How to Rebuild America's Mental Health System, in 5 Big Steps

Yes, I've been through the Mental Health First Aid workshop.  It's terrific.  I appreciate you mentioning it here.  I just firmly believe that these mental health/medical health silos really slow down the process of de-stigmatizing mental health services and asking for help.  Great discussion!

Brenda, 

Thanks for sharing your perspective on this piece. There are local and national suicide crisis lines -- I've listed two main lines below -- but these generally help people in a moment of crisis and then funnel them into a system with waiting lists and spotty insurance coverage. You might also be familiar with a program called Mental Health First Aid, which is in the SAMHSA registry of evidence-based practices. The course is often provided free by a county and teaches participants how to recognize signs of chronic mental illness and/or moments of crisis and instructs them on how to respond and where to find local resources for help. I think if more teachers, social service employees, police officers and other professionals who might regularly encounter mental illness were trained in this approach, we might be able to get more people the right support and decrease the stigma you mention. 

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (for retired, separated and active duty military)

Mental Health First Aid: http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs/ (includes information on where to find a training)

This article has some great points:  as a user of mental health services, I can attest to the insurance company's flimsy excuses for denial of claims.  I can also see how deflating it is to be put on a waiting list to receive mental health counseling when you use an organization with a great reputation in a community that is quite large, like the metro DC area.  I often wonder why, when there's a mental health crisis, we cannot call a similar "911" number to get immediate help?  I mean, if someone is talking about suicide or death, or seems dangerous with talk of injuring others, why isn't that considered "an emergency"?  I really do not understand this.  If a life-threatening medical emergency exists like the appearance of a heart attack or stroke, we get first responders.  Leaving mental health crises on the side of the road seems to only perpetuate the idea that it isn't important, valued, or that one should just "get over it".  It's stigmatizing.