Ok, so i have been diagnosed and treated for depression, anxiety, bipolar, and self mutilation. I'm 19 years old so my insurance has run out. I need care. I need to know if there are therapists or group therapies that don't require insurance and isn't outrageously over priced. I don't make that much money. But i seriously need help....it's starting to effect my life in ways that i cant let it. Pleast help.

Go to Social Services for Medicaid..you'll qualify right away!

I agree with the others - check with your county. I used to get county services. It was nice - a person would come to your home and give you some moral support and help you with your paperwork. Also, they can help you set up your pills if you need that. You sound like you do not need that much help, tho. But a social worker will know what resources are available locally.

Don't forget that lithium is really cheap - you can get it for $4 a month at walmart or Target. You should not be on an antidepressant if you have bipolar, generally speaking. That should be a last ditch thing. But prozac is only $4 a month, too. I think depakote generic is cheap too. I take lamictal too and chop my pills in half to keep that to $80 a month, but you can ask for samples, and maybe not ever need to buy any, or at least only have to buy some of the time.

Try a support group for free too. Go to Nami.org (national association on mental illness) They have groups in most cities, even smaller cities.

Keep track if you are having worse symptoms when you have PMS, especially the self mutilation. Then maybe you have 5 days you need to be tougher, or have friends/family come sit with you a few days, or sleep over someplace. In my county, you can go stay in a group home for a couple days if you need to and don't want to go to a hospital, and it is free if you have serious and persistent mental illness (i.e. bipolar, schizophrenia, major depression and borderline, some other things if very severe).

Good luck to you! I'm going to tack on my tips for managing bipolar - lots of stuff is free. Also, get some books at the library and read up.

Here are some things you can do that may make you feel at least a little bit better, most cheap or free:

If your depression seems to be more of a problem in the winter, try to get more sun. You could have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, or your depression could have a seasonal component, meaning you can get depressed other times of the year, but you tend to have more trouble in the winter. A light box is really good if you can afford one (about $300 online, don't get it at a local store, they will charge more for a light less than 1/2 as bright). It's a one time expense, unlike pills, but of course, if you're bipolar, you do need the pills.

Exercise more. Exercise is a natural antidepressant.

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! Hopefully your library will have some of these tapes.

Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes depression worse, MUCH worse!!

Try to regulate how much sleep you get. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Keep some routines, too. Helps prevent depression AND mania. Big time.

Do things that comfort you, or do things that distract you. Like take a bath, put on your favorite perfume, read a book, do a hobby. Do art - creativity is a natural for a lot of people with bipolar, and can be very healing.

The meds have only been partly effective for me. If I didn't do stuff like the above, I would be in an institution for sure. so please try some of these things, there is no harm in them, and they may provide some real relief for you.

Finally, if you are not near the poverty line, counseling is probably a good investment for you, insurance or no. I was in graduate school and didn't have much money and I still shelled out for counseling. A lot of americans seem to want to get medical care for free and not pay for it. If you can cancel the cell phone, cancel cable TV, sell off the expensive car and buy a cheaper one, whatever, then you SHOULD, and spend that money on counseling at a place that will charge a sliding scale fee. If you ARE poor, then maybe you are eligible for insurance through your state. Or you can look for a public mental health clinic.

I hope you can get the medical care and that you will make that a priority if you can possibly afford it. In leiu of that, those tips I listed first are quite helpful. As spring comes, you may be feeling better anyhow. ***Good luck!***