How to Get Help

Talk to Someone

If you or a friend have concerns about behavioral or emotional health, the first step is to talk to someone who can help. That could be a parent, school counselor, a pastor, or your family doctor. Tell them how you feel and ask for an evaluation. If you learned about depression through the Red Flags curriculum at your school, you should have also gotten a process to getting help. Use it.

Ask for an Evaluation

If you are not sure what is going on with your ability to manage, don’t be afraid to ask for a psychiatric evaluation. No one is hurt by an evaluation, and it can pinpoint the nature of a problem and quickly get you started on feeling better.

If there is no one with whom you feel comfortable speaking to directly, or if you want immediate help that is more anonymous, you can call the free, confidential hotline called Lifeline available 24/7. You can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) / TTY Users call: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889) to speak with a trained counselor about any of the following:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Information on suicide
• Information on mental health/ illness
• Post-disaster needs
• Substance abuse/addiction
• To help a friend or loved one
• Relationship problems
• Abuse/violence
• Economic problems
• Sexual orientation issues
• Homelessness issues
• Physical illness
• Loneliness
• Family problems

Ohio does have a statute that allows for those 14 and older to receive conditional confidential services. Get more information.