NEED HELP? 1-800-273-8255 TXT "CTL" to 741741
1 in 5 CT Residents will
experience a mental health
problem in any given year.
With treatment 70 - 90% of people
have a significantly improved
quality of life.
14.6% of CT high schoolers
had serious thoughts of
suicide in the past year.
10.3% of CT 12-17 year olds
reported using drugs recently.
1 out of 4 CT college-aged students
experienced major psychological
distress in the past year.
46.5% of US college students felt
hopeless for two weeks or more.
26.5% of CT residents age 12 and
up report binge drinking-having 5
or more drinks at a time.
1 in 4 CT highschoolers felt sad
or hopeless for two weeks or
more in the past year.
8.9% of CT highschoolers report not
eating for 24 hours of more because
of body image issues.
Do you dislike how society looks at people with mental health concerns and addiction? Are you tired of the punishment and/or criminalization help-seeking people receive?
If so, speak up!
There are many opportunities to advocate for better care and a more positive image of people like us.
Your story matters. Feeling heard and understood matters! Share your story or read your peer’s stories here!
Advocacy is really important. OUR voice helps continue the evolution of care and ourselves!
Watch our other Recovery Poetry Videos
Sometimes the best way to start is with a short-term live-in program at a detox center or with a psychiatric inpatient facility, which is important in crisis intervention. They can get you stable and help you find what kind of help you need for the immediate future.
In CT, you can call 211 for free 24/7 to talk to a crisis counselor, find a Mobile Crisis team that can come to you to assess you and help you as well as helping you to find out about Detox or Inpatient programs near you.
Need help now? Click here for resources.
What To Expect At A Psych or Detox Unit
Wellness is all about personal strengths and pursuing healthier behaviors for healing/recovery. Everyone’s wellness journey looks different! It all depends on unique needs, desires, and ideas of life.
Wellness is all about ourselves! It can be hard to put ourselves and needs first! In fact, many of us feel as if there are other things we need to do in order to reward ourselves with self-care.
Just know that self-care is not supposed to be earned! It’s something we need, like food and water!
We know self-care can feel like a process. With self-care practices, you can improve how you experience or deal with life. All of which includes holistic and alternative methods like yoga, exercise, meditation, art, journaling, eating healthy and more!
Read what our peers had to say about their wellness journey.
“I have always loved to write, and there is something cathartic about being able to see emotions that seem so ugly in my head transform into something beautiful and relatable to others.”
“Yoga has taught me to love and appreciate the body I used to hate so much.”
Remember that patience is key in the recovery/healing process! Please don’t rush yourself. Find coping and self-caring tips from a peer here!
What Wellness Means to Us
Self-care is the process of establishing behaviors to ensure you do to promote health without doctors. Self care is not limited to fulfilling your needs and activities of daily living. It can make you feel better. It will help you with establishing helpful behaviors that can become routine. It is different for everyone but it’s all about:
Self-care can make you feel your best! It’s all about meeting your needs.
Remember that YOU come first and YOU are your first priority!
Spiritual Health is a dimension of wellness that integrates all aspects of health; physical, emotional, mental, and social. It’s all about connecting to your inner and outer self to support living in personal values and purpose.
Spirituality is the art of connecting with yourself and your surroundings for internal wellbeing. It brings internal understanding of the self that can lead to self-acceptance, self-awareness, and inner peace.
Your spiritual journey is self-defined and personal. This is what one of our peers said:
“My sense of spirituality comes from a sense of wonder. For me, it has a lot more to do with appreciating my connectedness with the world around me than with a higher power.”
Spiritual Practices include meditation, yoga, exploring the self, affirmations, doing things you enjoy, living by your values, shadow work, living by honesty/kindness, etc.
“Spiritual self-care practice plays an important role and has been a helpful part of my wellness and recovery. It has helped me with understanding myself and pinpointing where my addiction was coming from.”
What Our Peers Say About their Spiritual Journey:
“I’m not involved in any religious groups. I actually left those faiths behind and have found self-acceptance in myself through my gifts. I was able to connect with my ancestors, angels, deities, the universe, and much much more.”
“For me it involves a God that loves me and accepts me for who I am. For most of my life I tried so hard to be good enough for everyone else, and the best part is that I have learned to be good enough right where I am, a work in progress.”
Read about how spirituality can impact our health here.
View research data that proves the positive impact of spiritual practices here.
A recovery plan is a great way to be active with and take control of your mental health! It can help you work towards your recovery goals!
A Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) can help you plan for recovery, prepare for the possibility of relapse or setbacks, and recognize when you are doing well.
Here’s what a peer has to say about WRAP:
“I’m working with my counselor on my WRAP plan, and we’re figuring my triggers, what triggers me to feel unhappy and everything.”
You can also create an Advance Directive, a legally binding document that you and the people who support you can use to make sure your wishes are respected if you are not well.
WRAP and Advance Directive plans are what we find very useful!
Start your journey to wellness today!
We keep hearing about mindfulness from people in recovery.
Mindfulness is a way of being open and present without being judgmental about yourself (or others)! Ask yourself:
Mindfulness helps keep things in perspective, helps with problem solving and managing symptoms. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to lower stress, reduce risk of depression, and improve sleep.
Check out these tips to get started!
Here’s what our peers have to say:
“When I am being mindful, I am able to breathe and really put things into perspective. Mindfulness allows me to keep things simple, one step at a time.”
“Yesterday I caught myself on the phone with my bank, drinking Starbucks and watching the girl I babysit show me what she made in art class. Sometimes I forget to stop and check to see how I am doing. Am I hungry? Am I angry? It’s easy to lose touch with yourself when you are running around getting your checklist done.”
Many people in recovery feel better when exercise is part of their daily lives!
Get those endorphins going! Send blood to your brain!
Exercise is proven to have congruent results of depression medication! It helps with:
Check out these 5 reasons to get moving!
Here’s what our peers have to say:
“Going for runs helps me get all my anger out in a positive way.”
“I got a double end speed bag to exercise and get out anger in a healthy way. It helps me manage my responses and keep my cool during intense times”
Start at your own pace! Walk at least 20 minutes a day! Chores count too! Try doing 20 minutes of chores. Or have a personal dance party!
Listening to music, or watching something while moving around makes the time pass by really quickly!
There is a “food-mood connection”. Studies show that eating well supports your mental health! It’s proven that certain foods have certain vibrations/frequencies that influence your mental health.
What you eat can have a big effect on how you feel overtime; researchers linked poorer eating habits to depression, stress, & a multitude of other mental illnesses. Click here to find out more about the correlation. If you are experiencing depression, look at what you are eating and find more out about depression and nutrition.
“It’s hard when those cookies are in front of me, how can you not give in? But in the long run, eating healthy makes me, and my brain, feel way better. It helps me emotionally and physically.”
Also check out this great flyer by the Screening for Mental Health (SMH)- Food and Mood.
Do you worry about getting enough sleep?
This is something most of us can easily relate with, especially if you have lived with anxiety or depression. Sleep deprivation can have negative effects, including:
Types of sleep disorders:
Insomnia (Inability to sleep); Sleep Apnea (Occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep) & Narcolepsy (A condition characterized by extreme tendency to fall sleep whenever one is in a relaxing surrounding).
What can you do to sleep better?
Click here to for more helpful hints to help you sleep.
This chart, provided by the National Sleep Foundation, gives us an idea as to how much sleep we may need to stay healthy and productive.
Recovery isn’t just about what you do when you’re in session with a professional — it’s also what you do when you’re out in the world. Anything you do to help cheer yourself up, keep calm, or find comfort, is a coping skill.
Make time for fun, laughter & relaxation! It is so important to do the things that make you happy. Make time for the things that you like to do. Focus on writing, reading, music, pets, friends, and being outdoors.
Sometimes you need a break from your daily routine. De-stress and remember to smile. Other then working out and making healthy food decisions, getting a good amount of sleep is key to your overall wellness. Aim for 8 hours! Keeping a journal, doing art therapy, or just going for a walk can help.
“I am now able to take my anger out with some paint, a paint brush and a canvas instead of on my self.”
“I can’t talk to my family because nobody in my family takes me seriously. So instead I always write everything down as poetry.”
Watch our other Recovery Poetry Videos
“I wish there had been a support group for my parents, for people like my parents struggling with kids who are going through hard times. Or if there are, that they had known about them.”
Supporting someone you love who has a mental health or substance use issue can take a lot of hard work. Family supports are for the people who support us—our parents, our significant others, and other friends and allies.
Family Support is different from family therapy. The focus isn’t on working through problems within the family, but rather on providing education and help to the family or friends of someone who is struggling with mental illness, substance use, or addiction.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides FREE support, education, and advocacy both for people like us who experience mental health and addiction issues and for our families. Many people feel a huge sense of relief, understanding, and bonding when they first get involved with NAMI after struggling on their own.
NAMI chapters are everywhere. They offer support groups, guest speakers, and more—all for free and open to the public. Also offer special multi-week programs—like “Family to Family” (F2F) and the Child and Adolescent Network (CAN)—that are like a Mental Health 101 for our families.
“I wish my dad would have taken the NAMI Family to Family training. My mom took it and she said it was a very good experience and she learned a lot.”
FAVOR is a Family Advocacy group for children’s mental health in Connecticut. They offer support groups, trainings, advocacy, and more. The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center and State Education Resource Center provide training, documents, and legal resources.
Sometimes you just need to be around people who understand what you’re going through, where you can feel accepted and comfortable. There are lots of ways to find peer support from people who are living with mental health and addiction issues—people like you and me, who may be further along in their journey. If you’re in school, you may be able to join (or start!) a chapter of LETS or Active Minds.
How To Help Your Friend
“Group” can refer to Group Therapy, which is run by a therapist or other professional. It can also refer to a Peer Support Group, where there are no professionals and meetings take place in a public space like a library, church, or classroom. Peer support groups can focus on an age group, an addiction, or an issue like PTSD or an eating disorder. There are also support groups for family members and other people who support us. “Group” is a place where we can support each other and be supported in turn.
“It works for me because it’s other people like me talking about things and how they handle it, other than going into an office with someone who hasn’t been through what I went through and just thinking they could help you.”
What to Expect from Group Therapy
Social Clubs—which are FREE—are a great place to meet and socialize with others who are also working on their recovery from mental illness. The clubs are also a great way to learn about resources in your area from the people who know. The staff helps you connect with services like supported housing, supported education, employment, and benefits. Many clubs also offer advocacy opportunities at the local and state-wide level.
Click here for a list of social clubs in CT. We also have two “clubhouses” in the state: Bridge House (Bridgeport) and Prime Time House (Torrington). They are also free social clubs, but are a peer-run community with no doctors, nurses, or therapists. Clubhouses are not open to the public; no one will know you go there unless you tell them.
Note: Some social clubs require a referral from a therapist or other professional.
“We’re not here because we need to be here, we’re here because we choose to. We choose to be here getting to know one another. So that’s why we can actually get comfortable and have the experience of being in a place that is for mental illness but is non-medicated.”
Alcoholics Anonymous was the first 12-step program and has helped people around the world. Now there are all kinds of 12-step programs–Emotions Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon/Alateen, etc.–where people come together to share and support each other in recovery from addictions, eating disorders, etc.
Some benefits are that 12-step programs are free, anonymous, and help you find a “Sponsor” to help guide you through sobriety. They are not associated with any religion–however, there is a spiritual element of a “Higher Power” that is suggested, but not required.
If you’re not sure whether the 12 steps are for you, call their 800 number to find a nearby “open meeting.” Open meetings allow you to attend to see if the program is for you.
Recovery Community Organizations are another FREE, peer-run option providing support, education, outreach, and advocacy for people living with addiction. They don’t focus on 12 steps but believe there are many different pathways to recovery.
The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) has drop-in Recovery Community Centers in Bridgeport, Hartford, and Windham. They also offer telephone support for people in recovery and lots of other services.
THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE
People in recovery can get trained as a Recovery Support Specialist or to do Intentional Peer Support so that they can help others. They can work with you as part of your treatment team, alongside a therapist and psychiatrist. They focus on helping you become empowered in your own recovery and engaged in communities that interest you. And they’ve been through what you’re going through!
