I'm not prepared to go into all the gory details on a public forum right now, but I'm starting to seriously think that I might be suffering from clinical depression, or am teetering on the edge of it. I've been in a generally....well....depressed mood for weeks, and the more I reflect on it, the more I've come to realize that this has more or less been the norm for months, if not years. To be sure, there have been good times, but I really can't think of any extended period (ie, more than a day) of being happy or content since last summer.
Today was just awful. There was no one thing that really set me off, but there were times today where I was laughing one minute, and the next minute I was so upset that I was on the verge of tears. And there have been a lot of days recently where I've just wanted to break down and cry, but frustratingly, haven't been able to. I think the release might do some good, but for some reason it just hasn't happened.
Thankfully, I've come to this realization before any serious drama has occurred. I haven't had any big fights/arguments, I haven't (at least to my knowledge) allowed this to affect my day to day living, and (you'll have to take my word on this, but it's true) I haven't done anything to hurt myself or devoted any thought to doing so.
That having been said, I've got a few practical issues....
The biggest is that I do not have any health insurance at all. That is a whole separate can of worms that is far beyond the scope of this thread, but suffice it to say, I don't have insurance nor do I think I can get any in the near-future. If I did, I would probably be on the phone with my primary care physician first thing tomorrow looking for a psych referral, but I can't afford that right now.
Second, I don't feel like I can go to my parents for help. It's complicated, and like I said I don't want to go into specifics right now, but there are certain things that I might have to reveal to them that I don't want to, plus they are part of the reason that I am feeling the way I am.
So right now.....I'm just wondering if anyone knows about any resources that might exist in the Massachusetts area for free or low-cost mental health care. Is there such a thing as a depression screening? Sort of like how some places do blood-pressure/cardiovascular screenings? I've tried searching online but haven't found anything useful. Mostly self-administered online screenings (the one I took so far says I would benefit from additional evaluation) or free medical clinics, but not ones that offer psychiatric care.
Today was just awful. There was no one thing that really set me off, but there were times today where I was laughing one minute, and the next minute I was so upset that I was on the verge of tears. And there have been a lot of days recently where I've just wanted to break down and cry, but frustratingly, haven't been able to. I think the release might do some good, but for some reason it just hasn't happened.
Thankfully, I've come to this realization before any serious drama has occurred. I haven't had any big fights/arguments, I haven't (at least to my knowledge) allowed this to affect my day to day living, and (you'll have to take my word on this, but it's true) I haven't done anything to hurt myself or devoted any thought to doing so.
That having been said, I've got a few practical issues....
The biggest is that I do not have any health insurance at all. That is a whole separate can of worms that is far beyond the scope of this thread, but suffice it to say, I don't have insurance nor do I think I can get any in the near-future. If I did, I would probably be on the phone with my primary care physician first thing tomorrow looking for a psych referral, but I can't afford that right now.
Second, I don't feel like I can go to my parents for help. It's complicated, and like I said I don't want to go into specifics right now, but there are certain things that I might have to reveal to them that I don't want to, plus they are part of the reason that I am feeling the way I am.
So right now.....I'm just wondering if anyone knows about any resources that might exist in the Massachusetts area for free or low-cost mental health care. Is there such a thing as a depression screening? Sort of like how some places do blood-pressure/cardiovascular screenings? I've tried searching online but haven't found anything useful. Mostly self-administered online screenings (the one I took so far says I would benefit from additional evaluation) or free medical clinics, but not ones that offer psychiatric care.
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