hospitals, private clinics and private practitioners. Call
and ask if sliding-scale or sliding-fee payments are accepted.
Descriptions of services offered through some community
agencies can be found on the Web pages of two state trade
organizations:
California
Council of Community Mental Health Agencies
California
Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies
-
Call your county mental health 24-Hour
Multilingual Crisis Intervention and Assessment number
to find out if you are eligible for county mental health
services. Ask them for referrals to providers with sliding-fee
scales.
- Locate
self-help organizations or mental health clinics that operate
drop-in centers and that sponsor support groups for clients
and family members. Community self-help organizations will
be familiar with the mental health services available in
your community. Staff and volunteers who have shared your
experiences may be able to answer questions about finding
affordable services and supports.
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Where
can I find self-help and support groups for clients, caregivers,
and family members?
|
Thoughts
about wellness and recovery from clients and family
members
"...Believe
in yourself. Take control of your life. Whether you
are immobilized by depression or suffer the symptoms
of schizophrenia, your diagnosis does not have to be
your destiny. If you decide to use medications as part
of your recovery, learn as much as you can about your
diagnosis and your medications. Find other clients who
have traveled your life path and find out what worked
for them. Remember the experiences that make you feel
good and what you need for comfort when life is hard.
Take small steps forward and be patient if symptoms
return..."
|
Support
groups can give people a place to safely talk about issues
that many people are facing during a mental health crisis:
mourning a death, suicide, spouse and child abuse, sexual
abuse, rape, coping with the problems of aging parents, drugs
and alcohol. These support groups also talk about mental health
illnesses and symptoms, including depression, anxiety, phobias,
panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia,
and eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia nervosa, obesity).
Contact
the Mental Health Association in California (MHAC) chapter
in your community.
The MHAC sponsors support groups for clients and family members
and provides information and referrals. MHAC chapters represent
diverse viewpoints on mental health issues.
Contact
the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) chapter
in your community.
NAMI - California sponsors support groups and training for
clients and family members. NAMI chapters generally view mental
illness as a "brain disorder."
Find
NAMI-sponsored "Family-to-Family" classes in your community.
These classes are taught by family members and share ways
to take care of yourself while supporting family members experiencing
psychiatric symptoms.
Find
client-run drop-in centers and groups.
For many clients, an important part of mental health recovery
is sharing experiences. Drop-in centers and organizations
found on the California Network of Mental Health Clients (CNMHC)
Web site are managed by clients and provide a range of peer
support services for clients who experience severe and persistent
symptoms. The CNMHC is an advocacy organization that also
supports the development of client-managed self-help centers.
CMNHC programs support client rights and freedom of choice.
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Understanding
Mental Illness, Treatment and Wellness/Recovery
This
section provides information about diagnosis and treatment,
and how to use mental health services.
Understanding
the symptoms of mental illness
People
have a hard time seeing the difference between a rough patch
and the start of mental health symptoms. When do problems
become too difficult for you to handle alone?
Finding
help for yourself
Part of the Mental Health Association in California's web
series Reaching for the Light, this Web page "How
Do You Know When You Need Help?" lists signs and symptoms
to look for that signal the need for help.
When
mental illness is in your family
This factsheet from the National Mental Health Association
"Mental
Illness in the Family -- Recognizing the Warning Signs and
How to Cope" explains what mental illness may "look
like" in adults and youth and offers suggestions for family
members on how to recognize and cope with mental illness in
the family.
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Understanding
severe mental health symptoms
In
the Mental Health Association in California's (MHAC) Web series
Reaching for the Light, the page "Severe
Mental Disorders" provides descriptions of some severe
mental illnesses: schizophrenia; mood disorders; anxiety disorders;
obsessive/compulsive disorders; eating disorders; personality
disorders.
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How
to talk with your mental health clinician
Finding
a clinician
The MHAC booklet, "Finding
Help," suggests questions that will help you decide if
a mental health provider is the right one for you. The Mental
Health Association in California (MHAC) sponsors support groups
for clients and family members and provides information and
referrals. MHAC chapters represent diverse viewpoints on mental
health issues.
Building
a relationship with your clinician
The Mental Health Matters article "Looking
for a Therapist" includes suggestions about how to
talk with your mental health clinician. The Mental Health
Matters web site was founded by a client to bring technical
information and resources to clients, students and professionals.
Collaborating
with psychiatrists to find the right medication
The National Empowerment Center is a SAMHSA (Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration) Technical Assistance
Center. Its mission is to carry a message of recovery, empowerment,
hope and healing to people who have been diagnosed with mental
illness. The article, "Reclaiming
Your Power During Medication Appointments With Your Psychiatrist,"
written by Pat Deegan, Ph.D., talks about how to structure
your medication evaluation and follow-up appointments in order
to cultivate collaboration between you and your psychiatrist.
Tell me about
licensed mental health professionals in California
This one page document describes services provided by different
kinds of mental health professionals. The Mental
Health Association in California (MHAC) sponsors support
groups for clients and family members and provides information
and referrals. MHAC chapters represent diverse viewpoints
on mental health issues.
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Learning
about diagnosis
Diagnosis
is a tool used by clinicians to summarize symptoms and life
stressors. The following sites might help you understand how
the many mental illnesses are defined.
- The
Mental
Health Association in California (MHAC) Web site offers
information about diagnoses written by mental health professionals.