Only people who have lived with mental illness and/or addiction can take the certification program and work as Recovery Support Specialists or IPS staff.
Many people take natural or herbal supplements instead of (or along with) medication. A lot of people are very happy with the results. Click here and here to read about some medically-reviewed supplements that support your mental and emotional health. Or check out this info from Dr. Andrew Weil, one of the pioneers in the field of integrative medicine.
For best results, consult a specialist such as a naturopathic doctor, a registered dietician, or an integrative medicine specialist. In CT, many hospitals have integrative medicine centers.
Important!
Just like with any illness, medication can be a huge help. However, be aware that just because you are getting medication and may feel stable, you should not stop going to wherever you’re seeking help!
“My meds don’t make me happy. I take my meds to feel well, well enough to do the work of recovery. Being happy is up to me.”
“It has happened to me where I’m like “ok, I’m stopping, I feel good, I don’t need my medication” and then that’s why I hit rock bottom again, and I’m like “oh damn, I’m here again! What am I doing?”
Sometimes people don’t like to hear the words, “you need meds.” However, there’s nothing wrong with taking medication and you shouldn’t feed the stigma towards it. In some cases, medication may be your best option. If your mental health is preventing you from getting through the day, meds may provide the support necessary to go to work or school and do well. Don’t stress about it! If you are interested, we are here to offer some simple tricks to getting the best results from your meds!
When you don’t have the answer, ask someone. Your doctor/psychiatrist, therapist/social worker, and people on TurningPointCT.org will be there too!
There is no blood test to find out what medication will work for you; it’s trial and error between you and your doctor. There are anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and other drugs for panic, anxiety, obsession, ADHD, etc.. Sometimes what works is a combo of several drugs. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right stuff and you may experience side effects, but don’t lose hope! Be patient, recovery is a process.
If you have an addiction, there are certain meds that can help with withdrawals. And remember if you are living with mental illness and a history of addiction, there are non-addictive medications you can take!
“Half of my struggle is my behavior and my thought processes, but the chemical piece is fixed. It’s just so incredible to think that taking this little pill makes me feel like myself.”
Before you even walk into the doctor’s office you may write a list of questions that you want to ask your doctor. You could scribble a few questions down on a piece of paper and tuck it into your wallet or purse. Some questions that may come up includes:
Ask More Questions!
There are so many more questions you could think of, but you want to make sure that you get the best results. You must be your own advocate so that you can get the best results you need to spend time learning about your medication.
You need to work with a doctor to figure out your medication. A psychiatrist, some general practice doctors, and psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (known as psychiatric APRNs in CT) can prescribe psychiatric medications. A psychologist cannot.
Even if you don’t have insurance, there are programs where you can find a doctor to help you.
To search for a doctor, facility, and/or clinic in CT, click here!
Again, you must have an honest and open communication with your doc! No one can help you 100% if you are not being completely honest about how your meds are working.
If the medications are not giving you unexpected results, tell your doctor. If you are having any side effects, tell your doctor. If you keep forgetting to take your meds, tell your doctor! Even if you don’t want to take your meds anymore and want to try something else… the doctor needs to know!
It’s easy to forget where, when, and how many meds you must take. The routine can seem overwhelming, which can make it difficult to keep track of it all. Don’t stress it! We have a ton of tips to help you stay organized!
Avoid common mistakes
Stay on Schedule
Avoid drug complications
Remember…
If your medication needs you to have a full stomach, make sure you eat! Depending on the meds, an empty stomach might turn into an upset stomach when not following this instruction.
A Couple of Extra Helpful Hints for Organization:
“I fill my pill box every Sunday and then I am set for the week. It makes everything so easy as I take what is in the individual box for the day and then I’m all set. I felt like a grandma at first, but this little box has made my life so much more manageable.” Ann.
There are also plenty of FREE apps that can help you with your medication. Just type in “medication” in your search bar of whichever app store you use and chose which one fits best for you. A lot of them have reminders which save the trouble of doing it on your phone yourself.
Medication can be extremely helpful, BUT it can only do its job if you are taking it as prescribed. So if you are either taking more than prescribed AND/OR missing doses or not consistently taking it, you might fall under a description below:
“I had a hard time with prescription drugs because I was abusing them. I just felt like nothing was helping, so I took matters into my own hands. I know today though that the meds I take can only help me if I take it like I’m supposed to. My way never worked.” Jane
Other therapies work for different people. Sometimes you may even need a combination.
Not all therapy involves talking with a therapist! There are other options out there.
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is used to help people heal from trauma or emotional distress. It involves recalling a memory and changing how you think about it through eye movements and other sensations based in the brain. Many veterans use it for PTSD. It’s somewhat controversial, although there is research to support it.
(TMS) is an FDA-approved non-invasive alternative treatment for depression. TMS can help with depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, addiction, and even fibromyalgia. This is usually for people who are not helped by medication or other treatment methods. In a TMS session, a magnetic field generator, or “coil”, is placed near the head of the person receiving the treatment. The coil produces small electric currents in the region of the brain the part of the brain which causes to depression and other mood disorders. This treatment is usually done by, by a licensed clinician, in a 4 to 6 week period. It is covered only by a few insurance companies in CT.
(Electro Convulsive Therapy) is a treatment option in cases like treatment-resistant depression, such as when other methods like medications and therapy have been unsuccessful. There are some possible side effects, like short-term memory loss, but ECT therapy is nothing like what we usually see in TV or movies, and is completely safe. The ECT procedure works by electric currents passing through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT therapy can quickly treat symptoms of certain mental illnesses, such as severe depression, and is administered to patients while they’re under general anesthesia.
is used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that is directly related to the change in seasons and is most commonly found in during the colder months, when time spent outdoors lessens drastically. Light Box Therapy uses artificial light that mimics natural outdoor sunlight and eases the symptoms of SAD. Light boxes can be purchased over the counter, with a prescription and are available in stores or through internet retailers.
is a therapy that helps your mental wellness through artistic self-expression. The process and creation of artwork can help people understand their emotional conflicts, develop social skills, improve self-esteem, manage addictions, reduce anxiety, and restore normal function to their lives.
uses puppets, painting, and other techniques to help people express emotions that are hard to talk about. This therapy is often used with younger children.
Therapy helps you put a new perspective on things. And it’s your opportunity to vent, ask for advice, get feedback, and follow up on your goals with someone who’s trained to listen and help. Help is available even if you’re uninsured!
“Talking is the first step: don’t bottle! You should talk to someone who knows what to do, how to help you.”
Try to keep an open mind. In therapy it’s really important to feel that you can be open, honest, and willing to do the work necessary. There is a right fit for you! Remember, if you don’t find that right therapist right away, try not to get discouraged. It might seem like it’s too hard, but just keep going and continue to seek help.
“You have to be really picky and choosy. I’m glad I tried everything or else I wouldn’t have found the right one. I’m so happy I switched therapists.”
What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session
What to Expect from Group Therapy
Cognitive therapy teaches you to recognize and correct your negative thoughts.
Behavioral therapy focuses on helping you change your patterns of behavior. Sometimes it involves gradually exposing you to things that make you feel anxious or that trigger you so that eventually you can get de-sensitized.
Can’t decide? A lot of people choose a form of therapy that combines aspects of both cognitive and behavioral therapy, such as CBT and DBT.
“CBT definitely! Looking at and analyzing the way that I interpret what goes on around me was really helpful.”
“DBT was one of the best decisions of my life, as much as I didn’t want to do it at the time. The radical acceptance was awesome.”
Psychoanalysis is what Freud invented. It’s where you spend a lot of time over a long period getting into your past. It focuses on how these events might have helped shape the person you are today and do the things you do.
Click the “Who Can Help Me?” button on the right to read about types of therapists or go to our Resources page to find provider agencies.
What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session
You can do therapy one-on-one or in a small group. A lot of people even do both.
Individual therapy normally meets once a week for a 45-50 minute session.
“I’ve had the same psychologist for 6 years now, and she’s seen me through so much. I love her to bits.”
Group therapy is a good opportunity to hear from and share with your peers. You can get advice from people experiencing similar situations.
“Group therapy was really helpful for me, because when you’re depressed you feel like you’re the only person that feels that way, but you’re not!”
What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session
What to Expect from Group Therapy
Family therapists specialize in group dynamics. Their job is to help your family members work through conflict. They work with you and your family (or who you live with) to bridge gaps in communication.
BUT if you’re going to have your own therapist plus a family therapist, consider this:
“My [personal] therapist was the same therapist the whole family saw and that was definitely a mistake. It feels like she’s shared, she’s not truly confidential.”
What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session
What to Expect from Group Therapy
Talking to someone about what’s going on is really important!
“The more you talk, the more likely you are to get more help.”
There are lots of people you can talk to, and if the first person doesn’t know how to help you, then you can ask them to help you figure out your options.
It can be scary at first considering opening up to someone, but telling another person how you are feeling is the only way the will know! Unfortunately, people can’t read our minds and that means we have to talk about it. Being honest about where you are at is the only way you can take the first step in getting help.
So take a deep breathe and go talk to someone. It can be hard but in the end talking and asking for help is worth it because that puts you one step closer to feeling better.
“Realize that you are not feeling okay and that’s okay. People just want to pretend that they feel fine and maybe it’ll go away, but it won’t. It will just bubble up. You need to take the first step and be courageous enough to ask for help.”
If you are hurting yourself or you feel suicidal, tell someone immediately. Tell someone. It might feel like in the moment things won’t get better, but we are here to tell you they will!
There are trained people who can help and can even come right to you. Contacting a crisis line is free and confidential.
“I’ve saved two people’s lives because they told me ‘you know what, I’m going to kill myself,’ and I took them seriously enough to call their parents or to call the police.”
Mobile crisis teams have counselors who will talk to you over the phone or come to you wherever you are. They can take you to the hospital if necessary or make an appointment for you. The service is free and available 24/7.
You can always call 911 to get an ambulance. If you ask for someone with CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training, that person will know better how to help you. They can take you to a hospital for psychiatric assistance.
When you really need to talk, the American Federation for Suicide Prevention runs a hotline that you can call any time, day or night. (You don’t have to be suicidal.) Call 1-800-273-TALK (-8255). You can also call 1-800-SUI-CIDE.
The Crisis Text Line (CTL) is toll-free and is specifically for teens & young adults. You can contact them 24/7 to talk to a trained counselor about any issue from being lonely, to bullying, pregnancy, coming out, problems with your family, etc. Text “CTL” to 741741.
The Trevor Lifeline is an LGBTQ resource—specifically for young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or questioning and may be in crisis or feeling suicidal. Call 24/7 for a safe and judgment-free place to talk: 866-488-7386. There are also text and chat options during evening hours.
One of the first questions asked is usually what should I say to my family? How will they react? Will they judge me?
“Everyone around me was pretty much saying “oh you’re just growing up, you’re just a teenager, it’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s nothing.” But eventually it was very clear that it wasn’t just nothing.”
Your family may not take you seriously at first. This might be because adolescents or pre-teens having mental illness is scary and people don’t want to accept that that’s an issue. It may be easier for them to think you’re just being dramatic.
To get them to understand, be specific about what you’re experiencing. Talk about how you’re feeling and ask to see someone. You can ask to go on medication or use another form of treatment if that’s what you want. Ask to go to group therapy, if that’s what you want.
“I erupted at my dad and told him that I had my first experience of suicide ideation when I was 10 years old. And said I’ve never done anything about it in terms of resolving or figuring out or anything, and I laid it out for him. He sat there quietly and said “OK. Well, I’m going to make some phone calls and we’re going to figure out what to do because whatever you’re doing isn’t working.” And it wasn’t a judgment thing.”
“My family doesn’t really understand. My sister’s like “oh, you just have high emotions”–no, it’s not high emotions! When it comes to a mental disability, they need to understand we’re not crazy. We just need a little more help than others.”
