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I have a very good friend who is struggling with mental health as well and his situation started to become worse since Covid-19. As others already commented, p

I have a very good friend who is struggling with mental health as well and his situation started to become worse since Covid-19. As others already commented, please ASAP reach out to a professional. I don't know where you live, but I am very sure such a hotline exists pretty close to you. My friend called such a hotline and he got help and he is better now. I know this is a huge step to take, but reaching out will help and it is professionals taking care and they know what they do. Whatever your circumstances are, someone will pick you up again. Please call; there is no reason to feel embarrassed for whatever. PS: I've been reading HN for years now and never commented here, but I just signed up now to reach out to you.

gdgdgdgbgfff 6y ago
I did the same (signed up), please talk to someone.
- abc_throw_away 6y ago
  I appreciate that. I don’t really have friends. And my parents and I don’t get along. Sometimes I talk to anonymous people in the internet and it does help but not sure if it’s enough.
  - xei1Yoophai6ec 6y ago
    You already made a big step by reaching out here in public on HN and this is very good. Talking to anonymous people on the Internet is very likely not enough, as you already stated. Again, I think you should talk to a professional and finding such a hotline - wherever you live - hopefully should not be that difficult.
  - sjg007 6y ago
    Tell us your story.
WarOnPrivacy 6y ago
> please ASAP reach out to a professional. I am very sure such a hotline exists pretty close to you. Okay guys. Please. Stop suggesting professional mental healthcare as if it's something pretty much everyone has access to. In most US counties, therapy exists for those who can afford pricey insurance policies or can pay out of pocket - and that's it. Some hotlines are staffed with mental health pros. NSP Lifeline is one. Smaller ones tend to be staffed with local volunteers. Either way, a hotline call isn't a solution. It's crisis intervention, at most a single step. Honestly, for people who live without access to mental healthcare, telling them to just go get professional help is is effectively sending them on a snipe hunt. source: 30 years care giving for someone with mental illness in one of the thousands of poor US counties. 5 years as social services volunteer
- nexuist 6y ago
  This answer suffers from Americentrism. Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care. OP did not include their location, so why assume they are American? Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that. These hotline answers are helpful for other readers who may also not live in America and may be unaware that hotlines exist in their respective countries.
  - WarOnPrivacy 6y ago
    > Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that. Speaking of suffering observations. Why do you assume most people who live in areas without available mental healthcare are aware of that? > Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care. The language there qualifies any country with a therapist. I think what you meant is that the vast bulk of the population, in all 195 countries (excepting a handful), has reliable, practical access to mental healthcare. As I consider African populations and folks who live in economically disadvantaged South and Central American nations I find myself filling with skepticism over that claim. ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+African+nations https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Afri... ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+South+American+nations https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Sout...
abc_throw_away 6y ago
Thanks :)

gdgdgdgbgfff 6y ago

I did the same (signed up), please talk to someone.

abc_throw_away 6y ago
I appreciate that. I don’t really have friends. And my parents and I don’t get along. Sometimes I talk to anonymous people in the internet and it does help but not sure if it’s enough.
- xei1Yoophai6ec 6y ago
  You already made a big step by reaching out here in public on HN and this is very good. Talking to anonymous people on the Internet is very likely not enough, as you already stated. Again, I think you should talk to a professional and finding such a hotline - wherever you live - hopefully should not be that difficult.
- sjg007 6y ago
  Tell us your story.

WarOnPrivacy 6y ago

> please ASAP reach out to a professional. I am very sure such a hotline exists pretty close to you. Okay guys. Please. Stop suggesting professional mental healthcare as if it's something pretty much everyone has access to. In most US counties, therapy exists for those who can afford pricey insurance policies or can pay out of pocket - and that's it. Some hotlines are staffed with mental health pros. NSP Lifeline is one. Smaller ones tend to be staffed with local volunteers. Either way, a hotline call isn't a solution. It's crisis intervention, at most a single step. Honestly, for people who live without access to mental healthcare, telling them to just go get professional help is is effectively sending them on a snipe hunt. source: 30 years care giving for someone with mental illness in one of the thousands of poor US counties. 5 years as social services volunteer

nexuist 6y ago
This answer suffers from Americentrism. Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care. OP did not include their location, so why assume they are American? Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that. These hotline answers are helpful for other readers who may also not live in America and may be unaware that hotlines exist in their respective countries.
- WarOnPrivacy 6y ago
  > Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that. Speaking of suffering observations. Why do you assume most people who live in areas without available mental healthcare are aware of that? > Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care. The language there qualifies any country with a therapist. I think what you meant is that the vast bulk of the population, in all 195 countries (excepting a handful), has reliable, practical access to mental healthcare. As I consider African populations and folks who live in economically disadvantaged South and Central American nations I find myself filling with skepticism over that claim. ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+African+nations https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Afri... ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+South+American+nations https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Sout...

abc_throw_away 6y ago

Thanks :)