[StarSkyNight]

I have major depressive disorder.
Why is it that my brother who abuses drugs has a place to go for weeks at a time to learn how to function and cope with his "illness"?

Is there such a place for depressed people?
I know psych wards are basically a 72 hour sham, and really don't help people in my situation much.
"mental homes" don't exist anymore for the most part. My aunt is schitzophrenic and there was nowhere for her to go to be taken care of (she needed more care than the family could offer -she's 45 years old and has suffered for over 20 years) - so her daughter pays for her to live in a nursing home.

I live in ILLINOIS and i've heard we have some pretty terrible mental health support in comparison to other states.

Is what I'm describing like an outpatient program maybe? I just feel like a month long escape to a place to work on ME and my issues and to really focus on treatment and getting counseling one on one daily and group sessions -- it sounds like maybe it would be comforting and helpful....

just rambling really. ranting actually.
REHAB for drug addiction is a lot more 'acceptable' in society than a stint in a psych ward. Ya know?

please correct me, inform me, inspire me, enlighten me on this subject please.

[marcelodlanod]

Its hard to say dude... how to cure a soul? I believe that counseling may be helpful, but dont underestimate your own mind. Yes.. its true the problem is in your head, but i believe that -you are your best T- and yes, drugaddicts are far more common 'cause everybody is a drug addict (to coffe, nicotine, sugar..). And rehab for tormented minds just freak out people.
Keep on the daily sessions, and good luck!!!

[ECHOES]

Rehab is the initial part of treatment and is about getting the person away from the substance they are abusing. Only after the person is free from the substance can medications and therapy begin. Often medication and therapy begin in rehab then and continue after the person has been discharged.

But yeah, I hear you and I've thought that too--that being away from the everyday pressures, to feel taken care of, would make a big difference and especially if someone has meds to get used to. Many do spend time inpatient for stabilization or they go to partial hospitalization. Have you asked about doing this?

Can you take some time off work and at the same time increase the frequency of your therapy, kind of a do-it-yourself approach to wanting an esacpe for a while to work on you?

I also think we sometimes want a quicker fix. We really do want to feel better.
It takes time; it's a process.

[Kapri421]

I have been to both rehab and mental facility and both are questionable. I think its what you do with yourself after.
These places are limited in there care and concern. I would have liked to receive more psychiatric counseling with an actual psychiatrist.
I don't know what to say for mental health in this country, but the "meds" won't fix us alone.

[Junerain]

How about a support group such as dbsalliance.org click on find support or nami.org to find a meeting near you...

[Rapunzel]

There are retreats and programs for mental health, but they tend to be pretty expensive, and I don't know how many insurances would cover them. They are around if you look though.

Some that I found by googling "mental health retreats":

http://www.helpself.com/directory/retreats.htm

You can probably find other programs like these if you look around. I would like to go to one of these programs sometime. It sounds nice.

[Jasmine61]

most of the governmental grant monies are targeted for addiction treatment. They think that if they fight addictions, crime will go down and they will spend less money for prisons even though they are arresting more and more people for drug abuse. Basically, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Depression doesn't make the front page and isn't a popular campaign topic.