If your family isn’t as supportive as you’d like, don’t give up! Remember that they want what’s best for you, even when they don’t know what that is. They are just trying to support you with the understanding that they have, which is not always accurate.
If your family doesn’t understand, go to a mentor, teacher, neighbor, or someone you trust:
“Go to the right people, especially people that are in your corner that can help you, not somebody that’s going to break you down. You should go to people that are going to help you and help you find the right resources.”
Friends can help you on levels professionals can’t. For many of us, a friend is the first person we talk to about what’s going on and what we’re going through. They don’t always have the information we need, but our friends can be our biggest supporters when it comes to helping us deal with our struggles.
“Talk to the ones who will support you no matter what. Especially ones that understand you or are dealing with the same situations.”
If you are worried about one of your own friends, take it seriously! Talk to them, listen to what they have to say and be supportive, but remember that your friend may need more help than you can give. If that’s the case, make a phone call for them, or bring them to a counselor.
What About My Friends?
You can always start by talking with your regular doctor. If you talk your concerns, they should be able to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical issue that’s causing your symptoms. And if there is, they can help get you treatment for that.
If they think you need—or if you ask for—mental health or addiction treatment, they will most likely know about a few local providers. They may even be able to recommend specific people or programs that you might prefer! But keep in mind that their specialty is not mental health and addiction. Odds are they won’t know about everything that’s available to you. That’s why it’s important if you get a referral to follow through and see a mental health professional.
A lot of us are in school all day. If you are experiencing any issues with your mental health, your school may be a good place to start looking for help. Try talking to a counselor or a trusted teacher.
“The school helped me so much by getting me in contact with all sorts of people.”
Sometimes you may not find the support you need at school, but don’t lose hope. School is just one of many places that you can look for help, but in some cases it may not offer the help you need. However, school is a great jumping point if you are looking for some place to start and do not know how.
A good person to talk to is your school’s social worker or psychologist. Most high schools and colleges have at least one that is available all the time or at least some of the time. You can usually see them a few times before being referred to an outside professional, and they are also a good place to find resources that may help you. Best of all, it’s free!
“I would talk to the school psychologist first, and say “this is how I’m feeling,” because they’ll always listen.”
You should be aware though, that if you report to the school that you are suicidal or self harming, most schools are legally obligated to contact your parents or report it to someone who can get you help.
Guidance counselors are NOT specifically there for your mental health—they’re more like academic advisers. They can help you with school—changing your schedule, starting a club, or making plans for your life after graduation.
However, they should still be able to tell you who to talk to if you need help and do not know where to go.
The same is true for a teacher- they are not there for your mental health. They should, however, be able to direct you to the help you need.
Some middle and high schools have a School-Based Health Center, and colleges usually have a student health center where you can ask for some mental health counseling.
Since school health centers offer both medical and mental health care, no one will know what you’re there for. They’re free and confidential.
The only thing is, if you are under 18 you have to have parental consent to use the school-based health center—unless it’s an emergency, like if you’re thinking of hurting yourself.
Therapists are professionals who are trained to help you with your issues. Feel free to “shop around” until you find one that works for you.
You probably want to start by seeing some type of Master’s-level therapist, often once a week. The therapist can refer you to a psychologist as needed for a complete evaluation and/or to a psychiatrist for meds. A psychiatric APRN who is working with a doctor may also prescribe meds. You may also have a case manager to help coordinate services for you.
“My therapist will help me unpack the baggage. She’ll be the person I see for an hour once a week, and she’s the person that I work with on my coping skills and my symptom management in terms of my behavior and managing goals.”
Whether you have public or private insurance, you can access an online database of therapists near you. Most databases provide info such as whether the therapists have any specialties, like focusing on certain diagnoses, working with LGBTQ people, trauma training, or speaking a foreign language.
“My clinician was great. She really wanted me to do well, she really had higher hopes for me, so I started getting better.”
Choosing a therapist is usually based on factors like what your insurance covers, who referred you, and how close the office is to you. Whether it’s an LMFT, an LCSW, or a psychologist, the therapist will be able to listen to you and provide counseling. You should probably meet a couple of therapists and decide based on which one you “click” with better.
A psychologist has an advanced degree in psychology and is Board certified. A school psychologist has to have a Master’s degree; a clinical psychologist has to have a Doctoral level degree. Psychologists can do assessments and evaluations and can diagnose mental illnesses. They can also provide counseling.
“We have a treatment plan where we come up with what goals I have for the next 3-6 months of treatment and what will it look like when I’m ready to be discharged. What are my standards for that? How will I achieve the goals that I’ve set? What do I need to do on my own and what do we need to do in session?”
A psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse is a nurse with at least a Master’s degree in nursing. Psychiatric APRNs who are in a collaborative practice with a doctor can prescribe medication.
A psychiatrist will work with you primarily on managing your medication—making sure that the meds are working, seeing if they’re helping your symptoms and if you’re having any side effects. You might only see the psychiatrist once or twice a month.
“I personally like my psychiatrist because he talks to me like I’m a normal person, like ‘so, do you think these meds work for you?’ So many people say “you’re taking this pill, no questions asked,” but he asks me questions and I answer him. I’m like “I don’t feel comfortable with this med” or “I want to up my meds” and he’s really in tune with that.”
A case manager helps organize people with multiple life issues. Your case manager may work with both you and your family. He or she can help you with coordinating and monitoring your therapy, nutrition, education, employment, etc.
There are many ways to learn about and access services—the important part is to keep asking different people what is available. Some services are free. Some services require a referral from a doctor or therapist, but there are a lot of resources that are not clinical.
And remember: There is more than just therapy and medication.
I think I need help? You might want to start by asking your family, doctor, or a school social worker to help you so that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help.
In Connecticut, you can always call 211—it’s the free 24-hour helpline. They can walk you through the steps to help you figure out what agencies in your community can help you. 211 will help with anything from food & shelter to mental health. There is also the crisis intervention available.
The key factors to consider are your age, whether you have insurance and what type, and where you live.
GETTING STARTED, PART 1: FIND A THERAPIST
GETTING STARTED, PART 2: TIPS
In CT, if you are under 18 you can receive services through Child Guidance. They can assess you, provide individual, group, or family therapy, and can help coordinate all the services you or your family may need.
Child Guidance will accept people with private insurance or public insurance such as Medicaid. If you don’t have insurance, they charge using a sliding-fee scale based on your family’s income. You may be able to pay around $30/visit, which is equivalent to some people’s co-pay.
“The insurance companies will work with you if you work with them. The issue is they’re not always as generous as you’d like them to be.”
If you have private insurance, take a look at the policy (or ask the company to send it to you) and find out what mental health benefits are covered, what the co-pay is, whether you need a doctor’s referral, and whether you need the insurance company to “pre-authorize” services. Then take a look at the insurance company’s online list of mental health providers that they work with. Look for someone local who is “in-network”—it’s usually cheaper than out of network.
“When I’ve had to search for providers, I’ll find all the providers that are along bus routes or that are walking distance from where I live or from where I work. Then I’ll go through the information and highlight different specialties they have that are relevant to me, and I’ll pick 3-6 that I am absolutely sure that I want to try and I’ll try them. If those don’t work out, I’ll move to the next.”
If you or your family have a low income, you may qualify for coverage under Medicaid. In CT, there are several Medicaid programs known as HUSKY.
“When I applied for HUSKY-D, it took me five months to get approved, and I had to make a lot of phone calls to make sure my case was moving along and not getting lost in the piles of paperwork. But now, I don’t have any copays because I have Medicaid for low income adults.”
Note: There are other entitlement programs, for people, if you have a developmental disability. A social worker can help you figure out what you qualify for. If you’re not sure, apply anyway! If you don’t qualify for them, then you don’t qualify for them, but you won’t know until you apply.
In Connecticut, people who qualify for public assistance can receive outpatient and inpatient services, case management, and wraparound care, including young adult services focused on people ages 18-25, from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).
If you are undocumented, you can still get mental health services and pay “out of pocket” (cash). Look for agencies that charge based on a “sliding fee scale,” which means they will charge you more or less based on your income. You may be able to pay around $30/visit, which is equivalent to some people’s co-pay.
In Connecticut, people who are undocumented can receive outpatient and inpatient services, case management, and wraparound care, including young adult services focused on people ages 18-25, from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).
Many therapists do not participate with any insurance companies, because it’s easier for them to charge you directly and let you deal with getting reimbursed. Expect to pay around $100-150/visit. Your insurance may later reimburse you up to 80% of the cost.
Always get a printout from the therapist showing the date of service, service received, with all info and codes filled out, indicating that you paid. You can submit that document to your insurance company for reimbursement. Make sure you keep a copy in case they lose it!
Ironically, if you qualify for public assistance, you are probably eligible for a lot more mental health services than if you have private insurance. The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS, pronounced “deemuss”) offers “wraparound” services such as young adult programs, case management, peer support, supported housing, supported education, and supported employment for people with a mental illness.
If you have private insurance through your family, a social worker might advise you to get off their insurance especially before you turn 18, so you can qualify for the public programs.
During 2014, the state Department of Children and Families is working on designing an integrated behavioral health plan for ages 0-18 that is supposed to provide the same level of care no matter what kind of insurance you have.
“I wish I knew of services earlier. I wish I had known about services and I wish I had known that other people felt the same way as I did.”
If you or a friend are having a psychiatric emergency, you can call 211 and ask for the mobile crisis team, call 911, or go to the ER.
You may have better luck at the emergency room if you are brought in by the mobile crisis team or by 911—otherwise you may just wait.
Like a visit to the doctor, outpatient treatment allows you to stay home and maintain your daily activities in the community. Usually you visit a therapist about once a week for about 45 minutes. Outpatient services can be one-on-one or in a group.
IOP is Intensive Outpatient treatment—for people who need more intensive support to deal with their addiction, prevent hospitalization, or transition out of the hospital after a crisis.
You live at your own place, but you receive a lot more services for a period of several weeks, until you’re feeling more stable. Usually IOP involves group therapy 2-3 times a week for about 3 hours each time.
IOP is covered by most insurance plans. If your insurance runs out before you are ready to leave, your treatment coordinator can ask for an extension.
“When I first got out of the hospital, I wanted to start my life from scratch. IOP helped me transition to being out in the world again.”
A Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is a very intensive short-term program for people experiencing acute psychiatric issues but who do not require the 24 hour setting of a hospital. At a PHP, you receive therapy and education and participate in groups 3-5 days per week for most of the day, but you go home at night.
Personal support is available through friends, peer programs, and family support services, which can include home-based support and respite programs. In addition, other options like case management, community based services, and other support services provide “wraparound” care.
A case manager helps you by coordinating the services you receive from a doctor or therapist, advocating for you, and helping you figure out if you are entitled to special programs or benefits. Your provider agency may assign you a case manager.
If you are eligible for state-funded services in Connecticut, intensive case management is available your community.
The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services provides “wraparound” services for people who have a mental health concern or are struggling with addiction. These services are free or low-cost. They definitely help you reduce the cost of your living expenses while giving you the support you may need if you are struggling with your mental health while working or studying.
Services available through DMHAS include:
Whether it’s through BRS (Bureau of Rehabilitation Services) or a clubhouse, you can get help finding, applying for, and keeping a job. Employment specialists help you advocate for accommodations if you need them because of your illness. This service is free through BRS and clubhouses.
“My main support was my education and job counselor at the social club. I would call her if I had any problems, and she would always encourage me, and we’d look for jobs together. She would always push me, push me, and motivate me.”
If you use the bus to get around, you can go to www.cttransit.com and get an application for a reduced fare ID card. Your therapist or psychiatrist will need to fill this out for you, and you will need to submit a passport photo and $5.
Food stamps, now called SNAP (Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program) help pay for groceries. Cash Assistance can help with other household expenses. Be prepared to wait for your application to be processed.
“I wish I knew about food stamps back in the day, I wish I learned about cash. Everything I learned for the last 3 years here I wish I learned back then, because I’d be more ready.”
Apart from school social workers or psychologists, on campus there is also non-clinical support. This kind of support can be really helpful to a lot of people who are at college.
