Here’s to taking care of yourself from the inside out

Forget about the holidays, at times we all get stressed, worn out, depressed, anxious, under the weather or whatever you want to call the things that are affecting your mental health. Even celebrities deal with it. We’re all human, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re feeling blue.

It’s never a bad idea to be informed on your local mental health resources—whether for yourself or for others. Young, old or in-between, taking care of ourselves allows us to take care of others.

When extra responsibilities and commitments are caroling at your door, the combination can leave you troubled.

Maybe it’s something different altogether, like debilitating PTSD, crippling depression or stressful anxiety that’s affecting you. It doesn’t matter one bit. Just know that help is there, waiting for all of us.

Reaching out is a courageous step! Here’s a list of local mental health resources for Birmingham, just in time for the holidays.

Photo courtesy of National Institute of Mental Health

For general information, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers simple definitions of mental health topics and research. The topics are even divided by audience, so that you can learn about conditions for a particular population.

In the Birmingham-metro area there are a number of community-based resources for counseling, psychology and emergency mental health services for those with our without insurance. If you do have insurance, reach out to your primary healthcare provider for a referral or give the psychiatry department at UAB a call for direction.

1. For local counseling on a sliding scale that’s geared towards women and children, try Oasis. They offer “individual, couples, group, and family counseling, as well as art therapy and play therapy. Fees are determined on the basis of a sliding fee scale.”
2. The UAB Community Counseling Clinic “offers affordable counseling services to the residents of Jefferson County through its Community Counseling Clinic.”

   

3. For Birmingham veterans suffering from PTSD, the Birmingham VA Medical Center is a good place to start, and they even offer a suicide hotline. Their contact information and hotline number can be found here.
4.  For healthcare services for the homeless (including mental health), Alabama Regional Healthcare Services (ARMS) “provides comprehensive urgent, acute, and primary health care services with linkages to community providers when needed.”
5. The Jefferson County Department of Health also offers a variety of health services for individuals without insurance. Information about specific services and health department offices can be found here.