Mental health helplines
Use our helplines to find information and advice on mental health issues.
NHS Choices – Mental Health
Improving access to psychological therapies
Stress, anxiety and depression
Comprehensive help and information from NHS Choices with links to external help and support.
Royal College of Psychiatrists
This leaflet 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
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
Tel: 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.
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.
Mind
Mind Infoline: 0300 123 3393
Elefriends online support community
The Mind InfoLine 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.
SADA (Seasonal Affective Disorder Association)
SADA offers support and information to sufferers of SAD and Winter Blues. We are a self-financing organisation and registered Charity, run by a Committee of Volunteers , most of us are SAD sufferers. We aim to support and advise people with SAD and disseminate information via the media and our website.
No Panic
Helpline: 0800 138 8889
We are a voluntary charity which helps people who suffer from Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and other related anxiety disorders including those people who are trying to give up Tranquillisers. No Panic specialises in self-help through telephone recovery groups.
ChildLine
Helpline: 0800 1111
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 a1-2-1 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.
YoungMinds
Helpline: 0800 018 2138
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.
Mindfull.org
Are you feeling down, depressed or worried? Is your mind full of negative thoughts or questions? Do you want to talk about your mental health? If so, MindFull is the place for you! MindFull is a brilliant new service for 11-17 year olds, providing support, information and advice about mental health and emotional wellbeing; helping you to overcome life's ups and downs and feel confident and happy about who you are. You choose the type of support you receive and, because MindFull is online, you can get it whenever you want it, wherever you are. MindFull is here to help you get better; and we'll also give you tools and tips to help you get through those tough times that may arise in the future. We know that asking for help is not always easy, but MindFull is a safe and trustworthy space where you can choose the right support for you.
Get Connected
Freephone: 0808 808 4994 (1pm - 11pm)
Confidential National helpline for young people under 25 helps them work out what they need most. Can put them in touch with places that can help - whatever the issue.
Papyrus
Papyrus HOPElineUK: 0800 068 41 41
Support for those dealing with suicide, depression or emotional distress – particularly teenagers and young adults.
Campaign Against Living Miserably
Helpline: 0800 58 58 58
Support for young men under 35 suffering from depression.
Aware Defeat Depression
Helpline: 08451 202 961
Provides information and support to people affected by depression in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Friends in Need
Good friends who understand depression can be a life-line. Friends in Need is a free and supportive community for everyone affected by depression, so you don’t have to go through it alone. You can find new friends in your local area and online, so you’ll always have a safe and friendly space when you need it most. And it’s not just about talking. Friends in Need is inspired by the Five Ways to Wellbeing, simple ideas we can all try in our everyday lives to help us feel good and function well. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are, Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep learning, and Give. It means you’ll find fun and uplifting ways to get better, stay well and to help support others.
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.
The 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 andIreland. Visit befrienders.org if you live outside the UK or Ireland.
The Mix
Tel: 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.
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.
The Recovery Letters
The Recovery Letters are all written with the intention to try and alleviate some of the pain of depression, to make the loneliness slightly more bearable and above all to give hope that you can recover. We see recovery as self defined but can include living alongside symptoms or being symptom free, being stable on medication or medication free but most of all, living a life with some meaning. The letters are written from people recovering from depression, addressed to those currently suffering. At the moment the letter writers have experienced different types of depression including clinical/major depression, bi-polar and postpartum depression.