Some campuses have recovery houses (dorms) like at Fairfield University. Click here to read about their recovery house and substance abuse programs on campus. There are also other resources such as, recovery centers for people in recovery from mental illness.
Supports like these can help you in more ways then one when you’re at school. Just because you might deal with mental health and of substance abuse issues doesn’t mean that you can’t have a great college experience! There are people on campus that get it and are going through the same thing that you are!
Right now you might be wishing that you could know that you would feel better. The answer is yes! Treatment is effective, and recovery is possible.
That doesn’t mean every day will be perfect—you are allowed to have bad days and you deserve to have good days. You will get better at preventing issues that trigger you, and you’ll also get better at dealing with stressors that you can’t avoid. You’ll learn who to call or where to go when you’re feeling like you want one more drink or one more high.
Sometimes people feel weird about asking for help. But if you had a broken leg, you’d go to the doctor, right? So if you get help, you have a real chance of learning how to cope. One day you might even feel ready to cut back on your therapy or to taper off your meds. But if this is an indefinite part of your recovery, there is no shame in continuing to take medication and going to therapy!
“I had a mental problem or emotional problem and I didn’t know how to deal with it, but now I think, ‘wow, that’s an experience I’ve been through and something that makes me stronger every day.’ I’m able to accomplish things even with a mental disability and go farther than most people that do not have it.”
If I Had Known
Many people who are struggling with issues such as anxiety, depression, other mental illness, or withdrawal from addiction are helped by medication. There are many types of medication, and you may find that you need more than one to help with your symptoms.
Of course, most medications have side effects. If your doctor recommends meds, you can do your own research to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks. Expect to go through a period of trial-and-error to find what works for you.
Once you find a medication that works, take it consistently, as prescribed.
“Half of my struggle is my behavior and my thought processes, the chemical piece is fixed. It’s just so incredible to think that taking this little pill makes me feel like myself.”
How long it takes for a medication to work depends on what you’ve been prescribed. You may feel the effects of ADHD meds and some anti-anxiety drugs within hours or a day. Anti-depressants may take a couple of weeks and you may not see the full effect for 5-6 weeks.
If nothing seems to be changing after 6 weeks or so, tell your doctor so you can try something else or adjust the dosage. And of course, if things are getting worse… tell your doctor!
It really depends on the symptoms you’re struggling with. If it’s working, your symptoms should lessen—if you’re sleeping better, are not having racing or intrusive thoughts, are no longer hearing voices or seeing things, or are not feeling as anxious—that may be because of your medication.
“I felt tired, hopeless, and depressed all the time. I didn’t want to get out of bed and I didn’t want to go outside. About two weeks after I started taking meds, I started sleeping better, I had an appetite again, and I wasn’t having racing thoughts.”
The side effects are different depending on what medication(s) you’re taking and also on your own personal body chemistry. Ask your doctor what to expect, read the label, do your homework!
One side effect of some meds, including anti-depressants, is that they may actually increase thoughts of suicide. If that happens, TELL SOMEONE right away!
You may be thinking, “Why would I bother taking medication, if it could make me feel worse than before?” Psychiatric medication isn’t an exact science, but in many cases it does work. And if you and the people on your team–your parents, close friends, doctor, therapist, and others–monitor your reaction to the medication, the necessary changes can be made right away. The key is to report any problems to your prescriber immediately and for them be responsive.
“The medications I was on were changing every 3 minutes. My psychiatrist prescribed this, that, that, this. The hospital prescribed this, that, that, this. Overall, I’m glad I tried everything or else I wouldn’t have find the right one. I’m glad I was willing to switch.”
If you tell your psychiatrist that you are still experiencing the same symptoms, your psychiatrist will probably suggest changing your medications or changing the dosage. You may also need to change your meds if they stop working for you, which can happen after a while.
Even when you are happy with how your meds are working, your psychiatrist may still suggest switching you to a newer medication that has better results or fewer side effects. Your therapist or other clinician can also make suggestions for you to share with your prescriber, but remember: you are the one who has the final say in what medications you take.
Psychiatric meds and methadone or other meds prescribed for addiction don’t “cure” you of your symptoms or your illness. They make you feel better while you’re taking them. BUT, you may not need to be on meds “forever” in order to stay well. Some people find that once they’ve gotten stabilized, learned new coping skills, strengthened their support network, and maintained emotional wellness for a while—usually a few years—they feel able to handle their issues without meds.
“I’ve been doing really well—I’ve gotten a lot stronger and a lot better at taking care of myself over the last seven years. So a few months ago I talked to my psychiatrist about going off my meds, and he was very supportive. We came up with a plan to let me taper off my meds one by one. Now I’m almost done with my last medication, but I’m still going to keep seeing him every month for a while in case I have any problems.”
“Therapy will not fix your life. Therapy will not get you a job if you’re unemployed or get you into college if that’s what you want to do. But it will help you rebuild your life, your sense of self. It will help you feel strong enough to go back to work, it will help you monitor your stress level so you can go to college, it can help you feel more comfortable being vulnerable with people who are close to you, and know how to walk away from people who you feel are toxic or not safe. Therapy will help you take better care of yourself, so you can do all the things that you want to do.”
GETTING STARTED, PART 1: FIND A THERAPIST
GETTING STARTED, PART 2: TIPS
Don’t expect to get any “work” done at your first session. Don’t expect any big epiphany or anything like that. The first session is for your therapist to get to know you, for you to tell them what you want to work on, what improvements you want to see in your life as a result of therapy.
Most therapists will want to know your history—what your childhood was like, what your life at home is like and if there is a history of mental illness or addiction in your family. This helps them understand where you are coming from and what has helped you in the past, and what emotional baggage you might want to work on.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST THERAPY SESSION
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM GROUP THERAPY
“The ones that helped me out a lot didn’t judge me, they didn’t belittle me. They tried to really help me understand who I am, what’s going on with my body, my brain.”
“Therapy is based on a relationship, and you can’t be friends with everyone. If this person doesn’t work, you try somebody else, you try somebody else, you try somebody else. Eventually you’ll find someone you just kind of click with, and you know, and it works.”
It’s a good fit if you feel safe sharing and being vulnerable with the therapist. If you can’t be honest with them, they can’t help you.
It’s a good fit if you feel comfortable asking the therapist questions and if you like the way they respond. Ask questions like “what should I expect from seeing you,” “what should I expect from treatment,” and “what goals do you think I should be setting.”
“I let them interview me, but I’m gauging them. I give them one shot each. I know I’ve had some people tell me that maybe one appointment is not enough to make up your mind, that you have to give it a little bit more time to see, but sometimes fit is an instant thing.”
Most of us have worked with different therapists until we found the person who was the best fit for us.
Sometimes you age out of a program and have to find a new therapist. Sometimes your needs may change and a therapist who was a good fit early on might not be a good fit anymore. And sometimes your therapist just isn’t a good fit to begin with.
No matter what the reason is, remember that your provider works for you! It is their job to help you achieve and maintain wellness. If you don’t feel like you’re making progress, then it’s time to find someone else who will help you.
“I had been seeing this therapist for three years and at first I was very happy with her, but over time, as I got better, the things that had helped me were starting to hold me back. She had very traditional ideas about what I should be doing as a young adult. As I got stronger, I started exploring things outside of mainstream culture, and I needed her to accept that. The therapist I have now, anytime I mention something new, she asks me if I want to incorporate that community into my support network.”
It might seem awkward to leave a therapist, whether you just got started or after a long time, but therapists know that it’s all about having a positive relationship and keeping things moving forward. You are entitled to explain that you are ready for a change or to try a different approach. You can even ask them for a referral, if you feel comfortable.
Check out your insurance company’s website or one of the state resource lists to find other provider agencies near you. If you know you’d rather work with a therapist who is male, or someone who offers CBT, or who is trained to work with the LGBTQ population, that will help you identify some possible new therapists.
The short answer is, maybe–maybe not.
Therapy can be helpful when you’re dealing with a crisis, when you’re going through a transition, and for maintenance. If you’ve made it out of a crisis, worked your way through transition back to the life you want in your community, and have been doing well with a lower level of care, you might be thinking of cutting back on sessions–or even ending therapy altogether. That’s perfectly normal and okay.
Remember that you will still have to deal with stressors related to school, work, relationships, and your home life. Ending therapy doesn’t mean your life will now be perfect! But hopefully therapy has helped you identify your strengths and build your coping skills, so you’ll be better able to manage things–without going back to drinking, using, cutting, or other unhealthy ways of coping. And you can still use many of the other supports you’ve been using–like your sponsor, peer and advocacy organizations, supportive services, and of course family, friends, and other people who are allies in your recovery.
Being in recovery and staying well isn’t just about going to therapy–it’s about living a meaningful life. Having and maintaining a strong support network in your community–even after you’ve finished therapy–can help you do that.
“At one point, when things were going well and pretty calm, I accidentally skipped a couple of appointments with my therapist–both inside of a month! I was so apologetic, but she said that it was perfectly normal for folks who are doing well to forget about appointments.”
Are you happy with your life? Do you like where you are going? Do you feel you have what you need–beyond therapy–to help you stay well, stay sober, and maintain a life of recovery? Are you reaching out to people in your support network–like parents, friends, your peers in recovery, and other allies–when you need to? Maybe you’re forgetting about appointments with your therapist because you’re getting the same support and feedback from other people in your life?
You’re life doesn’t have to be problem-free to stop going to therapy–let’s face it, life will never be problem-free! Living a life of recovery isn’t about never needing help again–it’s about recognizing the strengths you’ve had all along, building your coping skills, and knowing that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.
If you’re thinking about ending therapy, you can talk to the people who are close to you–people you’ve been confiding in, people who know what’s been going on with you and who have been supportive of your recovery. If they don’t understand or don’t agree, you can try to explain a little more–but remember that the final decision is yours.
Short Term Programs:
Detox: One of the first steps in recovery from drugs & alcohol is detox, which lasts typically 5 to 7 days. Detox treatment facilities specialize in treating the withdrawal symptoms that come with stopping use of drugs or alcohol. It is recommended to enter a program after detox, such as rehab or an intensive outpatient program (IOP) to avoid relapse.
Inpatient Hospitalization: A stay in a psychiatric hospital can last from a few days to a few weeks, depending on your progress. You can be admitted for many different reasons, from medication changes to suicidal ideation. Treatment focuses on crisis management and stabilization of your mental illness. You should expect restrictions like no shoelaces (for your safety), individual & group therapy, medication management, discharge planning, and other steps to resolve urgent issues.
“I was in the hospital for like 2 weeks, which is pretty long because the hospital sucks, but it was so necessary. It was the most necessary thing I’ve ever done. If my parents didn’t make the decision ‘she needs to be put in a psychiatric hospital, she needs that much care right now,’ I would really be dead.”
Long Term Programs:
Transitional Living Program– A highly structured, intensive treatment program that is typically 30 days or longer. It is designed to continue the recovery process until you are ready to return home. A transitional living program can enhance skills for independent living.
Rehab– Usually 28 days, rehab is a structured environment where there are no drugs or alcohol available. Treatment programs try to break through denial and old thinking patterns to get you to commit to a new sober & clean lifestyle. There is typically individual counseling and group therapy. Many programs include your family in your treatment.
Group Home– Groups homes can be “home” to a variety of young people. This includes developmentally disabled, recovering from drug & alcohol addiction, abused or neglected youth, youths with behavioral or emotional problems, etc. Usually there are required chores, curfews, and an earned privilege system.
Sober House– A structured transitional living environment for people in recovery. Usually in between rehab and returning to your regular life, a sober house can give you the stability and support needed to transition smoothly. You should typically expect no drugs & alcohol, drug & alcohol testing, and be required to actively participate in recovery meetings and programs.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT A PSYCH OR DETOX UNIT
A diagnosis is a tool for professionals to understand your mental health needs and what treatments (meds, therapy, support group) are most likely to help you. It also helps them get your treatment reimbursed by insurance companies or by the state.
