Free Hospitals and Services Offering Testing for Mental and other types of disorders?

I'm a teacher, and I have a student who needs some serious help. He's got numerous disorders and is on multiple medications for a variety of disorders, but I think he's at the point where the medicines are no longer effective (the dosage may need to be upped or they may be cancelling each other out). Furthermore, I'm not sure his mother has continued to seek treatment, and I have a feeling that it might be related to finances. Does anybody know of any treatment facilities or hospitals, particularly in the midwest, that are free and offer treatment services to treat learning disability and mental disorders and things of a similar nature?

My apologies in advance, I'm not trying to link mental disorders and learning disabilities, nor am I trying to say that they are one in the same, but I really dont know what this child has by name, and I dont know what else to call it.

Thanks Zanetha and Anne. I am going to further investigate your answers. PM you are so far off base, I dont even know where to start.

I think it's great that you are trying to help your student this way...I don't know if they would be able to connect him with free treatment or where you are in the midwest, but I do know that Cleveland State University has a good-sized social work program and that many students there are already working in the field. Maybe they could offer some help or advice.

You might check with your local counseling agency. If this agency accepts Medicaid, Medicare, or other type of public funding, the youth might be able to get mental health services free or at a reasonable cost. I work for a mental health agency here in Georgia, and my work is with the above funding categories.

Feel free to email me back if you need further insight.

I am a bit surprized that a teacher who admits she does not even know the student's diagnosis would make the statement that you think the medications need to be switched around or maybe be cancelling each other out. Medications do not cancel each other out. Many disorders and illnesses are complex. Medication does not automatically cure a person and make them "behave" without any chaos or issues. It is possible the student is having some difficulties at home, yes......Or it maybe he is as well as he can be even wit his medications.

Let me ask a couple of questions.

Is the student not performing to academic expectations? Have you gone through the steps to achieve your responsibilities in this area, such as parental conferencing and suggesting clincial help? If he is on medications he sees a doctor regularly--so what have you done to make certain the doctor (via mom) is aware his behavior has become worse? You do understand that your crusae to find a new clinci is also going to result in a change of doctors, right? That may be more detrimental to a young person than you believe. If his mother is low income, she can get his doc appointments and his meds on medicaid. Free. So, I am puzzled by your question.

Has the child been so disruptive you are unable to teach him/her? If so, have you done the proper referrals according to your district/state criteria?

Is your interest stepping over the boundaries of teacher and into the area of counseling? Isn't there a protocal for referrals inside your school district and wouldn't it be the internal social worker or SD psychologist who makes this their mission? Have you done this referral?

If you do not even know the dagnosis of your student what makes you think the mother is on meds? Is this your business? If you believe the child's homelife is needing a social worker referral, make it. You are a mandatory reporter, as a teacher.

You do not seem to have the basic tools for interacting on behalf of this student. Contact the district's counseling department and request the protocals for referring this student to the psychologist. But before you do that, I strongly suggest you request a parental conference with te principal present.

Your basic question was about free services. Your local mental health clinic may have this information. Or the closest chapter of NAMI. But to be honest, this is not your department, but the department of your dstrict social worker or clinician. Use the proper channels.

One last note is are you sure this parent is't manipulating you into performing all sorts of tasking for her. If she has him on meds and she takes meds and manages her care and is low income, believe me when I say it is very likely she knws all this stuff and also knows the ropes around getting people to task for her. Are you a new teacher who has boundary issues? I mean no offense at all, but I am a bit amazed at your question.