Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Disaster and Trauma
Employment
Financing (Managed Care)
Housing
Medication, Treatment, and Recovery
Networking and Self-Help
Transportation

National Consensus Statement on Mental Health Recovery
Declaración Nacional De Consenso Sobre La Recuperación De Salud Mental (Spanish Version)

Disaster and Trauma

Most people who are coping with the aftermath of a disaster have normal reactions as they struggle with the disruption and loss caused by the disaster. They do not see themselves as needing mental health services and are unlikely to request them. Community outreach may be necessary to seek out and provide mental health services to individuals who may be affected by a disaster.

• Publications on Disaster and Trauma

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Employment

Mental health problems can occur at any age. Young people with mental health problems may be looking for entry-level jobs. Adults with mental illness may need to learn new skills, pursue different employment paths, or develop ways to stay on their current job. At any point in a person's life, severe mental illness will present challenges that, with the right support, people can overcome. Like all workers, people with severe mental illnesses can benefit greatly from the security and self-sufficiency that come with stable and fulfilling employment.

• A Guide for People with Disabilities Seeking Employment (from the Department of Justice)
• Publications on Work and Community Support

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Financing (Managed Care)

Insurance coverage for mental health (MH) and substance abuse (SA) benefits differs among plans, employers, and States. State laws may require insurers to provide a standard, minimal offering of MH and/or SA benefits although insurers are free to provide additional coverage. If you do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, you may qualify for Medicare or Medicaid services. Your State mental health agency will be helpful in telling you how mental health services in your State are funded.

• Consumer-Oriented Mental Health Report Card (from the Center for Mental Health Services)
• Links:
• Mental Health Parity - A list of resources from the Office of Organization and Financing
• Office of Organization and Financing within the Federal Center for Mental Health Services
• Other Links on Financing and Managed Care

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Housing

Home. To most people, it means much more than shelter. Whether it is a room of one's own, an apartment, or a house, a home can offer stability and a chance to be part of a community. For people with severe mental illness, home can be a space to live in dignity and move toward recovery.

• Publications on Homelessness

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Medication, Treatment, and Recovery

Medication alone, or in combination with psychotherapy, has proven to be an effective treatment for a number of emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders. The kind of medication a psychiatrist prescribes varies with the disorder and the individual being treated. Mental health professionals use a variety of approaches to give people tools to deal with ingrained, troublesome patterns of behavior and to help them manage symptoms of mental illness. Therapists will work with you to design a treatment plan that will be most effective for you.

• Patient Assistance Plans
  This list contains the names and telephone numbers of companies that provide patient assistance programs. These programs are generally made available through physicians and help patients who might otherwise not have access to their necessary medications.
• Publications on Treatment and Recovery

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Networking and Self-Help

Through strong advocacy, consumer and family organizations have gained a voice in mental health research, legislation, and service delivery. While the organizations representing consumer and family members differ in their origins and philosophy, all share the overlapping goals of overcoming stigma and preventing discrimination, promoting self-help groups, and promoting recovery from mental illness. Consumer self-care is becoming an important part of efficient and effective healthcare delivery. By exercising best practices of promoting wellness and preventing illness, informed consumers can dramatically improve outcomes and reduce costs. Today, the CMHS Consumer Affairs Program plays a lead role in developing and implementing consumer information activities and supporting consumer-operated networks.

• Resources and Links From the Center for Mental Health Services:
  
  • CMHS National Advisory Council Director's Reports
  • National Advisory Council Subcommittee on Consumer/Survivor Issues
  • Forum on Self-Advocacy Among Older Adults with Mental Health Needs
    This report describes the advocacy forum and discusses its recommendations and possible next steps to enhance the quality of life for older adult mental health care consumers.
  • National People of Color Consumer/Survivor Summit Meeting Report/Summary
    A summary of an in-person invitational meeting for Consumers/Survivors of Color (e.g. African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino & Asian/Alaskan/Pacific Islander) from across the nation, to further examine these and other issues and provide recommendations on how they can be addressed.
  • Publications on Consumer/Survivor Topics
  • Links on Consumer/Survivor Topics
  
  
• Technical Assistance Programs:
• Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC)
• The National Mental Health Consumer's Self-Help Clearinghouse
• National Support, Technical Assistance, and Resource Center (STAR) at The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• National Mental Health Association Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center
• National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning
• Peer-to-Peer Resource Center at the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)


• Do you need to find mental health services, resources or statistics?

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Transportation

Accessible transportation is necessary for people with disabilities to go to work, get an education, receive medical care, and to have an active, inclusive role in society. Barriers to transportation supports and services for people with disabilities generally fall into two major categories: a lack of available transportation options (due in large part to shortages of public transportation in rural and suburban areas) and a lack of access to existing transportation services (due to physical inaccessibility, limited or no travel training for individuals with cognitive disabilities, little coordination among transportation providers).

• The Access Board
  A Federal agency committed to accessible design for people with disabilities, the Access Board provides services and information pertaining to accessibility issues.
• Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
  CTAA is a trade association of providers of community transportation, including paratransit services for individuals with disabilities.
• Department of Transportation
  DOT offers technical assistance on ADA provisions applying to public transportation, including some frequently asked questions about "common wheelchairs" on public transportation.

For documents and questions call 888-446-4511 (voice) or 202-366-0153 (TDD); for legal questions call 202-366-1936 (voice) or, for TDD, use relay service; for complaints and enforcement call 202-366-2285 (voice) or 202-366-0153 (TDD); for the U.S. Department of Transporation's hotline for air travelers with disabilities call 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TDD).


• For information on the Air Carrier Access Act, which prohibits discrimination by air carriers on the basis of disability, visit the DOT site at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov.
• Project ACTION
  Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation) was created by Congress in 1988 to promote cooperation between the disability community and the transportation industry. It has established a database of accessible transportation throughout the nation.

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