A diagnosis is not a definition of who you are, but of the problems you are struggling with. Your diagnosis may change over time, but it helps you to get help. For a lot of us, getting a diagnosis is like a validation, a confirmation that what we have really is something, even though other people may have been shrugging it off.
For many of us, getting a diagnosis is a first step towards acceptance and recovery. As we get better, many of us move away from identifying as “a person with a diagnosis,” to “a person in recovery.”
“I really am grateful for this program for diagnosing me for what I am. I can actually figure out what’s wrong with me every time I have an episode or if I miss my meds or something like that.”
A psychiatrist or psychologist can make a diagnosis, based on an assessment. They’ll ask you questions about your history and will also use standard questions to help them do the assessment. Even if you’ve already told someone else your story, a new doctor is going to want to hear your whole story from the beginning.
Unlike other conditions and illnesses like diabetes or high cholesterol, there is no blood test to find out if you have a mental health, substance use, or addiction issue. The psychiatrist or psychologist you meet needs you to be open and honest, no matter how hard, so they can correctly diagnose you. That way they can effectively help you going forward.
“I think my diagnosis right now is accurate. But it took me like 3 years though before I got an accurate diagnosis.”
Different medications are used to treat different disorders—and some other treatments are used differently to treat different disorder, too—so if you have the wrong diagnosis, you may be getting the wrong medication!
Getting the right diagnosis is more like an art than a science. Sometimes the doctors don’t get it right. When they figure it out, then they’ll do a better job with your treatment—so let them know if it doesn’t feel like the diagnosis or the treatment are working for your problems!
Remember that there is no blood test for mental illness and addiction disorders–your treatment team depends on YOU to give them enough information to make the correct diagnosis.
“If I had been more revealing with my doctors, my diagnosis wouldn’t have changed so much and I would’ve gotten the right diagnosis and the right treatment sooner.”
Not only is it possible, it’s quite common to have several diagnoses. For example, if you have social anxiety, you may become isolated, and then that can contribute to depression. You may have more than one addiction. Often people who have an addiction turn out to have an undiagnosed mental health concern—which may be why they were self-medicating in the first place.
Having both a mental health disorder, like depression or anxiety, along with a substance use disorder, is so common there’s actually a name for it: “co-occurring disorder (COD)” (also known as Dual Diagnosis). If that describes you, make sure you find a therapist or provider agency that works to help you with both.
Professionals such as therapists are required by law to maintain the confidentiality of their clients. That means they can’t tell others, including your parents, what you tell them during a therapy session. However, people who are “mandated reporters” (like those who work with children) are required by law to file a report when there is a risk of suicide, abuse, or self-harm.
WATCH THIS PSA, CREATED BY A COLLEGE STUDENT, ABOUT THE ILLNESS SHE SHARES WITH MANY OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE.
“You break a bone and it’s fine, but as soon as something’s wrong with your head, it’s like ‘whoa, you’re cuckoo.’ I wish I could be like, ‘you know, therapy yesterday was great’ to random people. Like: How was your day? ‘It was good, I went to therapy, got my stuff done, got my homework done,’ but you leave that part out because it’s scary.”
Worried that people will think you’re a drama queen? That they won’t take you seriously, or that they’ll think you’re crazy? Unfortunately, you could be right. There’s a lot of stigma out there because people just don’t understand that issues like depression, anxiety, other mental illness, and addictions are disorders of the brain—just like diabetes is a disorder of the body.
It’s up to you to decide what you want to share about what you’re going through. Some people like to speak out. Some people only share with their closest friends. Figure out who you want to share with, what you want to share, when, and where. If you feel like you’re ready to get active, to be an advocate and work for change and fight stigma, then check out one of these advocacy resources.
“When I first got started, I told everyone I had personal experience and what my diagnosis was anytime the topic of mental health came up. I wanted to be the brave person who makes it okay to talk about mental illness, but I was overdoing it.”
“One of my tricks is to appear as calm as possible, it keeps me in a better place, but then at some point just slip it into the conversation that I’m bipolar, because it really takes them off their feet. They’re like, ‘whoa, you don’t seem bipolar,’ and I’m like, ‘what does that mean?’ Try to poke at them a little bit, make them think about what they just said.”
Surprisingly, you can get a lot of help even if you don’t have insurance.
You will need to pay something for your meds, but the amount will depend on your insurance. Generic meds are always cheaper than name-brands. So ask your prescriber to specify a generic whenever possible. Don’t be afraid to discuss the cost with your prescriber! He or she may be able to help you with other recommendations. Some providers may be able to help you out with free samples.
Sometimes it seems like there’s a fine line between a mental health problem and being a teenager! Every family is different and not everyone experiences the same reactions. Here are some responses you can prepare yourself for. Your family and friends may not take you seriously. They may think you’re just being dramatic. If you’re dealing with an addiction or substance use issue, you’re probably dealing with a lot of mixed messages from people who are close to you. It might be about what is or is not okay when it comes to drinking, drugs, and addiction. Or your family could be understanding from the start. We can understand that it’s hard to accept that either one could be your situation, but don’t let it stand in your way of getting help!
Having family and friends understand your illness and support your recovery may be a work in progress. You can try to help them understand by being very specific about what’s going on with you. Or maybe writing them a letter if it’s hard to talk about it.
If they want to help, they can consider joining a support group, seeing a family therapist with you, or taking a class like NAMI’s Family to Family program. If they want help understanding what you’re dealing with, and talking isn’t enough, they can do their own research.
“Ever since my mom did the NAMI Family to Family program, she’s been sending me articles and asking me questions. I send her stuff, too, and it really helps to start the conversation. There’s less pressure on her to know or understand right away. And less pressure on me to tell her everything she needs to know about this stuff.”
If you don’t find the support you need from family, you can find other people to be your supporters. Maybe someone at school, a mentor, a counselor, someone from a youth group.
“Go to the right people, people that are in your corner that can help you, not somebody that’s going to break you down.”
Watch our other Recovery Poetry Videos
Support at work and school is really important and helpful!
“I tried to explain to my manager that my pace at work was slower because I have depression. He told me ‘Leave your problems at home.’”
Schools are required to offer special accommodations to students with different needs.
For example, they may give you extra time to take an exam or let you to take an exam in a separate, quieter room. Other options depend on your needs.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requires that employers make accommodations for employees that need them, as long as the accommodation does not create “undue hardship” for the employer.
In CT, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services offers supported education and supported employment services. Contact your local social club for more information.
If you work for a company that has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), you can talk with an EAP counselor about personal, emotional, and/or family issues. EAP counselors can support you, see you for a few sessions, and refer you for further help if needed. They will keep the conversation confidential.
Are you like me, someone who’s careless? Lazy? Or maybe you’re someone who has “more important things to do” so you put yourself as a last priority? Taking care of yourself should be something that should be made your first priority and your favorite priority. Taking care of yourself can help make you feel better and also help you establish a routine. Everyone likes looking their best and knowing they’re taking care of their self in the best way possible. It’s important to establish a routine so you’re less likely to forget anything.
To begin, you should find a set of doctors that you trust. Every young adult needs a primary care physician. A primary care physician will take care of things like your annual physical, as well as general questions and concerns you may have. You want to be sure to set up an initial appointment with your primary care physician. This way, you’ll get to know your doctor, and they’ll get to know you.
If you don’t have a primary care physician, and you are sick or need treatment, there are several walk-in clinics all over the state. Generally, it doesn’t take long once you walk in to see a doctor.
In addition, you will want to be sure to connect with other specialists such as dentists, dermatologists, ear-nose-throat specialists, gynecologists, etc.
See the TurningPointCT Map for information on several peer-approved doctors.
Another part of taking care of yourself physically includes eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Choosemyplate.gov is a government funded website that allows users to discover what it means to live a balanced lifestyle- between dietary needs and exercise needs. The site provides resources for the user to maintain a healthy weight. These resources include: a BMI calculator, tips for making better food choices, eating healthy, etc.
Start with a “Check Up From the Neck Up” here.
Answer questions to help you determine if your recent thoughts and behaviors are of concern. The screening will let you select which behavior is concerning you and will tailor questions based on that behavior. At the end of the questionnaire, there is a link to a resource guide where you can find services all over the state.
In addition, you can also find resources and services in the Resources section of TurningPointCT.org.
As a young adult, you are guaranteed to go through some rough patches, some not-so-rough patches, and a few more rough patches. But don’t worry, we are here to help you regulate some of these feelings. It’s important that you learn to embrace what you are feeling, and know that your feelings are valid.
Emotional self-regulation is the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions as well as the ability to delay spontaneous reactions as needed. At the end of the day the key is for you to feel relaxed, safe and happy; below are a list of topics on different emotions followed by guiding steps on how you can help yourself and where you can start whenever you are experiencing unfavourable emotions or feelings.
Relaxation is key to managing our mental health and regulating our emotions.
Here are 7 fun and easy ways to develop great relaxation habits:
1. Live in the present! Forget the past! Forget the Future!
2. Find a clean environment. Keep your space clean. Your room, your office, your desk, your car, you name it! Cleaning… we all have to do it, whether it’s spring cleaning or just your regular unload-the-dishwasher-for-the-fifth-time-today cleaning. You’re not the only one who finds cleaning to be less than thrilling.
3. Meditate to detach yourself from the rest of the world. Rest is nature’s way of healing our body. As deep rest is an essential aspect of recovery and rejuvenation, meditation plays an important role in enlivening your inner healer. Meditation has more benefits than most people realise. It lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, reduces stress toxins in your body and brings peace, relaxation and happiness into everyday life.
4. Do one thing at a time! Doing just one thing at a time helps you remember more, get more done in less time, distress, bring more attention to your work, and work smarter, instead of just harder. It’s worth the struggle a hundred times over.
5. Give less attention to the views of others. We go through our days thinking about how other people might be judging us. But the truth is—those people are thinking the exact same thing. There is just enough time to think about what other people are thinking about you especially because they are probably not, focus on you and what you want to achieve. It will save you more time and reduce unnecessary distractions in your environment.
6. Make time for yourself. Start by putting yourself on your priority list. Often times we get everything else done but we forget to invest in our own well being. That investment may just be 30 seconds each day or spending the weekend doing something that really appeases you. Don’t be afraid to schedule some time to see a movie, go on a hike or simply meditate.
7. Change activities periodically. Now and then try out a new hobby or take a trip to a new site. Do what make you happy but also challenge yourself to new activities.
Communication Skills
Use your phone for meditation apps. There are many free guided meditation apps, which you will find very useful. Choose your time of the day, your perfect place or even some friends. There are apps available for both iphone and androids, here is a list: Omvana, Take a Break, Calm, Smiling Mind and Mindbody Connect. Here are a few more meditation apps you can check out.
Get a meditation cushion for comfort or a chair. It’s always best to sit upright when you are meditating, you may either use a chair or a cushion. A chair is more useful if you have back pain. A cushion can be used for comfort and to maintain posture, you may consider getting one.
Get Some Candles. One helpful strategy to help you get through your meditation is to gaze at the flame of a candle. At the same time, ‘candle gazing meditation’ can be a stand-alone meditation concept. Click here for guided instruction.
Use peaceful pictures to your advantage. Have you ever seen an image that captures your imagination and enlightens you to a whole new world of its own? Images can be very powerful and they can channel your emotions from feelings of terror or grief to feelings of happiness and hope. Here are 21 Stunning Images you can meditate on.
Use incense. Candles help to create a positive visual impact while incense appeals to the sense of smell. Incense is a facilitator of meditation and it conditions the mind so you can meditate successfully.
Have meditation pals. It could be a friend, a family member or a group of people with whom you feel comfortable hanging out with- get together and plan meditation sessions. You could do this when at the beach, maybe at work during your break or at school. It helps having people around, watch this video.
Commitment. Whether you meditate for ten minutes each day or longer, in order to get the best from your meditation it is advised that you maintain a consistent schedule over a period of time. It may take weeks or months but maintaining a healthy schedule, gives you the opportunity to master your skill. In addition, consistency is what lets meditation really seep into your mind and make a lasting impact.
