Particularly if you are in New York State.

My sister has been living in the States for 20 + years. She is not a citizen but a permanent resident. She is in serious need of a psychiatrist or therapist - anyone at this point - but as the result of some horrendous decisions over the years, she has no money for this. She says she doesn't even have $20 for "co-pay" to see a doctor. She's in a real mess right now and she should really be in regular therapy. She is not thinking clearly and doesn't seem to think there is anything she can do.

I'm Canadian, so I don't understand how any of this works and why she seems to have no options...if someone living in the US is having suicidal thoughts but no money to pay for therapy, is there anything that can be done? Is there any way she can get help? She told me once that in a desperate situation you're able to see a pshychiatrist once or twice for free but that's it. Well, clearly that's not enough to help in any substantial way.

I'm at a loss because I really don't know what to tell her or how she can get help. If there are any Americans here who know of something she can apply for - a subsidy or something, or any way she can get psych help, I'd be grateful to hear about it. Thanks in advance!

_________________
I'm the lead character in my life.

This is what Google turned up: http://www.nmha.org/go/find_therapy
Looks like something that would help.

_________________
I would have preferred to battle the valiant, but I guess you'll have to do.

Thank you Stacey. I'm trying to Google myself and keep up with these erratic messages I'm getting from her.

I passed on that info and told her she needs to call immediately.

Thanks again.

_________________
I'm the lead character in my life.

There are clinics and therapists that can charge on a sliding fee scale. There are also suicide hotlines she can call if she needs to talk to someone immediately. She could also contact community mental health in her area for resources. I know they (CMH) can give a direction to go since they serve a lot of low income people. There are many social workers who can help.

Your sister can self admit at a psych ER in a hospital, city funded hospitals especially. They will assess her and probably help. If she has no money to pay I think they will take her anyway, however it would be best to have someone personal, family or friend, looking after her if she's going into the mental health system.

Laces, are you running your searches through google.ca or google.com? Might change your search results, given that you're looking for US-based resources. Good luck to you and your sis!

_________________
I would have preferred to battle the valiant, but I guess you'll have to do.

I work in a hospital in New York, and the law here says that the ER can't turn anyone away if they can't pay. So she needs to go to an ER and have a CPEP team evaluate her, and she can go from there. My sister had to have one a few years ago (long story), and after the CPEP she was given an appointment with a therapist. She only went once, though.

_________________
"Children are the future...today belongs to ME!" Lindsay Naegle ('The Simpsons')

I agree with going to the ED for suicidal thoughts. Patients with suicidal thoughts are almost always admitted for psychiatric treatment (whether she signs herself in or whether the ED docs force her stay).

If you were in the US, you could call the police and tell them your sister is seriously suicidal. They would pick her up and bring her to the ED for a mandatory evaluation (or at least this happens in Pennsylvania).

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Call 1-800-273-TALK

She could try calling the suicide prevention hotline, too. They probably could get her in touch with some local resources.

Thank you everyone, I truly appreciate your help. I wasn't thinking very well yesterday and it was really great of you to find those resources for me. She is still quite low today and full of excuses for why she won't take a step towards getting help - wait lists too long, red tape, minimal support, etc. etc. She can be very frustrating and unreasonable. But at least she has the info and I also gave it to her daughter, who is going to keep trying with her.

Thanks again.

_________________
I'm the lead character in my life.