Question by Monjumbo: How can I obtain free mental health care?
I have been unemployed for more the eight months. I have a few mental health issues that I need to be taken care of before I should be employed again. I have no issues that cause harm to myself or others, I just have difficultly with extreme mood changes and setting myself to lose another job. I can not keep a job long enough pay for mental care, so is there a place where I can get it for free, including drugs if applicable?

Best answer:

Answer by jerry
Contact your county/local mental health agency, to see what help they can provide. Sliding scale based psychological counselling is often available from Catholic counselling, the Methodist church, or Unitarian Universalists, and sometimes the United Way.

You don’t have to be a member. Google: “clinics; mhmr; (your location)” & “free clinics; (your location)” Also contact your local department of human services and apply for state health care. See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/21patient.html?_r=2

Other advice that I am aware of is to contact your local social services department and apply for state medicaid, then find a doctor who accepts it. Ask at those places where you can contact a local social worker, because they often have suggestions, and contacts. Phone: (202) 408 8600

See http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?adid=1500000000000003239930&cat=546834 For Lithium Carbonate, and other mental health medication, at $ 4/month’s supply, or $ 10/90 days (more in CA., and 8 other US states: also try calling Target pharmaceuticals).

View www.pparx.org/ and call 1-888-4PP-ANOW (1-888-477-2669), if financially disadvantaged in the USA, and seeking a bipolar medication subsidy. Also see www.needymeds.com/ & www.low-cost-rx.com/

See http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_25.html about depression, and bipolar disorder, then pages 3, B, and C.

A previous answer follows: Practice a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: (free) http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate Tai Chi, yoga, or Qi Gong, suits others better.

They will enable you to emotionally centre yourself, when practiced regularly, and can also help you become a calmer, more self controlled person, who is less influenced by the behaviour of others. Use them when needed to get through life’s bad patches, as they will enable you to attain a way of being; awareness, without suffering.

“You are not your job” is addressed in “Feeling Good – the new mood therapy” by David D. Burns, M.D., from your bookstore, or Amazon.com. Some others: Workplace Recipes: Coping with Unemployment and the Job You Hate by Joy Mouton (paperback), & Coping With Unemployment: 1993 by Brian Jud and Charles Lipka (paperback), & Everything Will Be All Right by Douglas Wallace (Kindle). Tips on interviews, and job applications are at http://shanelyang.com Dress for the type of position applying for, and don’t appear overqualified.

Consider volunteering, even from home, as shown in page B, which will act as occupational therapy, help boost self esteem, keep activity out of undesirable parts of the brain, help others, and provide you with something to tell prospective employers about your activities since becoming unemployed. Don’t be too picky about the type of job; employers prefer someone already employed (or volunteering).

Keep in mind that the economy is in the process of turning around, at present, and employers will soon be hiring again in larger numbers, but at present, there can be many applications for any given vacancy. Remain resolutely optimistic, and maintain a positive mental attitude.

Contact your local churches, and charities, to see what resources are available to you. Contact your county/local mental health agency, to see what help they can provide. Sliding scale based psychological counselling is often available from Catholic counselling, the Methodist church, or Unitarian Universalists, and sometimes the United Way. You don’t have to be a member. Google: “clinics; mhmr; (your location)” & “free clinics; (your location)” Also contact your local department of human services and apply for state health care. See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/21patient.html?_r=2 Public libraries usually offer free internet access.

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