Help for Mental Illnesses

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

Get immediate help in a crisis.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Below are some additional resources.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
Call 988, or the former numbers: 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255); Spanish number is 888-628-9454
Website: Link opens in a new windowhttps://988lifeline.org
Lifeline Chat: Link opens in a new windowhttps://988lifeline.org/chat
The Lifeline is a free, confidential crisis service that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Lifeline connects people to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals.

Crisis Text Line
Text HELLO to 741741.
Website: Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.crisistextline.org
The Crisis Text hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the U.S. The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, connecting them with a crisis counselor who can provide support and information.

Veterans Crisis Line
Call 988 or 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) and press 1 for English (2 for Spanish), or text 838255.
Website: Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.veteranscrisisline.net
Use Veterans Crisis Chat on the web: Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help-now/chat.
The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that connects veterans 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a trained responder. The service is available to all veterans, even if they are not registered with the VA or enrolled in VA health care.

Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend's social media updates (Link opens in a new windowhttps://988lifeline.org/help-someone-else/safety-and-support-on-social-media), or dial 911 in an emergency.

Find a health care provider or treatment.

Treatment for mental illnesses usually consists of therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Treatment can be given in person or through a phone or computer (telemental health). It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start when looking for mental health care, but there are many ways to find a provider who will meet your needs.

Primary Care Provider

Your primary care practitioner can be an important resource, providing initial mental health screenings and referrals to mental health specialists. If you have an appointment with your primary care provider, consider bringing up your mental health concerns and asking for help.

Workplace Wellbeing Program

Your work's wellbeing program can help you find information and resources. It may also be able to assist in providing counseling or referrals to mental health specialists.

Insurance Companies

If you have health insurance, a representative of your insurance company will know which local providers are covered by your insurance plan. The websites of many health insurance companies have searchable databases that allow you to find a participating practitioner in your area.

National Agencies and Advocacy and Professional Organizations

Advocacy and professional organizations can be a good source of information when looking for a mental health provider. They often have information on finding a mental health professional on their website, and some have practitioner locators on their websites. Examples include but are not limited to

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America (Link opens in a new windowhttps://adaa.org)
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.dbsalliance.org)
• Mental Health America (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.mhanational.org)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.nami.org)

Federal Resources

Some federal agencies offer resources for identifying health care providers and help in finding low-cost health services. For example,

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has information on its website about benefits and eligibility for mental health programs and how to enroll (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.cms.gov).
• The National Library of Medicine (NLM) MedlinePlus website has directories and lists of organizations that can help in identifying a health practitioner (Link opens in a new windowhttps://medlineplus.gov/directories).

State and County Agencies

The website of your state or county government may have information about health services in your area. You may be able to find this information by visiting their websites and searching for the health services department.

Universities, Colleges, or Medical Schools

Your local college, university, or medical school may offer treatment options. To find these, try searching on the website of local university health centers for their psychiatry, psychology, counseling, or social work departments.

Help for Service Members and Their Families

Current and former service members may face different mental health issues than the general public. For resources for both service members and veterans, please visit the MentalHealth.gov page Help for Service Members and Their Families page (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/veterans) or the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs' mental health page (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/MENTALHEALTH/get-help/index.asp).

Deciding if a Provider is Right for You

Once you find a potential provider it can be helpful to prepare a list of questions to help you decide if they are a good fit for you. Examples of questions you might want to ask a potential provider include the following:

• What experience do you have treating someone with my issue?
• How do you usually treat someone with my issue?
• How long do you expect treatment to last?
• Do you accept my insurance?
• What are your fees?

Treatment works best when you have a good relationship with your mental health provider. If you aren't comfortable or are feeling like the treatment is not helping, talk with your provider, or consider finding a different provider or another type of treatment. If you are a child or adolescent, consider speaking with your doctor or another trusted adult. Do not stop current treatment without talking to your doctor.