Mind Columbus
Resources,
information, and other useful things for people with mental illness in
and around Columbus, Ohio, compiled by one of us. ;)
Emergency Help
614-276-CARE (2273)
Other Crisis Hotlines (List)
The Rule of Internet Psychology
Change nothing that your doctor told you to do, on the basis of advice from the internet.
Don't just make changes to what you were told to do. Not ever.
Check with your doctor first. Every time.
Including this time. Especially this time.
Yes, this means you. Yes, this includes everything written on this site.
The only exception is if you can't trust your doctor.
If you can't trust your doctor, the only internet advice relating to changing from what your doctor said to do, which you are allowed to take, is:
Get another doctor.
And then, ask them whether it's OK to change what your last doctor told you to do.
Big Lists of Resources
Major Local Organizations
Places To Go For Help, Companionship, etc.
Government Agencies, Hospitals, & Who To Complain To
Support Groups (These are all local group pages.)
- ADAMH Community Supports List (has phone numbers for many groups, but no web links)
- DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)
- MHA (has groups for depression, schizophrenia, and more)
Medication Stuff (Always talk with your doctor before changing any dosages, timing, etc.!)
- CrazyMeds (for all kinds of medication information, specifically by and for folks with neurological/mental illnesses)
- Drugs.com
- Information By Drug (look up your medication to get side effects, instructions, how it's supposed to work, etc.)
- Interactions Checker (to see what your different meds do in combination - always talk to your doctor about the results before making any decisions!)
- Pill Identifier (good if you can't remember which pill is which - like when you need to tell your new doctor what you're taking)
- NeedyMeds (for help getting medications when you can't afford them)
Therapy Stuff
- CBT
- GoodTherapy
- Psycho-education
- Wellness Planning & Tools
- FacingUs ("Wellness Book" site, created by DBSA)
Glossary
- ADA - The Americans with Disabilities Act
is a piece of federal legislation that requires employers, public
agencies, and educators to provide reasonable accommodations to people
with disabilities to allow them to access the same benefits that people
without disabilities can access. It can be very helpful, but a
specific illness may or may not be a "disability," a specific employer
or educator might or might not have to follow some or all of the
ADA rules, and you may or not be able to get the accommodation you want
- go to AskJAN for lots more help on this issue.
- ADAMH - the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Mental Health boards
in Ohio are state-funded county agencies that help people who get (or
need to get) substance abuse or mental health treatment from public providers.
- ADL - Activities of Daily Living
are pretty much all the things you need to do in order to get through
your life: getting dressed, brushing your teeth, paying bills, going to
the grocery store, etc. Disability processes, including SSDI and
ADA coverage determinations, almost always focus on these activities.
- CBT - Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
is usually a pretty short series of classes about mental illnesses, how
to tell whether you're doing something because you've thought it
through or because you're just reacting, how to motivate yourself to
make small changes, how to understand some of the reasons behind what
you're feeling, etc. There's usually a lot of worksheets and usually not a lot of talking about your childhood. The whole idea is to try and get back to living more normally.
- Consumer - A "consumer" is anyone who has a personal history (diagnosis of or treatment for) a
mental illness - in substance abuse treatment settings, it would be
anyone with a personal history of substance abuse, and in
dual-diagnosis treatment settings it should be people who have a
history of both. Usually you see this word talking about committees, decision-making groups, etc.: the ADAMH Family and Consumer Advocacy Council, the NAMI Ohio Consumer Council, etc. A similar term is "peer."
- DBSA - The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is a national organization run by and for people with mood disorders.
- DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy
is related to CBT, but it includes a lot more stuff about "mindfulness"
(related to meditation - think of Yoda complaining that Luke Skywalker
never has his mind on "where he is;" that's what DBT mindfulness is
supposed to fix.) There's also a lot of "skills"
you're supposed to practice. DBT was originally designed to
reduce suicidal and self-harm incidents in girls with Borderline
Personality Disorder. DBT takes at least a year - sometimes a lot longer - to get through.
- NAMI - The National Alliance on Mental Illness is an organization mostly run by family members of people with serious mental illness.
- OOD - Opportunities for Ohioans with Disaabilities is the new name for Ohio's Rehabilitation Services Commission.
- Peer
- A "peer" is anyone who has a personal history (diagnosis of or
treatment for) a mental illness, though in substance abuse treatment
settings, it would be anyone with a personal history of substance
abuse, and in dual-diagnosis treatment settings it should be people who
have a history of both. Usually you see this word used when talking about who is providing a service: the NAMI "Peer-to-Peer" course is taught by peers, the PEER Center is run by peers, and Peer Support Advocates work in hospitals and treatment centers and are also peers. A similar term is "consumer."
- RSC - Rehabilitation Services
Commission is a common term for a state agency that focuses on services
for people with all kinds of disabilities - not just "rehabilitation"
but all kinds of other things, like disability benefits eligibility
determination. Ohio's is about to be renamed to "Opportunities
for Ohioans With Disabilities" (OOD).
- SDI - Supplemental Disability Insurance is for anyone who's disabled and has limited income; read about the difference between SDI and SSDI here.
- SSDI
- Social Security Disability Insurance is paid for by the work you've
done (FICA taxes,) so it's based on your income over the last five
years.
See also:
Always check with your doctor, therapist, or pharmacist about your
treatment options. Call 911 or 614-276-CARE (2273) if you feel like
you're in a crisis, or if you're thinking about hurting anyone, including yourself.
Links
and text last checked, updated, etc. on 13 September 2013. Next update
planned for 1 October 2013. Page created on 11 July 2013.