Important: This page provides general information, not medical or legal advice, a diagnosis, or a guarantee of services, coverage, cost, availability, or a particular privacy outcome. Policies and benefits can change. Consult a qualified professional for personal guidance and verify coverage and costs with the provider and health plan. Do not delay emergency help to check coverage.
Getting Started
Signs of Depression: When It's More Than a Bad Day
Wondering whether what you're feeling needs attention? Here's how to get an evaluation at Southern Highlands in Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties, what it costs, and where to find trusted general information.
Everyone has bad days. Days when you don’t want to get out of bed, when everything feels hard, when you just want to be left alone.
If you’ve been searching for whether what you’re feeling is more than that, you’re asking a fair question. It’s also a question this page isn’t going to answer, and it’s worth being straight with you about why.
Why you won’t find a symptom checklist here
Southern Highlands is a treatment provider. Nobody at a keyboard can tell you what’s going on with you, and a list of signs on a website is not an evaluation. Checklists tend to do one of two things: convince people who need care that they don’t qualify, or convince people who are worried that they’ve diagnosed themselves. Neither one gets anybody an appointment.
Whether what you’re experiencing is depression is a question for a clinician. Southern Highlands provides evaluations at our Princeton, Welch, and Mullens clinics. Call (304) 425-9541 to schedule one.
If you want general, non-commercial information about depression written for the public, the National Institute of Mental Health publishes it at nimh.nih.gov.
Getting an evaluation at Southern Highlands
An evaluation is the thing that actually answers the question. Here’s what getting one involves.
Call (304) 425-9541. You can contact the clinic directly. A health plan or particular service may still apply referral, authorization, eligibility, or medical-necessity rules. Staff will ask for information needed to route and schedule the request.
Listed office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call (304) 425-9541 before coming to confirm walk-in intake availability, which may differ from office hours.
Bring, if you have them:
- Photo ID
- Insurance card
- A list of the medications you take
- Your primary care provider’s name and number
If you’re missing some of that, call anyway and tell staff what you do have. They can explain what is required for intake and whether anything must be obtained before a particular service begins.
What happens: assessment length and format vary. A clinician asks what brought you in and what you would like to be different, then discusses recommendations and possible next steps. A particular diagnosis, service, or follow-up appointment is not guaranteed by the assessment.
You don’t need to have the right words ready. You can say “something’s off and I want to talk to somebody,” and that’s enough to start with.
Where we are
Southern Highlands serves Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties from six locations, including clinics in Princeton, Welch, and Mullens, plus a Children’s Clinic for ages 3 to 17.
Call (304) 425-9541 and ask which site is closest to you and what days services run there. Not everything is offered every day at every location, and that’s worth confirming before you drive.
What it costs
Southern Highlands participates in West Virginia Medicaid and Medicare and may participate with commercial plans. Coverage, network status, authorization, and cost-sharing vary by service and plan.
If you don’t have insurance, ask about the sliding fee scale, which is based on household income and household size. As a CCBHC, Southern Highlands serves people regardless of ability to pay, but that does not mean every service is free. Billing staff can explain eligibility, required documentation, and the charge that may apply before your first appointment.
If you’re not sure whether your Medicaid coverage is still active, bring the card and let billing check it. That’s routine.
If getting here is the problem
Telehealth is available for many appointment types. West Virginia Medicaid may cover an eligible service when it is delivered by an approved provider and method. Ask whether the specific appointment can be completed by video or phone and what coverage rules apply.
Transportation. If you have West Virginia Medicaid, ask our front office or your Medicaid plan about non-emergency medical transportation to covered appointments.
Scheduling. If you work shift work or share a vehicle, tell the scheduler when you book. It’s easier to find a time that fits a ride than to reschedule after a missed appointment.
The “push through it” problem in southern West Virginia
There’s a culture here of just dealing with things. “I’ve been through worse.” “Other people have it harder.” “I don’t have time to fall apart.”
That mindset keeps a lot of people from ever picking up the phone. It’s worth naming for what it is: a reason people don’t get evaluated, not evidence that they don’t need to be.
You don’t have to be at a breaking point to make an appointment. You don’t have to justify it to anyone, and nobody at the front desk is going to think less of you for walking in.
Privacy is part of this. In a place where people recognize each other’s trucks, being seen going into a clinic is a real concern. Your health information is protected by federal and state privacy law. Information may be used or disclosed with authorization and in circumstances permitted or required by law; ask for the Notice of Privacy Practices if you want details before scheduling.
If you’re worried about someone else
You can call (304) 425-9541 with general questions about what services exist, where they are, hours, and what they cost. Staff generally cannot discuss a specific person’s care with an outside caller merely because the caller is a relative or is paying a bill. Information may be disclosed with authorization and in circumstances permitted or required by law.
The most useful thing you can usually hand someone is the phone number and the fact that the clinic can be contacted directly. Coverage rules may still require a referral or authorization for a particular service.
If you believe someone is in immediate danger, use the crisis contacts below.
Crisis contacts
These are numbers, not instructions. If you need help right now, use them.
Southern Highlands 24/7 Crisis Line: 1-800-615-0122 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org If someone is in immediate physical danger, call 911.
You can also walk into the Southern Highlands Crisis Stabilization Unit, which operates 24 hours a day. You do not have to be an existing patient to call the crisis line or to be seen there. If you’re unsure whether a situation counts, call 1-800-615-0122 and ask. That’s what the line is for.
Where to read general information
- National Institute of Mental Health — public information on mental health conditions: nimh.nih.gov
- SAMHSA — the federal behavioral health agency, including its national helpline and treatment locator: samhsa.gov
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988lifeline.org
Churches, senior centers, and community organizations across the three counties also host peer and support groups. Our case management staff can tell you what’s currently meeting near you, which changes more often than a web page can track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral to be seen?
Call (304) 425-9541 directly to request an appointment. A health plan or particular service may still apply referral or authorization rules. Call first to confirm current office hours and walk-in intake availability.
Do I need to know what’s wrong before I call?
No. Scheduling an assessment is how you find out. You don’t need a diagnosis to make an appointment.
Which counties do you serve?
Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming, from six locations.
Do you take my insurance?
Southern Highlands participates in West Virginia Medicaid and Medicare and may participate with commercial plans. Bring your card and ask billing to verify network status, coverage, authorization requirements, and cost-sharing.
What if I can’t afford it?
Ask about the sliding fee scale, which is based on household income and household size. As a CCBHC, Southern Highlands serves people regardless of ability to pay, but that does not mean every service is free. Ask billing what documentation and charge apply.
Can I be seen from home?
Telehealth is available for many appointment types. Ask whether the specific appointment is eligible for Medicaid coverage and whether video, phone, or an in-person visit is required.
Is what I say confidential?
Your health information is protected under HIPAA and other applicable law. Information may be used or disclosed with authorization and for treatment, payment, health care operations, safety, reporting, court orders, and other purposes permitted or required by law. Your clinician and the Notice of Privacy Practices can explain how those rules apply.
Can I bring somebody with me?
Yes. Plenty of people bring a family member or friend to a first appointment. Tell the front desk when you arrive.
To request an appointment, call Southern Highlands at (304) 425-9541. Call first to confirm current office hours and walk-in intake availability. The center serves Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties. You can contact the clinic directly, but a health plan or particular service may apply referral or authorization rules.
This blog describes the services Southern Highlands provides. It is not clinical advice.