Stop. When you are angry it’s easy for you to become explosive, do not fall into that snare, STOP! Admit to yourself that you are angry and do not act on your aggressive feelings.
Give yourself space. When you are angry, you tend to get very frustrated and stressed. Take some time out to relax – move away from the space or situation that may have triggered your anger. A good recommendation is to find a very quiet space to calm down.
Breathe. Breathing is a physical activity that can help you to release tension and stress. Take a few deep breaths before you approach the situation at hand. This will give you enough time to relax and generate positive energy.
Think. Before you say anything or take action, THINK about the situation, this will prevent you from saying or doing something that you will regret. Think about what is bothering you, how it has affected you and the positive outcomes that you expect from responding.
Solve. User humor, do not hold grudge, respect the rights and space of others, practice relaxation, sought reasonable solutions but most of all seek help if you need to. Talk to someone about how you feel.
Identify your fear. Identify the factors that make you fearful, this way you will not over analyze or generalize too much.
Adopt a Growth Mindset. See every experience as an opportunity for you to grow and to become stronger.
Say ‘YES’ Even If You Are Afraid. Take action by doing the things that you are afraid of doing. Confronting your fear by saying ‘YES’ even in situations where you may feel helpless or lacking confidence, is a good way to get to see that some experiences are not as bad as it may seem at first.
Do Not See Yourself As a Victim. Be Open to change or failure. Do not blame yourself or others. Life allows us to create our own destiny and experiences. While you learn, make choices, not excuses.
Love and Compliment Yourself. Believe in yourself and shun the negative voices that may be stopping you. You are fabulously unique just the way you are. Embrace your differences and make them into opportunities.
Stop Worrying. The time that you spend worrying, should instead be used for planning. Even though there may be a legitimate extent to which worrying is OK; worrying too much can make matters worse. Try not to worry about trivial things, things that you can’t change or things for which you have already come up with a solution. Give everything time to work out itself and do what you can, not what you think you ‘should’.
Exercise. Exercising provides a plethora of benefits: it can help you to relax, balance your hormones, sleep better and reduce stress. If your goal is control your anxiety, you should definitely be exercising.
Write. Keeping a journal can be a good way to monitor your thoughts, express yourself and reflect on how different things that you may have tried are working. You can keep as many journals as you want but having a journal for ONLY positive experiences and thoughts will help you to think about the positives, and another journal that ecompasses your complete thought process will help you to keep on track in managing your thoughts.
Talk. Talk therapy has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to controlling anxiety. Talk to someone who you trust about how you feel and this will help you to release the tension that you may be feeling inside.
Proceed in the right direction. The best thing to always remember is to be yourself and make choices based on your values. Do not feel intimidated by the factors in your environment that denigrates you, if you feel passionate about something, do it! And be proud regardless of the outcome.
Recognize the kind of guilt you have and its purpose. Whenever we feel guilt we are learning about a mistake that we may have made or we may have been placed in a situation that we believe may have been at the disadvantage of others. It is important that we identify what our guilt is and understand that guilt can help us to grow.
Make amends or changes sooner rather than later. As soon as you recognize your guilt, acknowledge it and make the right decisions that will help you deal with your guilt, it could involve changing your behaviour or reaching out to someone you think you may have hurt.
Accept you did something wrong, but move on. It may take some time before you actually acknowledge that you did something wrong but this is an important step if you want to make the right decision going forward. Feeling guilty however, does not always mean that you did something wrong, often times it may be a failure to acknowledge that there are some things that you cannot change.
Perfection doesn’t exist in anyone. The truth is, we all make mistakes, no one is perfect. Do not beat yourself down for something that happened in the past, learn from your mistake and move on.
Start a journal. Writing down how you feel, the things that you are guilty about and what you would like to change is a good way to deal with your guilt.
Get moving. Listen to music, exercise, walk, talk yourself through it, laugh it off, and try tea, these are some easy habits to adopt whenever you are feeling stressed. Calm music can has a positive effect on the mind, if classical music is not your thing, you can listen to sounds of nature or the ocean.
By talking yourself through it, you give yourself time to think and no, it’s not crazy to admit to yourself that you are stressed and to come up with reasonable solutions.
Laughter can be used as therapy to help you to relax and to feel better and drinking tea instead of coffee or energy drinks can leave a soothing effect on your nervous system.
Engage socially. Healthy relationships with friends, family members or just someone you trust is a good way to deal with stress. Whenever you are feeling stressed, don’t keep it all inside, talk to someone about; you will be surprised how quickly a minute or two of conversation can change how you feel. Also, you can help someone by volunteering or join a club or social group.
Avoid unnecessary stress. Rehashing a stressful situation, worst case scenario thinking, procrastination, being late, lurking or oversharing in social media, cluttering in your room or workspace and worrying about money that you have already spent, are factors that contribute to unnecessary stress. Identify and avoid these habits.
Accept the things you can’t change. No need to carry around a baggage, the things that may have happened to us or that we may have lost in our past, which we can’t change are not for us to worry about. Discarding the thoughts that gives you a heavy feeling is a good way to move on and relieve yourself of stress.
What can you learn from your difficulty? How has your difficulty made you a stronger person? These are two great questions to ask yourself as you accept whatever happened to you.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy can play a key role in how you manage stress, the healthier you are, the easier it will be for you to manage stress. Eat a healthy breakfast at the start of you day and choose nutritious meals throughout the day. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.
Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs may provide a temporary relief from stress. You don’t want to avoid the issue, you want to approach it heads on and with a clear mind.
And lastly, be sure to get enough sleep.
If you are in an inhabitable or unstable living situation, call 2-1-1.
On the 2-1-1 website, there are several types of housing that may be available to you in the event of an emergency. This includes Domestic Violence Shelters, Homeless Drop-In Centers, Homeless Shelters, Runaway/Youth Shelters, and Transitional Housing/Shelter.
Once you have enough money and stability to consider your next move, that move might be to an apartment on your own. Moving out on your own can be scary, intimidating, and downright difficult. If you know what you are looking for and know what questions to ask, the entire process will be much easier for you. Here are a tips to help guide you in the right direction toward finding a safe and affordable place to live.
Start your search. There are several places you can look when you are ready to move into a place of your own. Search websites like:
craigslist.com
apartments.com
rent.com
zumper.com
padmapper.com
Housing
Let’s face it, the opportunities are out there, we just have to go out and get ‘em. Whether you’re preparing for a quick shift at your local pizza spot or shooting for the big corporate job after college- employment is employment. The keys to success are almost always the same – don’t worry though, we’re here to help.
The first step of course is creating a resume and a cover letter (if you do not have any work experience, don’t worry about that too much).
A resume is short and simple summary of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments in regards to your work history. It is basically a quick advertisement of who you are. It’s what you’ll use to market yourself to potential employers.
Here are a few GREAT tips for writing a resume.
You’ll get better at the process over time and after a few jobs, this entire process will be a breeze! Just remember, DO NOT LIE about your skills and abilities. More times than not, you’ll be put on the spot and not being able to “back it up” won’t look so good.
Job Skills
A cover letter is a one pager (like your resume) that will give the employer an idea about who you are and what skills you have that are fit for the job. You should always include it UNLESS an employer states otherwise.
Your cover letter should include:
Here are some more tips for writing a cover letter.
If you have no work experience, don’t worry- you can still write one. Just remember to list your general skills, overall strengths, other types of experiences, volunteer jobs, and hobbies that are relevant. Be confident and make sure to let them know that you are, in fact, a team player!
Click here to find a sample cover letter.
Finding a job can be a little challenging. There are tons of opportunities out there… just make sure you put in some time and effort to find them and apply for them. Don’t forget to use your personal connections– people love to help (“your network is your net worth!”). See who you know that can help connect you to the right people or company.
Consider internships to build experience as well! Internships are usually the key that opens the door. People get to know you, start to like you, and will potentially hire you. It’s also a great way to build your resume and get some skills under your belt.
You may be looking for something that meets your interests or you may just be in it for the money. Regardless, there are tons of organizations and websites that are willing to help you sort through that & help guide your search.
Do not waste all of your time applying for jobs and sending your resume to tons of employers on these websites… they’ll just get swept into what is known as the “black hole” of online postings and you’ll never hear from anyone.
Instead, use the websites to help you get leads on who’s hiring and where to start. Use the internet as an opportunity to network, to research potential employers and to get job advice!
If you’re under 16, you’ll need working papers (certificate of age or an employment certificate issued by the State Board of Education).
You can find that here. Follow the checklist.
Once complete, visit your nearest public high school in your town, or contact your Superintendent of Schools! From there, you’ll be authorized to work!
Making the first impression to a potential employer isn’t as scary as it seems. Just wear something business appropriate, know your resume, and practice answering a few questions that are most likely going to be asked. A good tip is to prepare or practice your interview beforehand. Think about the position and what questions they might ask you and prepare some answers that you can have ready. There will always be questions you won’t expect, but at least you’ll have some ideas.
Consider these 6 Tips
Getting a job is the easy part… it’s the keeping it that makes it a little more difficult.
You found the job but don’t really know what to expect or what to do to keep it.
Here’s 5 Tips to Keeping the Job
Also: Don’t gossip! You don’t know who may hear. You won’t love everyone at work but the key component to a successful business is the collective effort of all the employees. Try to avoid ever saying “that’s not my job”. Make it work.
Now everyone has their own style, their own flavor and their own idea of what “work appropriate” may be. Your employer will have their own idea but for the most part, there are definitely some “do’s and don’ts” that we can mostly agree on. Depending on where you work, some things just won’t work!
More ideas for men.
More ideas for women.
If your wardrobe isn’t work ready, don’t worry! There are tons of ways to spice it up. Here are some recommendations.
If money is an issue, don’t sweat it! Thrifting is another awesome option! You can snag an entire work wardrobe for $25-50 at your local consignment or thrift store!
In this day & age, social media means a lot to us… to some, it’s everything. Just be very conscious of the things that you say and post to your feed. There are always eyes watching!
Here are some DOs and DON’Ts of Social Media via Stewardship.com:
DON’T:
Don’t be fake.
Don’t share sadness.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Don’t avoid other tasks.
Don’t be a know-it-all.
DO:
Do be selective.
Do model good behavior.
Do promote your work.
Do practice positivity.
Do move toward face-to-face interaction.
Face it, as much as we’d like to believe that we can get along with everyone and want to believe that everyone will be “our type of person” in the workplace, that’s just not always the case. Be prepared to suck it up and make it work. Find peace with everyone and keep it strictly business.
Here’s how to deal with an annoying coworker.
The social dynamics can be quite challenging, especially if your job has many different personalities and age groups. Sometimes getting the building veterans (people who have been there for quite some time) and older folks to like you can be a struggle. Here’s some tips for working with older coworkers.
The key to success: Money Management // Ballin On a Budget
Can’t save money? Having trouble spending it wisely? Just need some money saving tips? If you’ve said yes to at least one of these questions, you’ve found yourself in the right place. On this page, you will find plenty of simple & creative money budgeting tips to help you. Following these simple tips and tricks will give you a sense of security and safety, money wise.
Set a goal for yourself of how much money you want to save by the end of a week or month. Try your best to stay on budget, and if you accomplish your goal, reward yourself with something you don’t have to spend money on. Whenever shopping, always shop with a list. This way, you will be able to better track your spending and it’ll make it easier for you to stay on budget.
You have to be the one to want to succeed. No one has more control over your financial goals than you. In order to save money, you have to have the willpower to not always spend. It is possible, you just have to believe in yourself.
Start with a plan. A very basic step-by-step plan is going to benefit you if you have no idea how to get ahold of your finances.
Within your plan, you will want to select a bank that you trust to keep your money safe. You will want to choose a bank that has services that will work to your benefit. Some of these services include: ATM access, checks, an online service, an app, etc. When selecting your bank, make sure you discuss with either a manager at the location or a customer service representative to review all of the important things you will need to know when opening an account. Ask lots of questions. It’s their job to answer them!
Once you have decided on which bank you’d like to open an account with, then you can begin to create your budget plan. Your budget plan can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Here are some steps you can take toward creating a budget plan that is “you”-friendly.
