By: Dr. Romeo Vitelli 

When the question below first came up in the "Ask A Doctor" forum, I realized how important finding an answer would be.  While my tactic for getting help (driving to a medical complex and banging on all the doors at 9 pm until I finally found a psychiatrist) worked in my case, it is certainly not the best way to get help.  I decided to go to an expert and fellow blogger on this:

Q: What are the correct channels to go down when seeking mental health diagnosis/treatment? Is it as simple as booking an appointment with your GP and moving on from there, or are there any other alternatives?

A: There is no easy answer to the question of getting help for the problems that you may be experiencing.  There is no one way to get help but It might help to ask yourself these questions first:

1. What is the problem that you have?  Putting the problem into words is a good way to make clear in your own mind what exactly is going on.   It also makes getting help that much easier.
2. Are there people in your life you can talk to about this?  Can you talk to your friends or family about what you are going through?  Do you trust them enough to help you cope with what you are feeling?
3. How have you been dealing with this problem up to now?  What kind of coping methods have been helping you keep the stress of dealing with this problem under control?  There can be different methods of coping but not all of them are healthy.  Some people resort to drug or alcohol abuse to cope with the stress in their lives but this only makes the problem worse. 
4. How comfortable do you feel about talking to someone face-to-face about this problem?  While booking an appointment with your GP might be the simplest route, it isn't always that simple.  Especially if the family doctor also knows your parents and might share her or his concerns with your parents if it seems necessary. 
5. What resources are available to you?  Where do you live and what kind of services are available in your area?    Sadly, there are more resources available in cities than in rural areas and some people need to travel long distances to get help.  Are you a student? If so, then your local guidance counsellor might be a good person to talk with.
6. Do you have internet access?  (presumably you have that since you are reading this web page although you might be reluctant to research confidential subjects on a library or school computer).  Have you done web searches to find on-line resources that might help?
7. Have you looked in your local telephone directory?  There can be local resources listed under "Counselling Services" or "Psychologists" although it might be best to focus on therapists that are licensed by your state or province.  The regional organizations that license therapists in your area also tend to have web pages where you can research a therapist that you think might be able to help you.  Your local newspaper usually has community listings for the different self-help groups including where and when they meet. 
8. Unfortunately, the last question to be answered is Can I afford this?  If you or your family have health coverage, great.  Except that many health care plans have ceilings on how much they are willing to pay for treatment.  If you are under age, you also need parental permission to get benefits.  Finding treatment programs that you can afford  isn't always easy but the resources are there.

While people in crisis aren't always in a position to sit down and think about these different kinds of questions, it's always best to remember three simple words:  DON'T GIVE UP!  There is help out there, believe it or not.

You may have to dig a little to find it but you can do it if you try.

Romeo Vitelli is a Canadian psychologist in private practice in Toronto, Ontario.  Check out his blog at http://www.drvitelli.typepad.com.