Getting Help for Yourself

Are you in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) and need help, or think you might need help, for a mental health problem? Contact Information and Referral at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) if:

• You have questions about mental health, mental illness, and/or mental health services.
• You want to know where you can go for help.
• You want information about mental health support groups and other support services.

Contact information:

• Information and Referral Director: 267-507-3842 or
• Information and Referral Project Coordinator: 267-507-3843 or
• Toll-free: 800-688-4226, ext. 3842 (Information and Referral Director) and 3843 (Information and Referral Project Coordinator)

If you are outside of Southeastern Pennsylvania, click on the link below, which will help you find services in your area:

• http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/getting-help-locate-services/index.shtml
• http://www.webmd.com/depression/mental-health-warning-signs
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-illness/DS01104/DSECTION=symptoms

Are you in Southeastern Pennsylvania and seeking mental health supports other than professional services? The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania operates approximately 50 such services, many of which are peer-to-peer: that is, delivered by individuals who are themselves in recovery from mental health challenges. These “alternative” services, which complement professional services, promote recovery and community integration.  For a list and description of these services, click here.

If you are outside of Southeastern Pennsylvania and are seeking mental health supports other than professional services, contact MHASP’s National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse http://www.mhselfhelp.org at 800-553-4539 or info@mhselfhelp.org, or consult the Clearinghouse’s Consumer-run Services Directory: http://www.cdsdirectory.org. If the directory does not provide information about alternative services in your area, contact the Clearinghouse directly.

The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania is here to help. Please contact us at 215-751-1800267-507-3812, 800-688-4226, mha@mhasp.org.

If you need help or have questions, call or e-mail our Information and Referral Project Coordinator at 267-507-3843.

Getting Help for Your Family Member

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated one in four individuals over the age of 18 experiences a “diagnosable mental disorder” in a given year. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/statistics/index.shtml.
• And, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately one in every five children and adolescents experiences a mental disorder at any given time. http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/children-s-mental-health-statistics
• How do you know if your family member needs help with a mental health challenge? Check out the links below: http://www.webmd.com/depression/mental-health-warning-signs, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-illness/DS01104/DSECTION=symptoms
• Mental Health America offers a fact sheet to help family members whose loved ones may be facing mental health problems: http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/mi-and-the-family/recognizing-warning-signs-and-how-to-cope
• Another resource for family members is NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): http://www.nami.org/.

If you have a family member in Southeastern Pennsylvania who needs help, you can contact the Information and Referral Department of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP). They can provide you with information about mental health services in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. The Information and Referral Director can be reached at 267-507-3842 or iandr@mhasp.org; the Information and Referral Project Coordinator can be reached at 267-507-3843 or iandr@mhasp.org. Both can be called toll-free at 800-688-4226, ext. 3842 (Director) and 3843 (Project Coordinator).

If you are calling from outside of Southeastern Pennsylvania, click on the link below, which will help you find services in your area:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/getting-help-locate-services/index.shtml

Are you in Southeastern Pennsylvania and are seeking mental health supports other than professional services? The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania operates approximately 50 such services, many of which are peer-to-peer: that is, delivered by individuals who are themselves in recovery from mental health challenges. These alternative services, which are an adjunct to professional services, promote recovery and community integration. 

The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania also operates the Training and Education Center (TEC), which provides training and education programs in a culturally competent manner to family members and service providers to help them facilitate recovery in themselves and their loved ones or clients. For information about TEC, click on the following link: http://mhasp.squarespace.com/about-tec/.

If you are outside of Southeastern Pennsylvania and are seeking mental health supports other than professional services, contact MHASP’s National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse http://www.mhselfhelp.org – a mental health consumer-run national technical assistance center funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, at 800-553-4539 or info@mhselfhelp.org, or click on the Clearinghouse’s Consumer-run Services Directory: http://www.cdsdirectory.org. If the directory does not provide information about alternative services in your area, contact the Clearinghouse directly and its Technical Assistance Coordinator will help you.

If you need help or have questions, call or e-mail:

• Information and Referral Director at 267-507-3842 or ; or
• Information and Referral Project Coordinator at 267-507-3843

Getting Help for Your Organization

“In the U.S., the annual economic, indirect cost of mental illnesses is estimated to be at least $79 billion. Most of that amount – approximately $63 billion – reflects the cost of lost productivity. Mental illness causes more days of work loss and work impairment than chronic health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, arthritis, back pain, hypertension, and heart disease.”

