Every state has public mental health services. that's right. all of them.

[cali]

Many programs are certainly lacking, but there are community mental health services through out the country.

If you'd like more information, go here:

http://www.samhsa.gov/

[uppityperson]

1. However, getting someone the help they need is not easy often

More accessible, affordable, non-stigmatic mental health care services are needed.

[cali]

3. true enough. services and care vary widely from state to state.

I'm finding there's a lot of confusion and misinformation about mental health law and services here. Just trying to put the info out there.

[uppityperson]

5. thank you. People also need to understand that there is nothing wrong with getting help

for yourself or for others. Yes it can be misused, but seriously, mental health is like physical health. It is ok to get help.

It can be very difficult to get those in need the help they need because "they" are not the problem, the rest of us are.

[HereSince1628]

11. I think I agree with you but what is a non-stigmatic MH service?

One that doesn't have big bold letters saying something like "Milwaukee County Mental Health?" My self-consciousness walking into said place wasn't a consequence of the building, but the way that I had been socialized.

Community based (i.e. private) MH clinics are often tucked away in office buildings and no one really knows where you go once you get inside.

My experience is that society carries the stigma rather than the mental health services. It's the decisions and the way that the Mentally WELL treat you once they learn you have or had a mental illness that is the really harmful.

[uppityperson]

17. I agree and that is what I meant. People need to realize that it isn't awful to get mental health he

help. It is ok to acknowledge that you are in need or that you got help. That is what I mean, it needs to be a societal change.

[molly77]

14. Arizona has 5 beds for every 100,000 mentally ill people .

Worst in the country except for Nevada. Democracy Now.

[cali]

19. yes, that's bad, but the vast majority of people with severe and persistent

mental illnesses are treated as outpatients. Not saying that those services aren't lacking too.

[FBaggins]

2. People with mental health issues don't always know that they have a problem.

Those who are really "around the bend" often assume that it's the rest of us who are crazy.

[Cleita]

4. Somebody posted here that you can get service

for 72 hours but not more. It seems that this is inadequate.

[cali]

6. I think you're thinking of what's known as a 72 hour hold

where people are held involuntarily for that period of time. After that if the docs wants to force a person to have treatment on either an in patient or out patient basis, they have to petition the court for such treatment.

[uppityperson]

8. 72 hr involuntary hold. After that you need to get a court order.

It used to be easier, 30 yrs ago, but things have changed. In a good part due to Reagan yrs where they kicked out, closed down much mental health facilities.

They have to prove they are an imminent danger to themselves or others, and it isn't very easy to get a court order.

[cali]

10. actually, it varies widely from state to state.

and it shouldn't be easy to get someone put on a 72 hour hold.

[cbayer]

13. States vary widely. For example, in Louisiana, if two physicians agree, a person

can be held for up to 21 days. They also include "gravely disabled" as a category, which is broad and can include many acutely psychotic patients who are neither suicidal nor homicidal.

They also have a different set of rules for substance abusers, but it basically follows the same pattern.

:hi:

[uppityperson]

7. I went for help yrs back when was depressed. The process was difficult, outcome meh

I had to fill out papers about my income (damn it, I'm depressed and want to talk about that, not my income), then get an appointment for the next week (though granted I wasn't suicidal). I went to my appointment and the outcome was "figure out what used to make you happy and do it. sorry but we are very overworked with serious cases, good luck".

Trying to get a friend in has been very difficult, they don't have funds adequate to help until friend ends up in trouble with cops enough, then will go to prison.

It is inadequate.

[cali]

9. that is a huge problem

and yes, it's not good enough. Not in most areas (though I must say, our local services are pretty good, with some excellent practitioners.)

http://www.nkhs.org/ment_health.htm

[kestrel91316]

12. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to get mental health care for someone who

doesn't want it, and the decision is entirely their own unless they are an immediate danger to their own or another's life. Judges won't even do a 3-day hold without a life in immediate danger.

Ask me how I know.

[HereSince1628]

16. It varies from state to state, in Wisconsin a policeman can make

the determination that you should be detained and evaluated.

Here in Milwaukee County, there is a bias to err on the side of overly cautious. A cascade of decisions erring on the side of excess caution ends up taking into detention people who needn't be detained.

Said cascade can start as easily as someone from work calling the police to say you are despondent because they fired you. Really. I am in possession of a police 'event' report that chronicles that sequence for someone I can't go anywhere without...

[cbayer]

15. A serious problem with these centers is long waits for appointments and lack of psychiatrists.

Psychiatrists have been treated so poorly in this country (right in line with the way we treat psychiatric patients) that fewer and fewer medical school graduates are choosing it as a speciality, and those that do are reluctant to take the gross underpayment offered by MHC's.

Medicare itself discriminates against psychiatric care, requiring 50% copays and steep limitations on yearly services. It's a disgrace.

[county worker]

18. I work for a county Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Dept

Here is our web address
http://www.countyofsb.org/admhs/

I am in administration and I am currently working on our FY 11-12 budget.

We try to serve all who come to us within the limits of the money we have to spend.

Since we are not permitted to operate with a deficit we have to have a dollar of revenue for every dollar of expense.

If a person can pay something we try to get an agreement with them for an amount. Mostly the money comes from Medicaid and Medicare, from federal and state grants, sales tax and vehicle license fees and the State general fund. Only about 2% of the money we spend comes from the county general fund.

The money we get by law cannot be spent on other county departments.

So this time every year we try to find a way to keep up the same level of service with less money than last year.

One thing I would like to make clear concerning the salary and pensions we get.

This is the best paying job I have ever had. The benefits are the best too. That is because I belong to the SEIU and we have a defined benefit plan and government holidays off and good health insurance.

I have always worked in private industry before and have always saw my salary stay level given the increasing cost of living and the cost of benefits rise and the disappearance of pension plans.

My point is that we have to have a master's degree at least to work here. If you take away the salary and benefits no one would get a masters to do this work and that would end the services we provide.

So today we have the pressure of less government dollars to spend and the pressure to cut our pensions and salaries.

Mental health services to those without the means to pay will go away in the future because of it IMHO.