Calculate your income.Where is your money coming from? How many different incomes are you collecting? Do you get paid weekly or bi-weekly? Calculate about how much you make in one year.
Keep track of your spending. For one month, make a list of everything you spend money on. This way, you’ll be able to see which items are necessary (food, bills, clothes, etc.) and which items you can survive without. You can keep track of your spending habits with a simple notebook, pen, and paper, or you can download an app that will help you to keep track of your habits.
Group your expenses. Your groups may look something like this: rent, bills, food, clothes, gas, entertainment (Netflix, movies, going out to eat, getting your nails done, etc.), and savings.
Decide on some goals. Are you spending way too much money on clothes and shoes, and not nearly enough money on food? Are you not able to make rent each month because you’re over-spending in another area?
In a new plan, calculate an amount of money that you need to set aside to spend on rent, food, bills (the necessities). From there, with the remainder of your monthly income, you can divide that how you wish, among the other categories you have created.
Keep your budget plan updated. Check in monthly. Make sure you are truly spending just what you need to spend, and saving some, too.
Really think to yourself: Do I need this item? Unless you truly need something, you shouldn’t buy it if you don’t have to. You are guaranteed to save money if you are not always spending it. Never purchase expensive items on impulse. After saving money and giving thought to everything you want to buy, you may even realize you don’t want it and you’ll be happy you didn’t buy it. Think over each expensive purchase for at least 24 hours. Acting on this principle will mean you have far fewer regrets about impulse purchases, and far more money for emergency savings.
Groupon and Retailmenot are great shopping options if you are looking to save money. Everyday there are new coupons and deals on items that you may want and even need.
(Groupon)
Here’s a short video giving you some helpful saving tips.
When you see all the money you’ve saved up, you should be happy as well as proud of yourself. It’s not easy to follow all of these tips. Now what are you waiting for, go out there and save some money! Remember, having a lot of money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Whatever you make out of your riches will determine your happiness.
College Tuition
College tuition is expensive! Do yourself a favor and apply for as many scholarships as you can. Even if the reward isn’t what you are looking for, it will definitely help.
6 great ways to save money in college
Here’s another list of tips for college students. If 6 tips aren’t enough, here’s 24!
7 Tips for managing money out of college
A money challenge is an incremental savings plan that will help you save money throughout the year. There is no better way of saving money than trying a money challenge. For example, following this one year challenge will save you $1,378! Also, you don’t have to follow the challenges exactly, you can add a little more or less money to fit your own wants. There are many other challenges out there if you don’t want to wait a year.
No one likes to hear the sound of meds. But in order for you to get better, they may be the best option. They may even be the only option. It may not be what you want to hear, but if you want to stay out of trouble, feel better, go to school and work and be successful, taking your meds is very important. Here are some simple tricks to getting the best results from your meds:
Ask questions. Make sure to ask all questions you may have about your medications. You want to be aware of all of the effects that your medications may have on your body. In addition, talk to your doctor about other prescriptions that you are taking that he/she may not have prescribed. You want to know how each medication will interact with the other medications you are taking.
“Make sure to ask questions. When I was starting to take medication, it was really important to learn what I can and can not consume while on it.”
There are plenty of other questions that you may have, and you want to make sure that you are getting the best results from the medication. In order to do so, you need to spend time learning about your meds.
MAKE SURE TO SAVE YOUR INFORMATION
Save any and all information that you are given regarding your medication. Keep the information in a safe place, such as a file cabinet or a file box that cannot be ruined. Organize information in alphabetical order, that way it will be easy for you to find what you are looking for.
RESEARCH!
Hey, no one says you can’t trust the information from your doctor. Well of course you can, but the more information you have the better it can be for you. What you have to be careful of though, is where you get your information and how you use it. There are hundreds of sites with tons of information. Some good. Some bad. So you have to find good sources. Here are some good sites:
Follow Instructions…
It’s easy to forget where, when, how and how much meds you must take and it’s easy to just not care. After a while, it can become too much. The routine gets tedious and you fall back on taking your meds. That’s not good. You have to keep up and you have to follow your doctor’s advice.
Avoid common mistakes…
Things to Remember…
Making sure you eat with your medication is super important. Depending on the med, an empty stomach might make you feel not so hot.
Avoid drug interactions…
Make a spreadsheet…
Create a spreadsheet to keep track of your medications. You can do this via Microsoft Excel, or you can create a spreadsheet by hand. Some of the sections should be:
Set an Alarm on Your Phone…
Sometimes it’s really easy to get caught up when you’re in a rush or have a lot of things going on, leaving you to forget to take your meds; whether that means taking it at the wrong time or even forgetting to take it at all. An easy way to remind yourself is to set an alarm on your phone for the time everyday you have to take it. DON’T PRESS SNOOZE!! Just simply take your meds when the alarm goes off and then you are done!!
Get a pill box
Find a pill box at your local pharmacy that best suits your needs. Some pill boxes will simply hold small pills in one small slot for each day. On the other hand, some pill boxes are more complex, and will allow you to store a larger amount of pills in several different sub-sections. Most pill boxes will hold all of your medication for an entire week.
Use technology as an aid
There are several apps you can download via Apple or Android to help you keep track of your medications.
Here are a few helpful apps that are made to help you keep track of your medication:
Pill & Med Reminder – MediSafe
Be clear and specific….
Here is the good part….you get to tell the doctor everything. This time you have control of the mic. You know more than the doctor and the doctor wants to hear it. So, it’s up to you to get all that you have on your mind off and in the right way.
If the medications are not giving you the results that you expected, the doctor needs to know. If you are having any side effects, the doctor needs to know. If you keep forgetting to take your meds, the doctor needs to know. Even if you don’t want to take your meds anymore and want to try something else, the doctor needs to know.
No one can help you 100% if you are not being completely honest about how your meds are working.
Let’s be honest… this stuff can be hard and might be overwhelming. But you got this. Admitting that you have no idea what you are doing is normal! When you don’t have the answer, ask someone. Your doctor/psychiatrist, therapist/social worker, and people on TurningPointCT.org will be there too!
Get Better…
If you stick to the plan, you will be OK. Just remember the simple rules: ask, research, follow instructions, be clear and concise, and GET BETTER!
I don’t know about you but when I think of sex ed the 1st thing that pops into my head is the FANTASTIC sex talk Coach Carr delivered in Mean Girls. Almost everyone knows this one liner:
But let’s get real. Many of us are sexually active and we need more information than this!
Believe it or not you have to remember that not everyone is sexually active. So you don’t have to think that you should be having sex “just because everyone else is doing it.” This NY Times article shows the other side.
Like mentioned before, it’s time to get educated on birth control. Not sure which is the right kind for you, talk to your OBGYN!!** They have all the answers, all you have to do is ask. Want to know more about your options on your own too? Check out this interactive chart that describes and compares different forms of contraceptives.
**What’s an OBGYN? A commonly used abbreviation. OB is short for obstetrics or for an obstetrician, a physician who delivers babies. GYN is short for gynecology or for a gynecologist, a physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs. [Definition from Medicinenet.com]
It’s really important that you and your partner are annually tested– for everything. When there is so much going on sometimes this goes on the back burner, but it is vital that you stay in check with your body, in case something is wrong. As some of us, as well as our partners, are former or current drug users we would be more at risk for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) and other diseases; some of which you could have for the rest of your life!
Nervous about getting tested and don’t know what to expect? Click here to learn about everything there is to know about getting tested!
Are you a guy and want to know more about the importance of getting tested, for yourself and your partner? Check out this article that lays out why it’s so vital.
Getting tested applies to EVERYONE! Things women need to remember about having safe sex with other women.
This is probably the number one most important thing about sex ed. Until there is consent and your partner says that they want to do whatever you are feeling, then it’s a red light. Once you have that clear and continuous consent, only then does that light turn green! Respect your partner and their boundaries, no matter what! REMEMBER, if your potential sexual partner is very intoxicated, they are not able to give consent.
Here’s a celebrity filled, hilarious PSA for sex ed from video from John Oliver that covers all the bases.
However you do it, everyone needs a way to get around.
Whether you are going down the street or across the state there are tons of way to get from point A to point B.
What types of transportation are out there? How much do they cost? How long do they take? How often are they available?
It can feel overwhelming to decide what your options are and decide which is best for you. But don’t worry, we are here to help! You can scroll through to find out what’s out there, what it’s like, and why it might be for you.
There are a lot of ways to get where you need to go, and you don’t need to be an expert to know how to use them.
The Bus:
Public transportation can be a great way to get around if you are on a bus line, are going between towns, or need an affordable way to travel.
It might be harder if you are in a rural area with few buses, are far from a bus stop, or your bus or train line runs infrequently.
Sometimes there can be plenty of buses where you live, but it doesn’t go where you need to go. If this happens, you can use a trip-planning tool to help you figure out your options.
Not sure how to take the bus?
“I grew up in a really small town with no public transportation. When I first moved to New Haven I had no way to get around. Learning how to use the bus was really intimidating, but my case manager from YAS (Young Adult Services) stuck by me and helped me learn how to get around without a car, now I can get anywhere I need.”
If you have a disability, you might be eligible for Travel Training, a program that will help teach you how to use public transportation, and will stick with you until you are comfortable enough to do it alone. For more information on Travel Training click here.
Where do I go to catch the bus?
Finding a bus stop seems simple enough, but sometimes it can be confusing. Here are some tips:
Plan your route:
Planning your trip will help you find out exactly what street to go to to wait for your bus, exactly which bus you will need to take, and where to get off. If you need to take more than one bus while traveling, trip-planning is super helpful. Here are some useful tools:
Buying tickets:
There are tons of ways to buy a ticket, here are your options:
What about free or discounted rides?
Taking a bicycle on a bus
If you bike around town, but need to hop on the bus no worries! Whether you are taking CT Transit or a smaller town bus, you will almost always find a bike rack on the front of the bus.
Not sure how to use it? Don’t be intimidated! It takes three steps, and there are directions on the rack.
“Whenever I’m biking and I get tired, it’s starts to rain, or I’m running late I always hop on the bus and stick my bike on the front rack. It’s a great way to give my legs a break.”
Bike rack on the front of a CT Transit bus
Read our tips on becoming a bus expert. Need to know more? Check out these links.
The Train:
If you live somewhere that doesn’t have a big bus system, are going somewhere the bus doesn’t go, or are traveling out of your town, the train might be your fastest, or only, public transportation travel option.
There are times the train and bus are both options, like traveling from New Haven to Hartford. This is when you decide based on cost, time, and comfort level. Usually the train is faster but can be more expensive.
If you need to get around more locally, or live in a town with one train station that’s far away from you with trains that don’t run frequently, it might not be your best option.
“I love taking the train. I am disabled and a student, so I use my U-Pass and ride for free. When I am leaving CT, I use my Medicare card for half fare. I think the train is relaxing.”
What train do I take?
Depending on where you’re going, and where you are coming from you may need to take a
Large train stations will have more than one type of train to take. Union Station in New Haven has Amtrak, Metro North, and CT rail (Shoreline East and Hartford Rail) trains. This is when it’s important to know what line you need to take. Don’t stress, though- it’s easy to find out what train you need to take, and big train stations have a lot of people who work there and can answer your questions.
You can always go up to the ticket window or information desk (if your train station has one) to ask someone for help.
Just like taking the bus, planning your trip will help you figure out how to get where you need to go.
Planning my trip
Taking the train can be really convenient and easy, but getting on the wrong train can be a pain. It helps to know what train you are taking and where you’re getting off before you board.
At most train stations you should find at least one of these:
Planning at home can be a lot more helpful and keep you calm and confident when boarding a train. Here are some options for planning your train ride:
“Even though I take the train multiple times a week, I always take a second and plan my trip. I have Google Maps on my phone, and use it to make sure my train is coming when I think it is. If I need to take the bus when I get off the train, I want to know ahead of time so I know if I need to rush to the bus stop.”