MHAC sponsors support groups for clients and family members
and provides information and referrals.
- The
Mental
Health Matters Web site was founded by a client to bring
technical information and resources to clients, students
and professionals. This Web page link to "Demystifying the
Diagnosis" is a one page description of the language used
by clinicians to describe mental illness -- the DSM-IV (Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition).
This is just one of many technical briefs offered by this
Web site on a wide range of mental health issues, ranging
from treatment to self-help to advocacy to research.
- Diagnosis
and treatment links from a client-managed Web site.
The California Association of Mental Health Patient's Rights
Advocates promotes public policy to further the rights and
well-being of mental health consumers.
-
The
Mental
Health Matters Web site was founded by a client to bring
technical information and resources to clients, students
and professionals. Find technical briefs on a wide range
of mental health issues, ranging from treatment to self-help
to advocacy to research as well as summaries of major diagnoses.
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Learning
about medications
With
recent advances in science and technology, clients now have
more and better psychotropic drug options than in previous
generations. Finding the right balance in medication can be
a lengthy process for some clients. Here are resources that
will help you understand how medications work, written by
mental health professionals from organizations representing
families, clients and researchers.
What
is a formulary?
It is often difficult to discern whether certain medications
are covered by insurance. The California Internet Formulary
Reference guide, created by Citizens for the Right to Know
and linked from the Mental Health Association of California,
helps consumers research coverage.
Fact
sheets about medications from NAMI
Each fact sheet on this "Information about illnesses
and treatments" webpage includes links to organizations
that provide support for people with specific diagnoses. The
National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) is a national
research and advocacy organization that views mental illness
as a "brain disorder."
Links
about medications -The Mental Health Association of California
This is a portal to information on the Web about mental health
medications. This page provides links to resources about medications,
adverse reactions, California's formulary, and information
from the Food and Drug Administration.
A
booklet about medications from the National Institute of Mental
Health
This resource provides easy-to-understand information about
medications used for treating mental health problems. The
site describes what different medications are used for, what
their effects are and which medications are used for specific
groups, and it offers an alphabetical index of medications.
Included is information about effects on children, the elderly
and women of childbearing years.
A
self-help resource to assist you with medications
The U.S. Mental Health Information Center is an information
clearinghouse that is part of the U.S. Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The brochure,
"A Self-Help Guide to Using Medications," was written for
clients and family members. Included is a list of questions
to help you develop a collaborative relationship with your
clinician.
Working
with your psychiatrist
The National Empowerment Center is a SAMHSA Technical Assistance
Center. Its mission is to carry a message of recovery, empowerment,
hope and healing to people who have been diagnosed with mental
illness. Find information on how to structure medication evaluation
and follow-up appointments in order to cultivate collaboration
between you and your psychiatrist.
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Dual
diagnosis: When alcohol and drugs compound mental illness
Without
diagnosis and treatment, many people with mental illness use
alcohol and other substances to control symptoms, and they
sometimes become addicted. Alcohol and drug dependence can
exacerbate mental illness, resulting in some clients having
"dual diagnosis" or "dual recovery," as they attempt to recover
from both symptoms of mental illness and addiction. Here are
some resources for treating dual-diagnosis.
- Find
treatment in your community. The SAMHSA, in collaboration
with the state of California, has a service
locator that will identify programs in your community
for alcohol and substance abuse. The site will tell you
if these programs have a dual recovery emphasis, what languages
are spoken and what forms of payment are accepted.
- Through
this link, you can find sources for information on being
in recovery from mental illness and alcohol/substance abuse,
like the Dual Diagnosis Recovery Network.
-
Find peer support groups for individuals facing recovery
from psychiatric symptoms and alcohol/substances. Dual Recovery
Anonymous is a 12-step program for individuals facing recovery
from psychiatric symptoms and alcohol/substances.
Northern
California meetings
Southern
California meetings
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Understanding
wellness and recovery
According
the U.S. Surgeon General's report on mental health, recovery
is a journey hallmarked by hope and expansion, despite the
day-to-day challenges of having mental health symptoms. Recovery
is about understanding and managing these symptoms and regaining
one's sense of self. It's also about recovering from the stigma
of having a mental illness. Clients view the process of recovery
as unique for each person, depending on their strengths, life
situations and culture...The guides listed below will explain
the many different paths that lead towards recovery.
- The
U.S. Mental Health Information Center is an information
clearinghouse that is part of the U.S. Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The site
includes nine downloadable how-to publications about mental
health recovery. Topics include dealing with trauma, speaking
out for yourself, making friends, building self-esteem,
self-help, client rights, and action-planning for recovery.
- Mary
Ellen Copeland's Web site provides various methods for
nurturing wellness/recovery, including an explanation of
Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP). Resources include
seminars, correspondence courses, workbooks, videos, publications,
and newsletters. Copeland used her experience with manic
depression to develop the WRAP tool, which aims to bring
insight into staying well and what to do when symptoms become
difficult.
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The
Hope and the Street Web site and discussion forums are provided
solely for educational and informational purposes. As such,
they are not meant to provide professional medical advice, counseling
or services. Only a qualified medical professional who is familiar
with your particular circumstances can provide specific guidance
regarding your health questions and we encourage you to ask
your doctor or health care provider any questions you may have
relating to the information contained on this Web site. KQED
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