• http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/State_Advocacy/About_the_Issue/Workplace.pdf
• Promoting mental health in the workplace is important. Here are some links to information that will help:
• “Factsheet: Gaining a Competitive Edge Through Mental Health: the Business Case for Employers”
• http://www.nmha.org/go/gaining-a-competitive-edge-through-mental-health-the-business-case-for-employers
• “An Employer’s Guide to Behavioral Health Services”
• http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/pdfs/fullreport_behavioralhealthservices.pdf
• “A Mentally Healthy Workforce – It’s Good for Business”
• http://www.workplacementalhealth.org/pdf/POPartnershipBrochure05.pdf
• American Psychiatric Association’s Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
• http://workplacementalhealth.org/
• For additional information, contact the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania at 267-507-3800 or 800-688-4226, or at mha@mhasp.org.

Getting Help for Your Community

Two important challenges for many communities are preventing homelessness and preventing injuries and fatalities to civilians and law enforcement officers. The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania has shown leadership in confronting these challenges, as well as in promoting recovery from mental health issues and helping individuals who face such challenges live successfully in the community.

Homelessness

A fact sheet provided by the National Coalition for the Homeless http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/Mental_Illness.pdf provides statistics on the incidence of mental illness among homeless people: between 20 percent and 25 percent of individuals who are homeless have serious mental illnesses, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In addition, half of those who are homeless and have mental illnesses also have substance use disorders. The fact sheet reports: “In a survey by the United States Conference of Mayors (2008), 20% of cities listed better coordination with mental health service providers as one of the top three items needed to combat homelessness.” In addition, access to safe, decent, affordable housing, including supported housing – which offers services including mental and physical health care, education and employment options, peer support, and training in daily living and financial management skills – can help people get off the streets and stay off the streets. Housing First http://www.pathwaystohousing.org/content/our_model – in which people first receive housing and then are connected with treatment and supports – has been shown to be effective in helping break the cycle of homelessness.

The National Coalition for the Homeless notes: “Funding is available from various programs run by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD, as well as from the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) http://pathprogram.samhsa.gov/. Additionally, the United States Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in February 2009, which includes $1.5 billion for homelessness prevention and re-housing http://www.recovery.gov/About/Pages/The_Act.aspx http://funderstogether.org/content/view/economic-stimulus-resources.”

The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania operates programs to help individuals in Southeastern Pennsylvania who have long-term histories of homelessness and mental illness come in from the cold. These programs include:

• ACCESS West Philly http://www.mhasp.org/services/programs.html;
• Homeward Bound http://www.mhasp.org/services/programs.html#homeward;
• Connect, Connect by Night and Connect to Permanency http://www.mhasp.org/services/connect.html; and
• Halfway There http://www.mhasp.org/services/programs.html#mcshp

(NOTE: THESE ARE LINKS FROM OUR CURRENT WEB SITE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THESE LINKS WILL CHANGE.)

Law Enforcement

Interactions between law enforcement and individuals with mental health challenges have led to tragedy. Following the death of a young man who had mental illness at the hands of a police officer in Memphis, Tenn., the Memphis community came together to develop an award-winning model of jail diversion and community policing that has saved lives and helped individuals receive treatment rather than incarceration http://cit.memphis.edu/AboutCIT.php http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/51/10/1315. The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania was a leader in the advocacy initiative that resulted in the Philadelphia Police Department’s adoption of the Crisis Intervention Team model, which has also been instituted in numerous communities around the United States.

Community Integration

The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) has been a leader in the movement to close state hospitals, including Philadelphia State Hospital and Haverford State Hospital; to help individuals released from these hospitals establish successful lives in the community http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/50/10/1297; and to effect Pennsylvania’s transformation from a hospital-dependent to a community-based mental health system. MHASP is also a partner in the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The TU Collaborative is devoted to promoting community integration for individuals with psychiatric disabilities (http://www.upennrrtc.org). 

For additional information, contact the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania at 215-751-1800 or 800-688-4226, or at mha@mhasp.org.