Buying your ticket
Generally speaking, taking the train usually costs more than taking the bus. This isn’t always true, and sometime the costs are identical. But taking a long train ride will be more expensive than a $1.75 bus ride.
If you are taking a MTA here are your options:
If you are taking a CT Rail:
Peak vs Off-Peak
If you are taking a MTA train during business rush hours on a weekday you want to know what a peak train is.
How do I know if my train is peak?
OR
If you answered yes to all three bullets, then you are taking a peak train!
What does that mean? A peak train costs more and is usually crowded, because it’s taking commuters to or from work.
All other trains are considered off-peak and you will be charged regular fare and have better luck finding a seat!
Discounted or free rides:
Disabled Riders:
Just like on a bus, disabled riders are eligible for reduced fare. Here’s what to know:
- For the MTA you can apply for a photo ID to use for discounts. Learn more and apply here.
- For CT Rail you can use multiple types of ID for a discounted rate. Learn more here.
- You can use your Medicare ID
Student Riders:
If you are a college student you can also use your U-Pass on trains in Connecticut. Here what you need to know about U-Pass:
- If you are a college student, see if your school offers a U-Pass. A U-Pass will take you anywhere in Connecticut, by train or bus for FREE! Contact your schools’ Bursar’s office to find out more. You can also learn more here.
If you are in grade school or high school you can ride for a discounted rate. Find out more here:
- MTA student rate, click here
- CT Rail student rate, click here (Ticket types> Monthly tickets (calendar month))
Military Discounts:
If you are in the Military you can also get a Military discount on tickets. MTA offers 25% off.
Riding with children:
Children up to 12 can either ride for free or with a discount on both MTA and CT Rail.
Multiple ride passes:
You can also buy passes with multiple rides and save up to 50%, this is especially good if you are a daily rider. Find out more for MTA here or CT Rail here
Bringing a Bike on Board
You can bring your bike on board most trains.
The one exception is MTA peak trains, where you can only bring a folding bicycle on board.
Some conductors will ask for a bike pass, which is a pass that you can purchase for five dollars at the station or online, you only need to purchase the pass once and then carry it with you when you bring your bike on board a train.
If you bring your bike on board, look for a bicycle sticker outside the train-car, these cars will have a bike rack in the disabled seating area.
Need to know everything there is to know about taking the train? Lucky you, you're in the right spot! Need even more info? Check out these links...
Cars
Getting around by a car can be the most convenient option. Public transportation can require some patience, be uncomfortable, and take more planning. It can also be tricky to lug a lot of bags, groceries, or suitcases without a car.
However, whether you are interested in getting your own car, taking a Uber, Lyft or a taxi, or you are paying a friend for a ride cars are more expensive. The further you need to go, the more it costs. And if you want to own a car you have to consider insurance, gas, maintenance and taxes.
Overwhelmed? Don’t be, buckle up and read on to see the break down of getting around in a car and find out if it’s the right choice for you!
Driving your own Car
Getting a License or Permit
Learning how to drive and becoming a legal driver are both big steps. Even if you don’t plan on buying a car, having a license can give you more freedoms and more job opportunities.
Here’s the breakdown on driving…
Permit:
Whether or not you are over 18, a driver’s permit is always your first step if you are a first time driver. Find out what you need to know about getting learner’s permit.
“I am 23 and still don’t know how to drive or have a licence. This year I got my permit. Even though I don’t think I’ll buy a car yet, it feels really good to be taking steps toward independence. One tip: study with the manual and the app- my test had questions that I only knew because I studied the manual, too.”
License:
Over 18?
16-17?
Can I afford a car?
Learning to drive is one thing, but owning a car is another. On one hand, you can go where you want when you want- mostly. On the other hand, it’s a whole new responsibility- and a bunch of new expenses.
Here are some expenses you need to think about:
If this seems like too much, don’t stress. Plenty of people get around just fine without cars.
But if you think you can afford a car, and that you really want one, make a budget! Use the links to figure out how much a car will cost you. This will help you figure out if you can really afford it.
And remember, just because you get your license doesn’t mean you need to buy a car right away. There’s no problem with waiting for the right time for you!
Riding in Someone Else’s Car
If a car is the way you want to get around, but you don’t want to or can’t get your own- guess what? You can still get around in a car!
You don’t need to own a car or even have a licence to get around town in a car… at least not in someone else’s car!
Check out your options for getting around in a car, without the commitment or cost of owning or renting your own.
Peer-To-Peer Ridesharing
What is “peer-to-peer-ridesharing”? Ever heard of Uber or Lyft? That’s what peer-to-peer ridesharing is.
The concept is similar to a taxi, in that you are paying for someone to drive you around in their vehicle. But with a taxi, you’re getting someone who works for a cab company, and the vehicle belongs to the cab company. Uber and Lyft work through apps. The drivers are “regular people”- in that they aren’t licensed taxi drivers, and they drive their own cars. Uber and Lyft are usually less expensive than taxis, and depending where you are, they can be easier and faster to access. 
If you are worried about safety, Uber and Lyft both have in-app features to make you safer. You can share your location with a loved one, make a report, or give reviews on your driver.
“Uber and Lyft are really reliable ways for me to get home when the buses stop running.”
Taxi
Don’t want to download an app? Feeling nervous about using Uber or Lyft for the first time? No problem… taxis!
In Connecticut, hailing a cab usually involves a phone-call and a little wait. If you are at an airport, large train station or crowded downtown area you might find cabs waiting outside, ready to take you where you need to go. More often, though, you will call a local taxi company and tell the dispatcher when you need the cab, where you are getting picked up from, and where you are going.
The other nice part about taking a cab, is that you can pay with cash. Uber and Lyft require a credit card, debit card, or prepaid gift card.
Usually, a taxi will be a little more expensive than an Uber or Lyft, but you can always ask the dispatcher to give you a fare estimate and then compare it to the fare estimate on the Uber or Lyft app.
Driving Someone Else’s Car
Carsharing
Carsharing is a short-term car rental. It’s perfect for people who have licences and need or want to drive sometimes but don’t want, need, or can’t afford to own a car.
You can rent by the hour or by the day. You join the car sharing service you’re interested in, book you car and pick it up, and then drop it off at a designated parking spot. It’s pretty easy and simple and a great short-term solution to getting around in a car!
Check out Zipcar, and get started on their site!
Car Rental
Renting a car is a good option if you need a car for longer than a day, but don’t own one. If Zipcar isn’t available in your town, you can also rent a car for as little as a day. Renting a car can also be really expensive- especially if you are going to need it for a long time.
Check out Kayak.com to compare car rental prices.
Vroom vroom. Now you know all there is to know about getting around in a car!
Want to get around by car? Want to learn to drive, buy a car, rent a car, borrow a car? Wanna take a taxi or a Uber? Check these links out for all the info you could ever need to get around in a car.
Biking From Here to There
Don’t want to use public transportation or a car?
You can bike!
Biking is fast, fun, and good for you.
“When I need to get around, if I’m not using the train I use my bike. I love to bike because it’s fun, but I also love the sense of freedom I get from being able to go where I need on my terms- without waiting for a bus or asking a friend for a ride”
Here’s what you need to know about biking for travel:
Where do I get a bike?
If you cannot afford a bike, no problem! There are a bunch of organizations in CT that will help you out with a free bike!! Check these out: click here or click here
If you go to therapy at any Connecticut Mental Health Clinic, are in YAS (Young Adult Services), you can ask your therapist or case manager for help getting a free bike.
How Can I be Safe?
When you are biking, you have rights and responsibilities. Think of yourself as a vehicle, because you are.
Follow this link to read a quick overview on Connecticut bike laws, click here
The most important safety tips to remember is to remember: wear a helmet!
74% of bike deaths involve head injury. Up to 85% of bicycle-related head injuries can be prevented with a helmet. You can find a cool-looking one or decorate it with stickers or reflective tape. And, if you’re under 16 by law you have to use a helmet.
Second, make sure that you are always visible. Never assume that a car can see you or expects to share the road with you.
For tips on avoiding road hazards click here.
How do I Know My Route?
If there are no bike lanes where you live, that’s ok. If you map out your route before you leave, you will be able to prepare for your trip.
Click here and here for CT bike trails
For directions, you can use google maps bike routes here
And, you can always take your bike on the train or bus. Some trains don’t let bikes on during certain hours of the day (rush hour) depending on where you are going.
Can I Bike With My Kids?
If you are going to bike with your child, you either need a trailer or a bike seat.
If you are traveling with two kids, then a trailer is a good way to go. If you are traveling with one, then a good bike seat is a great investment. Rear mounted seats are safer options.
Don’t forget the helmet! Your child will also need one, as well as reflective gear.
You will also want to take extra care to plan your trip. If it will be cold or wet, layer them up. In the winter, keep trips under 30 minutes when you can.
“My daughter has been riding around with me since she was 15 months old. She loves going for bike rides, and it lets us go to her doctor, daycare, and parks much faster and easier. Usually, the ride puts her to sleep. I love riding with her!”
The most important thing to remember when biking is, have fun!!
Check out these resources to know more about biking in Connecticut!
Getting Home While Intoxicated
If you are drunk or high, getting home can be confusing. You might be tempted to do something unsafe because you are tired or out of it. You might be too messed up to think about the choices you’re making.
But, there are tons of ways to get home safely if you are drunk or high.
Knowing your options can ensure your safety, but also save your life. The best thing for you to do if you know you might be getting drunk or high is to plan ahead.
How do you plan ahead? Your best bet is knowing your options, and figuring out two or three that work for you.
“When I was using, I did a lot of scary things- especially when I was tired and wanted to go home. Looking back, I am so grateful I’m still here. Now, I am glad that I know how to take care of myself while drunk or high- I just wish I knew then, too.”
8 options for getting home safe, and more info about them:
Know who your designated driver is. If they are going out with you, make sure you trust them enough to be sober behind the wheel.
I’m Drunk app: A free app designed to help you get home safely in a very simple and easy way. This is great if you are too intoxicated to navigate your phone contacts or other apps.Finds your locations and gives you easy to assess options to get home safely.
Always know, that driving while drunk or high will never be your only option. You don’t need to risk your life or anyone else’s to get somewhere safe.
Knowing you're options for getting home safely can save your life. Check out these links to learn more about getting home safely when you are drunk or high.
What if I’m Disabled or Low-Income?
If you live with a disability, getting around can be really daunting. Whatever your disability is, there are options out there to make getting accessible, affordable and easy for you to use. If you have a low income or live in poverty, it can feel really overwhelming or even scary to not know how to pay for your basic needs, like transportation. Read on to learn more.
What if I can’t afford the bus?
If you live with a disability and can’t work, paying for transportation might be really difficult, or at times impossible. Here are some options to make paying for transportation easier:
“Now that I don’t get 31 day bus passes for free anymore, I have to budget for bus rides. But I use my Medicare ID to get half fare, and that helps a lot, I use it on the train, too.”
What if I’m a student?
If you’re a student, money might be really tight. If you have to commute to school and don’t own a car, the cost of taking the train or bus adds up. 
What if I don’t know how to take the bus?
If you have never used public transportation it might feel really overwhelming figuring out what to do for the first time, or even first several times. Fear not! There are supportive ways for you to learn how to navigate the bus.
What if I don’t know what I qualify for?
If you don’t have a case manager figuring out what you qualify for and applying for it can be really hard. Don’t worry we got your back. Check this out and contact someone to help you see what help you can get.
What if I can’t use the bus because of my disability?
If you cannot use the bus because of your disability, then you want to know about paratransit and other public transportation options for people with disabilities. Check these out.
Paratransit: If your disability makes it difficult or impossible for you to use public transportation, then you may be able to use paratransit services. If you are eligible, you can use the paratransit van instead of your local bus route.
What if I need to get to a doctors appointment?
Getting to and from a doctors appointment can be really stressful. But you might be able to get a free ride to and from your appointments! Check this out:
What if I need to know more?
If this information isn’t enough, or you want to learn even more about getting around with a disability check out these websites.
If you live with a disability or in poverty, you might struggle with getting around. But you don't have to- check out these links to find out about making transportation accessible and affordable for you!
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