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Comment by xei1Yoophai6ec | Hacker News Reader

I have a very good friend who is struggling with mental health as well and his situation started to become worse since Covid-19.

As others already commented, please ASAP reach out to a professional. I don't know where you live, but I am very sure such a hotline exists pretty close to you.

My friend called such a hotline and he got help and he is better now.

I know this is a huge step to take, but reaching out will help and it is professionals taking care and they know what they do.

Whatever your circumstances are, someone will pick you up again.

Please call; there is no reason to feel embarrassed for whatever.

PS: I've been reading HN for years now and never commented here, but I just signed up now to reach out to you.

View on HN

> please ASAP reach out to a professional. I am very sure such a hotline exists pretty close to you.

Okay guys. Please. Stop suggesting professional mental healthcare as if it's something pretty much everyone has access to. In most US counties, therapy exists for those who can afford pricey insurance policies or can pay out of pocket - and that's it.

Some hotlines are staffed with mental health pros. NSP Lifeline is one. Smaller ones tend to be staffed with local volunteers. Either way, a hotline call isn't a solution. It's crisis intervention, at most a single step.

Honestly, for people who live without access to mental healthcare, telling them to just go get professional help is is effectively sending them on a snipe hunt.

source: 30 years care giving for someone with mental illness in one of the thousands of poor US counties.

5 years as social services volunteer

This answer suffers from Americentrism. Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care. OP did not include their location, so why assume they are American? Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that. These hotline answers are helpful for other readers who may also not live in America and may be unaware that hotlines exist in their respective countries.

> Yes, it is true if OP lives in America then the healthcare situation is a lot more difficult, but OP would already know that.

Speaking of suffering observations. Why do you assume most people who live in areas without available mental healthcare are aware of that?

> Practically every country in the world has some form of accessible mental health care.

The language there qualifies any country with a therapist. I think what you meant is that the vast bulk of the population, in all 195 countries (excepting a handful), has reliable, practical access to mental healthcare.

As I consider African populations and folks who live in economically disadvantaged South and Central American nations I find myself filling with skepticism over that claim.

ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Afri...

ref: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=state+of+mental+healthcare+in+Sout...

Thanks and full ACK to nexuist.

Are we here to help a human in struggle or are we more interested to discuss the level of (mental) health care in nation state XYZ in detail?

I commented to hopefully help the OP in struggle; regardless of the nation state the OP is living in.

Wherever the OP lives, I am very sure that there is INITIAL help very close for free in terms of money; wherever the journey will end and however it will look like.

Talking to someone will help. We are all human beings.

> I am very sure that there is INITIAL help very close for free in terms of money;

A hotline call (where available) can avert an immediate crisis but is not able to address underlying challenges. Recovery needs extended time with mental healthcare professionals. All indications are that most of Earth's population doesn't have access to that. For them, the advice of "Just Go Get That Free Help" isn't helpful.

I'm not saying we shouldn't help. I'm saying that assuming they have access isn't helpful - unless we actually know they do.

To be helpful, we need to ask if they know of services in their area. If they don't know, we can offer to look if they're willing to share their general location. If we strike out (not unlikely), we can learn more about them and their region - see if some obscure solution can be unearthed.

It takes time to provide the help that folks actually need.

(note: Evidence that most of our 7.8 billion have reasonable access to usable mental healthcare is absolutely welcome).

I did the same (signed up), please talk to someone.

I appreciate that. I don’t really have friends. And my parents and I don’t get along. Sometimes I talk to anonymous people in the internet and it does help but not sure if it’s enough.

You already made a big step by reaching out here in public on HN and this is very good.

Talking to anonymous people on the Internet is very likely not enough, as you already stated.

Again, I think you should talk to a professional and finding such a hotline - wherever you live - hopefully should not be that difficult.

Tell us your story.

Thanks :)

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