is y i dont talk to my sisters.

I have a friend in Oklahoma who is on Medicare and is persistently broke. Depression and substance use are factors. Surprisingly, he was able to find quite a few resources for free, including counseling. I say "surprisingly" because we don't think of OK as a state that cares a lot for the disadvantaged, yet these appear to be state-funded resources. And they seem to be helping him.

If by some chance you live in OK, I can try to get more details about how to access those programs.

The fact that there are 'resources' out here is not the issue. Their effectiveness and continued assistance is the issue. I have tried to get help through state or county resources in five counties in four states. My point is that those avenues have never worked for me nor anyone I have known. I thank you for your suggestions. But, I have tried this before more than a few times and those experiences are why I said what I said to begin with.

They're government funded and free, for all different age groups and categories.

It is funded by private contributions including from the pharnaceutical industry, and has a definite bias towards the use of medication as the go-to treatment for mental health issues. For this reason many people in the psychiatric survivor community are suspicious of NAMI.

Personally, I'm in favor of whatever people find helpful. It's a personal choice, and I would never discourage someone from seeking help through NAMI, if that's what they want. But I thought people should be aware that there have been issues with NAMI, and approach the group with open eyes.

... to predatory capitalism! We're glad you made it. Now if you'll just sign here...

The shot callers at the top of the mental health heap have zero interest in helping anyone, unless it's helping someone empty their bank account. They're in it for the money. The rest of us are just livestock waiting to be fleeced. Or worse.

I remember when it was AGAINST THE LAW for pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers, and for good reason. Now they hustle drugs with ridiculous names whose side effects are often worse than the malady they purport to treat.

Shit. Now I'm ALL wound up.

your primary care physician's office should be able to point you in the direction of available resources that are free or low cost. Your nearest blue county should have some tax funded local resources. Red counties, not as much.

Seriously, I got help for depression and adult ADHD. It didn't cost much.

But my issue with the low-cost and free offerings is the same. I have nothing to give them as I am broke. I do not mean the modern definition of broke, which means 'down to my last $1000'... I mean the traditional definition as in 'I do not have three pennies to rub together'. There has been no interest in helping once I express that fact. Even my state assistance will only cover a few things (that limit has been reached already) and the rest is out of reach, which means the help i need is out of reach. This is by design. I have no worth to the machine. So, they will wave some pills at me and act like that should do the trick while actually hoping I will crawl into a hole and go away.

... and it sucks. I am by no means well off, but I'll help you if I can. It wouldn't be much, but a little is better than 3 pennies. How do we communicate privately?

But it was $75 about per session the insurance itself was free.

So are apologies, if I happened to offend or irritate. I seem pretty good at that these days, although I never thought I would be like that.

I don't know about others here, but when both my depression and anxieties kick in together, it really does a number on me and makes my life hell through and through. I have also been under pretty extreme stresses recently due to a personal matter. All told, I have been barely hanging on. However, the DU has proven once again that, despite our own differences and lifestyles, we do come together for each other at the drop of a hat. I am always terrified of taking advantage of such generosity, because I have had people offer to help me before, produce said help with many admonitions that this was a 'gift' and in the 'spirit of friendship' only to then start holding it over my head and demanding all kinds of concessions that were never even heard of when they offered to help.

So, I am sorry to those I might have offended and to those who tried to be positive only to be met with a barrage of negativity. (When I get in that mindset, there is no consolation and no way to change it. It just has to change on its own.)

There is a problem however.

There is no "help" where I am located; well very limited and even if you have insurance you much pay pay pay pay pay whether you have it or not!

And, as far as they are concerned, the sooner the better.

There is little to be had from people like us.

No money hanging out of the pockets, only $23 in food stamps isn't much of an enticement is it?

You mentioned in another post that your application was rejected twice. It can feel pointless going through the process, but make the effort. If you get a break there maybe you can afford options for managing chronic pain. Eliminating or minimizing chronic pain can alter your outlook tremendously.