It’s not unusual to feel sad or miserable every so often but if your mood stays persistently low for weeks at a time and disrupts your life, it could be a sign of depression.
This information is for anyone who is or has been depressed. We hope it will also be helpful for friends and relatives. It describes what depression feels like, some of the help that is available, how you can help yourself and how to help someone else who is depressed. It also mentions some of the things we don’t know about depression. At the end of the leaflet, there is a list of other places where you can get further information.
The Mental Health Foundation
Coronavirus – How to look after your mental health
We believe it is important to involve the people who use mental health services and their carers in our work. We want to support them to have their say on the way that services are run, as well as to use their experiences to inform our thinking.
RETHINK
Helpline: 0300 5000 927
Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life.
Time to Change
Time to Change is England’s most ambitious programme to end discrimination faced by people who experience mental health problems. Our vision is to make lives better for everyone by ending mental health discrimination and to inspire people to work together to end the discrimination surrounding mental health.
Mind
MindInfoline: 0300 123 3393
Coronavirus and your wellbeing
Side by side – online support community
The MindinfoLine offers thousands of callers confidential help on a range of mental health issues. Mind helps people take control of their mental health. We do this by providing high-quality information and advice and campaigning to promote and protect good mental health for everyone. They also provide a special legal service to the public, lawyers and mental health workers.
Breathing Space (Scotland)
Helpline: 0800 83 85 87
Sometimes our thoughts and feelings can overwhelm us. It helps to get some Breathing Space. Pick up the phone – we’re here to listen. We are a free, confidential, phone service for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16 experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety.
SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health)
Information Service: 0141 530 1000
Coronavirus and your mental wellbeing
Today, in over 60 communities we work with adults and young people providing mental health social care support, services in primary care, schools and further education, among others. These services together with our national programme work in See Me, respectme, suicide prevention and active living; inform our policy and campaign work to influence positive social change.
Support in Mind Scotland
Information: 0131 662 4359
Our aim is to improve the quality of life for anyone whose mental health problems or mental illness has a serious impact on their life and on the lives of others, including family members, friends and supporters. We believe anyone affected by mental health issues deserves compassionate and expert support.
Bi-Polar UK
Tel: 0333 323 3880
BiPolar UK is a user-led charity working to enable people affected by Bipolar disorder / manic depression to take control of their lives.
Saneline
0300 304 7000
SANEline is a national out-of-hours telephone helpline offering emotional support and information for people affected by mental health problems.
Moodjuice
The site is designed to offer information, advice to those experiencing troublesome thoughts, feelings and actions. From the site, you are able to print off various self-help guides covering conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, panic and sleep problems.
Be Mindful
Mindfulness is a mind-body approach to well-being that can help you change the way you think about experiences and reduce stress and anxiety. Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them. Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into their emotions, boost their attention and concentration and improve relationships. It’s proven to help with stress, anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours, and can even have a positive effect on physical problems like hypertension, heart disease and chronic pain.
Shout
Text Shout to 85258
Shout is the UK’s first free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help.
ChildLine
Helpline: 0800 11 11
ChildLine is a counselling service for children and young people. You can contact ChildLine in these ways: You can phone on 0800 1111, send us an email, have a 1-2-1 chat with us, send a message to Ask Sam and you can post messages to the ChildLine message boards. You can contact ChildLine about anything – no problem is too big or too small. If you are feeling scared or out of control or just want to talk to someone you can contact ChildLine.
Young Minds
Helpline: 0808 802 5544
What to do if you’re anxious about Coronavirus
Talking to your child about coronavirus
Parents’ Information Service gives advice to parents or carers who may be concerned about the mental health or emotional well being of a child or young person.
Kooth.com
Kooth.com is an online counselling service that provides vulnerable young people, between the ages of 11 and 25, with advice and support for emotional or mental health problems. Kooth.com offers users a free, confidential, safe and anonymous way to access help.
The Mix
Helpline: 0808 808 4994
Life’s tough, we know that. It can throw a lot your way and make it hard to know what the hell to do with it all. So, welcome to The Mix. Whether you’re 13, 25, or any age in between, we’re here to take on the embarrassing problems, weird questions, and please-don’t-make-me-say-it-out-loud thoughts you have. We give you the information and support you need to deal with it all. Because you can. Because you’re awesome. We’ll connect you to experts and your peers who’ll give you the support and tools you need to take on any challenge you’re facing – for everything from homelessness to finding a job, from money to mental health, from break-ups to drugs. We’re a free and confidential multi-channel service. That means that you choose how you access our support, without the worry of anyone else finding out. Whether it be through our articles and video content online or our phone, email, peer to peer and counselling services – we put the control in your hands. You can even volunteer with us too.
Papyrus
HOPELINEUK – 0800 068 4141
Support for anyone under 35 experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person may be experiencing thoughts of suicide.
Students Against Depression
studentdepression.org Developed in consultation with students who have been affected by depression, low mood or suicidal thoughts. Many of their stories and suggestions are included on the site.
Campaign Against Living MiserablyHelpline: 0800 58 58 58
thecalmzone.net The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) works to prevent male suicide and offers support services for any man who is struggling or in crisis. CALM’s helpline 0800 58 58 58 and web-chat are for men in the UK who need to talk or find information and support. The services are open 5 pm -midnight daily and are free, anonymous and confidential. For access or to find more information visit thecalmzone.net
For support call: 0300 1020 505 (midday to midnight daily)
We support everyone affected by suicide, whether they be bereaved, having thoughts of suicide, or have attempted suicide.
Everyone is vulnerable, especially right now when the world as we know it has changed, bringing mental health fragilities to those who have never before experienced them and an escalation of poor mental health for vulnerable people who were already struggling.
The shame, stigma and silence that surrounds not just suicide, but mental health generally, is something we are passionate about changing. No one should feel judged. No one should feel awkward. No one should feel isolated, we will continue to support everyone and anyone who needs our help.
Depression UK
The mission of Depression UK is to promote mutual support between individuals affected by or at risk from depression, with the aim of encouraging self-help, recovery and personal growth. We believe our members are helped when they share their problems with fellow sufferers because they understand, better than any non-depressed professional or carer can ever do, what it really feels like to suffer from depression. These members can then share their thoughts, feelings, hopes, disappointments and successes, and in so doing offer mutual support to each other.
OvercomeDepression.co.uk
Offers a unique and clear reference point on depression help and advice from experts in the field.
Samaritans Tel: 116 123 (Free)
Whatever you’re going through, we’re here to help 24 hours a day. We won’t judge you and we won’t share what you tell us with anyone else. Get in touch by telephone, email, letter and face to face in the UK and Ireland. Visit befrienders.org if you live outside the UK or Ireland.
Info compiled at
ncmh.info
mentalhealth.org.uk
