Mental Health Resources: Finding the Help You Need

woman on laptop at home
Phone and online support is available for mental health concerns, often 24 hours a day.iStock

Taking care of your mental health is just as crucial as focusing on your physical health. But it can be hard to recognize when you need support managing your mental health — and sometimes even harder to figure out how to get help. Here are some organizations, articles, and websites that can point you in the right direction based on what you may be experiencing.

Anxiety

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Part of the National Institutes of Health, NIMH funds research and shares evidence-based resources related to anxiety and other mood disorders. This NIMH guide to anxiety explains common signs and symptoms, risk factors, treatment options, and where to go for more information.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)

The ADAA is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety and other related mental health conditions. They have many resources to help you understand if you have anxiety and are hoping to manage it. They also offer both online and in-person support groups to connect with other people living with anxiety.

Depression

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This NIMH guide to depression includes information on common signs and symptoms, risk factors, treatment options, and finding support.

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)

The ADAA’s peer-to-peer support communities allow you to connect with others who are going through similar mental health issues to share information and experiences.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

DBSA is a leading national organization focused on depression and other mood disorders. They offer peer-based, wellness-oriented support through both online and in-person groups.

Substance Use Disorder

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA is dedicated to helping people improve their mental health and manage substance misuse. They have resources to help you understand substance misuse as an illness, how to talk to a loved one going through this, and what to expect from family therapy.

SAMHSA also has a confidential, free, 24-hour information line you can call for help finding treatment and support: 800-662-HELP (4357).

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

In addition to being a law enforcement agency, the DEA aims to help individuals struggling with substance misuse find help managing this condition. This addiction guide includes information on common signs of substance misuse, how to find help, treatment options, and support for people in recovery.

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

This physician organization is dedicated to promoting evidence-based treatments for substance misuse disorders. Their resources include a screening tool to help you assess if you might need help for a substance misuse disorder and how to find treatment.

They also have a free 24-hour hotline for finding support: 833-275-2043.

Eating Disorders

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) Eating Disorders Helpline

ANAD is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to people with eating disorders as they seek treatment and navigate recovery.

Their confidential helpline is available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central time at 888-375-7767. You can call if you think you or someone you care about has an eating disorder and ask general questions, get support and encouragement, and receive treatment referrals. They also have a free online provider directory.

National Alliance for Eating Disorders (NAED)

NAED is a national nonprofit organization that provides education and support for people experiencing eating disorders, as well as their loved ones.

Their therapist-staffed helpline is available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time for help finding treatment: 866-662-1235. They also have an online provider search tool.

Grief

Hospice Foundation of America (HFA)

HFA is a national nonprofit organization that provides education and resources about palliative care, including support for coping with the loss of a loved one. They offer a wide variety of resources about grief, including articles to help you understand what it can feel like, links to reputable support groups, and tips on when you might want to seek out professional help.

The Center for Prolonged Grief

This organization at Columbia University is focused on training clinicians and raising patient awareness about prolonged grief: when people have intense and pervasive symptoms that disrupt their daily lives for more than a year. Their site has an assessment tool to help you determine if you may be experiencing prolonged grief as well as a therapist finder for treatment both in-person and online.

My Grief Angels

This nonprofit organization helps grieving individuals connect with others who are going through similar experiences. They have free online support groups for people going through many different types of loss.

Domestic Violence

National Domestic Violence Hotline

This organization is available 24/7 for free, confidential help (call 1-800-799-7233 or text 88788). Their website also has an emergency exit button so you can immediately leave the page and delete it from your browser history. In addition, they have a search tool for local resources if you need help within your community.

If you or a loved one is experiencing significant distress or having thoughts about suicide and needs support, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

Allison Young, MD

Medical Reviewer

Allison Young, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist providing services via telehealth throughout New York and Florida.

In addition to her private practice, Dr. Young serves as an affiliate professor of psychiatry at Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. She previously taught and mentored medical trainees at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She speaks at national conferences and has published scientific articles on a variety of mental health topics, most notably on the use of evidence-based lifestyle interventions in mental health care.

Young graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a bachelor of science degree in neurobiology and theology. She obtained her doctor of medicine degree with honors in neuroscience and physiology from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She continued her training at NYU during her psychiatry residency, when she was among a small group selected to be part of the residency researcher program and studied novel ways to assess and treat mental distress, with a focus on anxiety, trauma, and grief.

During her psychiatry training, Young sought additional training in women’s mental health and cognitive behavioral therapy. She has also studied and completed further training in evidence-based lifestyle interventions in mental health care, including stress management, exercise, and nutrition. She is an active member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, through which she helps create resources as well as educate physicians and patients on the intersection of lifestyle medicine and mental health.

Lisa Rapaport

Author
Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee, and The Buffalo News.
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