Ok this is embarrassing, but I need to know how to get therapy. Right now I do not have a doctor. Even if I did I am not sure how to go about stressing the urgency of my want with out getting hospitalized or thrown in a psych Ward.

I am tired of being depressed and suicidal. I want help to at least change my way of thinking. I want to believe I can beat this on my own. However, it is time to ask for help.

Any advice anyone can give would be nice. I hope that this thread gets stickied when there is useful info in it.

If there is a local 1-800 anti-suicide hotline in your area, or a local mental facility in your area, call it. That's what I did 2 1/2 years ago. I was terrified to do it, but if I hadn't done it, I would have killed myself & I knew that. I called a 1-800 number in the phone book & it ended up being a number to the local mental health facility. They work with NAMI, an organization that helps mentally ill people & work on a sliding fee scale. Since I have no income, I pay nothing for therapy & psychiatric services & I get my expensive medicine for free.

They won't put you in a mental hospital. I was terrified of that too, but they didn't. They will probably ask you if you are suicidal & tell them the truth if they do. Tell them how badly off you are, but as long as they know you are not going to kill yourself right then & there or are not going to do it as soon as you leave the building, they will not admit you. They'll probably just make you an appointment to see a therapist/psychologist & then, depending on how he or she assesses your condition, they will most likely refer you to a psychiatrist if they feel you need meds.

Things are different everywhere, but that's how it went with me. As bad off as I still am, getting help for myself was the best thing I've ever done with my life.

l would talk to someone you trust and can confine in so that you have someone who can help you through the steps. What Lyrical suggested is very helpful.

How l went about it is that l talked to my general practitioner first. l don't know if you're on medication, but most likely they'll start you on something. They'll also refer you to what they see fitting to your needs (most likely a psychologist or counseling services).

l'm not sure if it's different in America. Hopefully this helps you Reiji.

Hey Reiji. Sorry to hear you're in such a funk.
If you need it, this site lists national and state-by-state crisis and suicide hotlines.
http://suicidehotlines.com/
Hope you feel better.

While medication may not be the magical answer, I believe it can be a good thing and I suggest that you consider it as a possibility if you haven't already. It definitely helped me. I can't comment on therapy as I haven't used it myself.

Thanks guys, I am just wondering stuff like what I can say to a general practicioner. Or what I can say at a hospital to get them to let me schedule an appointment.

I will try calling the sucide hotlines though. I don't know, I just want this to end. I want to be confident and happy.......

Well if you're going to get help, do it sooner rather than later, so you never sink into that apathetic state where you don't even want help anymore.

Life, death. I could take it or leave it, ha ha.

I wish I was in that state... at least then I could not feel so miserable. But you are right.

i've always wanted to go to a psychiatrist to get a script, but i never wanted it to mention any sort of mental health problems on my record or anything in case it interferes with my future. like if I decide to join the military or something.

@Notepad: That is another fear I have. What will go onto my record that can be looked up during a background check?

Usually job positions that do require background checks only look at your criminal record. l wouldn't worry so much about this. lt's better that you get better. lf they do question your mental health, at least you can say it's all in the past or that are you getting treated and it is under control.

My doctors are very private about my medical records. When l suggest disclosing my information to my teachers, they strongly advised me not to. They do everything to ensure this matter is kept to myself and them only. l have to go through a lot of paperwork just to allow my family to discuss the information with them.

My problem is that I want to get into the industry of working on top secret government projects. Then again I guess they will do a psychological profile on me anyway.

I know that doctors are pretty private. I should be safe as long as I do not commit any crimes.

If you want even low-level security clearance, they'll look into everything. And they'll do a lie detector (though I strongly suspect those are
psych-out bullshit).

Previous military/government experience is preferred for such positions as well.