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Getting Help

Getting Help

Find Support

Your first step in getting help should be to reach out to a therapist or support group that can help you improve your mental health. Your gaming community will always be here to help, but professional help and programs geared towards getting on a path to wellness. The following links can help you find a therapist. If you have insurance, many plans will provide a list of therapists for your needs – call and speak with your insurance carrier today.

Remember that sometimes you may need to find the psychiatrist or psychologist that works for you. If your first meeting doesn’t feel right, do not be afraid to get a second opinion and try others until you find the right fit for you.

Make a Plan

Thoughts of suicide and self-harm can weigh on you and make you feel like help won’t come soon enough. In truth, those feelings will pass in time. Having a plan is hugely important to see you through these times and keep you safe. You will want to develop your plan with your therapist, but in the meantime, you can also reach out to Lifeline Counselor at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to get started.

To develop your plan, you will want to explore the following (adapted from NSPL and the Safety Plan Template):

  1. Recognize warning signs: What sorts of thoughts, images, moods, situations, and behaviors indicate to you that a crisis may be developing? Write these down in your own words.

    2. Use your coping strategies – without contacting another person: What are some things that you can do on your own to help you not act on thoughts/urges to harm yourself?

    3. Socialize with others who may offer support as well as a distraction from the crisis: Make a list of people (with phone numbers) and social settings that may help take your mind off things.

    4. Contact family members or friends who may help to resolve a crisis: Make a list of family members (with phone numbers) who are supportive and who you feel you can talk to when under stress.

    5. Contact mental health professionals or agencies: List names, numbers and/or locations of clinicians, local emergency rooms, crisis hotlines – carry the Lifeline number 1-800-273-8255

    6. Ensure your environment is safe: Have you thought of ways in which you might harm yourself? Work with your counselor to develop a plan to limit your access to these means.

Fill Yourself With Hope

It helps to watch how others have found their way to recovery so that you can remind yourself that in time you will too. Take inspiration from those that came before you, and for those that want to see you get better. Search videos, talk on forums, and talk to your support group. To help you get started, here are some examples:

After an Attempt – Taking Care of Yourself

This brochure will help you as you begin to work through the complications that led you to attempt to take your life. After being treated in the hospital or emergency room, it will provide you with information to guide you.

Additional Resources and Reference

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