Mental Health

Mental health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".

Note: This page is still very much a work in progress.

Resources

Hotlines

These resources can be used when you need to talk to someone immediately especially when you're in crisis:

• Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL): 1-800-715-4225
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
• National Hopeline Network: 800-784-2433
• Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 800-715-4225
• Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
• Trevor Lifeline (targeted toward the LGBTQIA community): 866-488-7386
• Grady Rape Crisis Center: 404-616-4861
• Crisis Text Line: Text 741-741 when in crisis for a live, trained crisis counselor
• Warmlines – provide non-crisis support, often peer to peer
  • GCAL (24/7) at (800) 715-4225
  • Decatur Peer Support (24/7) at 1-866-488-7386
• Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) App

GT CARE

Before you're able to access the on-campus Counseling Center or Stamps Psychiatry, you'd have to go to CARE for a primary assessment and referral. Afaik you'll discuss what's been bothering you, and they'll recommend on-campus and/or off-campus resources to you. TODO

Counseling

TODO: define counseling

TODO: include more content like eating disorders, substance abuse, traumatic events

On-campus Georgia Tech counseling: https://counseling.gatech.edu/. Before going to on-campus counseling, you'd have to first get a referral from GT CARE. GT Counseling focuses on "brief" therapy which involves fewer than about 10 sessions, and for issues that require longer-term care, you'll likely be referred to .

If you have health insurance, you may be able to have access to free or low-cost off-campus counseling.

Low-cost off-campus counseling which doesn't require insurance:

• Mercer Family Therapy Center
  • 1938 Peachtree Rd NE Suite 107 Atlanta GA, 30309
  • 678-547-6789
  • https://medicine.mercer.edu/mftc/
  • Per-session fees range from $5 to $65 depending on income.
• Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta
  • 1328 Peachtree St. NE, Suite B317 Atlanta, GA 30309-3902
  • (404) 228-7777
  • http://samaritanatlanta.org/
  • Income-based sliding scale fees, with a minimum per-session fee of $25
• Metropolitan Counseling Services
  • 2801 Buford Hwy NE, Suite 470, Atlanta, GA 30329
  • 404-321-1794
  • http://www.mcsatlanta.org/about-us
  • Income-based sliding scale fees, with $40 initial charge for an intake assessment

There are probably a lot more counseling options which can be suggested by CARE.

Psychiatry

TODO: define psychiatry

On-campus psychiatry: https://health.gatech.edu/services/psych

Note: A general practitioner / family doctor can also prescribe things like antidepressants—not only psychiatrists. But you may want to turn to a psychiatrist if you need to fiddle some more with your medication, since they specialize in it more deeply.

Peer coaching

https://counseling.gatech.edu/content/peer-coaching

List of resource lists

• https://www.sga.gatech.edu/new-student-tips/
• http://www.mhsc.gtorg.gatech.edu/resources/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/gatech/comments/718klo/how_can_we_improve_mental_health_at_tech/

Self-help

Things that are generally good for mental health:

• Getting enough sleep (7–9 hours per night)
• Having a regular sleep schedule, where you go to sleep at about the same time every day
• Meditation
• Regularly thinking about things to be grateful for
• Staying in touch with friends
• Eating healthy food
• Staying hydrated
• Exercising regularly. Apparently cardio is most effective, but find a type of exercise that you love.
• Get regular exposure to sunlight. For people with seasonal affective disorder, lack of sunlight during winter months can cause low mood.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can be done in a self-help workbook format. https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself has some self-help workbooks for a variety of mental health issues.

These self-help options are not meant as a substitute for professional help.

Mental illness diagnostic criteria

Sometimes if you have a mental illness, you might not even realize that what you're feeling is clinically significant and something you should seek help for. (That's not to say that everyone who doesn't have a clinically significant mental illness can't benefit from things like therapy or extra support, though.)

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses among college students, so this section will focus on those two.

This info is just to provide a guide; for an actual diagnosis, you'd have to see a trained professional.

Generalized anxiety disorder

DSM-5 criteria (paraphrased by Wikipedia):

1. "Excessive anxiety or worry" experienced most days over at least six month and which involve a plurality of concerns.
2. Inability to manage worry.
3. At least three of the following occur:
   1. Restlessness
   2. Fatigability
   3. Problems concentrating
   4. Irritability
   5. Muscle tension
   6. Difficulty with sleep Note that in children, only one of the above items is required.
4. One experiences significant distress in functioning (e.g., work, school, social life).
5. Symptoms are not due to a substance use disorder, prescription medication or other medical condition(s).
6. Symptoms do not fit better with another psychiatric condition such as panic disorder.

Major depression

DSM-5 defines the following criteria for major depression. If one experiences five or more of these symptoms during a two-week period, at least one of which is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest/pleasure, then they are classified by the DSM-5 as having major depression.

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day.
2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
4. A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
5. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
6. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
7. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.
8. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

FAQ

Should I avoid mentioning thoughts of suicide because that might lead to involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility?

• Involuntary commitment is only allowed if you present an imminent harm to yourself or others. If you have "passive suicidal ideation" of wishing you weren't alive, without a specific plan to make that happen imminently, then you should be able to say so without fear of involuntary commitment, if you make it clear that you wouldn't do it. (If there is a real risk that you would do it, then you should strongly consider reaching out to people to make that not happen. Depression and anxiety are very treatable, while suicide is forever, and to say the least, it'd make your friends and family very sad.)

Ally resources

Clubs

• http://www.mhsc.gtorg.gatech.edu/
• https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/towriteloveonherarms
• https://gatech.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/active-minds

QPR training: https://endsuicide.gatech.edu/content/qpr-training-0