Where to get support for your mental health
We’ve spoken a lot before on the importance of keeping in control of your mental health as a young person. So far, we’ve given our advice on how to practice maintaining your wellbeing daily, as well as how to cope with specific problems like anxiety and self-esteem.
But sometimes, events in your life can spiral and your mental state with them. When this happens you may need more than just a daily exercise ritual to start feeling yourself again, what you need is support.
Your first port of call should be to talk to your doctor, they exist to care for your mental as well as your physical health. A session with a doctor will allow you to have a safe space to talk, they can offer support or treatment options depending on your symptoms.
But if for whatever reason, you feel that talking to your doctor isn’t giving you the support you desired, there are plenty of specialist organisations out there that are equipped to help young people with their mental health. Here are 7 UK based recommendations.
Mind
Mind was set up in 1946 as a voluntary organisation helping people with mental health issues. Since then it has become a leading force in the UK hoping to empower people suffering to seek advice and support, as well as raise awareness of mental health issues. Since 2011 Stephen Fry has been the president.
Mind offers young people easy to digest information on how to understand mental health as well as how to discuss it with peers. As well as offering support of their own, they have also partnered with several other organizations such as Bupa to specifically target young people.
Visiting Mind will provide you or your family with the resources to tackle your mental health concerns.
Samaritans
Established in 1953, Samaritans is a support network consisting of over 20,000 volunteers across the UK. Samaritans train their volunteers to be effective listeners, responding to calls from people suffering from mental health concerns (particularly suicidal thoughts) 24 hours a day.
As well as having constantly manned helplines, they offer multiple ways to get in contact for a talk. They welcome email & written communication and they have local branches offering face to face drop-in sessions. All conversation via any medium will remain strictly confidential except in extreme situations, such as when a healthcare professional is required.
Having a conversation with a Samaritans volunteer could help talk you down from your most dangerous thoughts.
Young Minds
Young Minds was founded on the growing need for young people to receive help when they come forward about mental health issues. They want to promote and champion young people’s voices and source more support for them.
Like Mind, Young Minds have a range of written resources offering guidance and advice on a range of topics, like symptoms and self-care, as well as the Young Minds Crisis messenger service. What makes Young Minds important is that they have advice for young people on medicating mental illness, important if you have been prescribed by a doctor or thinking of asking for a prescription. They also have their own blog, written by young people, offering advice and sharing stories. Contributing to this could be a helpful form of outreach.
Getting help and advice from Young Minds means you are being supported by people who know exactly how young people’s minds work.
Youth Access
Youth Access was formed on the belief that every young person has a right to access free, high-quality advice and counseling. They aim to offer this support to young people across a range of issues, including mental health.
Youth Access operates by providing young people with information on locations near to them that will offer their counseling services, as well as advice and information. They also have a number of projects aiming to raise awareness of mental health and make their services a cornerstone of every local health venue.
Using Youth Access to find a local service that offers youth-oriented counseling, will allow you to address concerns in a way that helps you most.
The Mix
The Mix is an online social platform, created to help young people between the ages of 13–25 address problems or thoughts they may feel unable to express elsewhere.
They offer a number of ways to contact them for support. Using their helpline, you can speak one to one with a team member, who will listen to your situation and help find you the best support. You can also discuss your issues via email, or if you are in a more urgent situation you can text their crisis messenger service. They also offer online webchat, either one to one with a team member or as a group with other young people who may share your problems.
The Mix has many different avenues for support and can come in handy for help and advice, whatever your current contact situation is.
Rethink Mental Illness
Founded in 1970, Rethink Mental Illness is a group of people with either experience of mental health themselves or experience of caring for someone. They hope to give expert advice as well as support for people of all ages in regards to mental health.
They have over 200 support services in communities across the UK, including both face-to-face counseling on a range of issues that may have an impact on your health, as well as helpline services. Importantly, they also have over 140 peer support groups. These groups are run by volunteers who have lived with mental health issues and allow members to receive support and understanding from those who are in their position.
Getting help from people who have gone through similar things to you can be key to overcoming your demons and gaining the confidence to open about your mental health.
On My Mind
Last but not least, On My Mind is an initiative created by The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families to allow young people to make informed decisions that affect their mental health. The service is produced in collaboration with young people so that they can pass on advice that is relevant to their peers.
On My Mind offers easy to digest advice in the form of tips and infographics on a range of topics related to young people’s mental health, from what to expect at support groups to looking after friends with mental health issues. They have a handy Jargon Buster, that will help to define any of the big scientific words often batted around during discussions of mental wellbeing, making finding help clearer and easier.
Getting advice from On My Mind means getting information based on experiences of young people just like you. They are always looking for more young people to contribute to their service so you can also pass on your own knowledge.
Getting support when your mental health is low is vitally important, so make sure to remember these services are there whenever you need them.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the mental health services available in the UK. If there are any that we have not mentioned that have helped you in the past, please do not hesitate to share them with us and with your peers.
