Good Morning Customer (name blocked for privacy),

Before medication, it sounds like your sister really needs to get into some talk therapy. It may be determined that she would benefit from an antidepressant as well, but it is important to get to the real root of her depression and withdrawal from every day life. If her depression truly stems from your mother dying, anti-depressants in conjunction with talk therapy can help her to stabilize and get through this funk and back to her old self. Most communities have a community mental health center that accepts patients on a sliding scale, based on their ability to pay. Another option would be talking to a pastor as they have training in counseling and grief counseling. A third option would be a self-help group, but because these are so self-directed, I would try one of the first two first. Also see if your sister qualifies for Medicaid, Social Security Insurance, or Social Security Disability. If she has been paying into the SS system until now, and she can get a doctor to fill out a form saying she is unable to work right now due to her illness, she could qualify for one of these. She doesn't even need to see a doctor first to apply for Medicaid. Some communities also have a program called Township, which provides financial assistant to low income people who don't have children (it's different from federal aid to families with dependent children). I can give you some phone numbers to try if you don't know how to contact your local agencies, and they can direct you further. I'm sorry for your loss, and I applaud your efforts to help your sister. We all accept loss and deal with grief in different ways, and I know this must be somewhat of a burden on you, no matter how much you love your sister. She is lucky to have someone who loves her and wants to help--especially while going through a devastating loss.

Here are those numbers:

National Mental Health Information Center
P.O. Box 42557
Washington, DC 20015
Telephone: 800-789-2647
(TDD): 866-889-2647
E-mail: info@mentalhealth.org
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

American Association of Pastoral Counselors
9504-A Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031-2303
Telephone: 703-385-6967
Fax: 703-352-7725
E-mail: info@aapc.org
www.aapc.org