Mental Health Organizations in the U.S.: Who can you Talk to when you Need Help

August 17, 2022

Sometimes, when we need help taking care of mental health issues, we find ourselves isolating instead of reaching out for someone. Other times, we have someone around who needs help and we don't know how to help them.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, if you or someone you know may attempt suicide, call 911 —or your local emergency number— immediately. In other crisis, these are important options to consider:

• Call your mental health specialist.
• Call a suicide hotline number, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Veterans can use that same number and press “1” to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
• Seek help from your primary doctor or other health care provider.
• Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
• Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.

In case you are in need of other kind of assistance about mental health disorders, please consider reaching out to one of the following organizations:

MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA (MHA)

This non-profit founded in 1909 works community-based, which means it's certainly near you. They work promoting the overall mental health of everyone, but also addressing the needs of those living with mental illness. Their site also has a search engine for you to find an affiliate institution or center near your location. You can go to their website at https://www.mhanational.org/, or, in case of a crisis, use the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24/7 for support during these emergencies.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (NIMH)

This is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health and is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. They have a bunch of valuable resources online at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/, but also have a phone number (1-866-615-6464), a live online chat service, or you can reach them at nimhinfo@nih.gov.

MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION (MHF)

The MHF is a non-profit charitable organization that, in the words of Vikram Patel, "there is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone’s business." This organization focuses in health awareness, education, suicide prevention, and addiction. They promote the #BreakTheStigma tag in order to allow those in need of mental health care to reach out without worries or shame. Their website (https://mentalhealthfoundation.org/) is a very broad source of information and resources on several mental health disorders and conditions.

THE CLEARINGHOUSE

Since 2018, the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse has been affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion. They offer resources for and about peer-run groups and organizations, where people with a diagnosed mental health disorder can connect for self-help. They also have a monthly newsletter and a Warmlines directory, with contact details of organizations across the country.

NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (NAMI)

This group, originally formed by a small group of families in 1979, is one of the top organizations that provide education and resources, hold events, and work closely with communities to raise awareness about mental health issues. NAMI has a huge network of over 600 alliances with local affiliates, which makes it one of the largest grids of support for those who need it. They offer information, resource referrals and

support to people (their families, friends and caregivers too) with a mental health condition through their NAMI HelpLine 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), SMS HelpLine (texting "HelpLine" to 62640), or email at helpline@nami.org.

At Kosmic Tribes, we are committed to help our community and seek to make a difference for those around us. If you want to be one of us, join us on our social media and let's join forces.

And if you, like some of us have, need help, remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE and that there is always a professional within your reach that can help you out.

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