Support is available if you are worried about your mental health.
You can get:
- information and advice on things that support your mental health
- support from your GP or mental health organisations and professionals
- specialist services for complex difficulties
The type of support you need depends on how difficulties affect your everyday life. This can include how long they have lasted or if your usual coping strategies stop working.
Reasons to get help for your mental health
Information, advice and self-help
Information and advice can help you to understand your difficulties and what to do next.
Guides on common mental health difficulties
Organisations that provide information and advice
Self-help for mental health
Self-help tools can help you improve your wellbeing. They can be first step if you want to try something yourself or you're not sure you need help from someone else.
Self-help can include apps and courses to learn skills to improve your mental health.
Self-help to support and improve your mental health
Your Mental Health information line
You can call the information line any time to find out about:
- supports and services available to you
- how to access our services and other services that we fund
Where to get more support
It may help to talk to someone if:
- you have tried self-help resources but you think you need more support
- your mental difficulties continue to make life harder than usual
You can contact a mental health organisation that we fund or talk to your GP about your difficulties.
Mental health organisations
You can contact an organisation directly to get the following services:
- helplines and listening services
- 1-to-1 counselling or therapy
- support groups
You do not need a referral from a GP for most of these services. But your GP can give you advice about organisations in your area.
Organisations that provide mental health services
How your GP can help
GPs can assess and treat some mental health difficulties. For example, depression or anxiety.
They can give you advice about ways to improve your mental wellbeing and prescribe medicines if you need them.
If you have a difficulty that your GP cannot treat, they may refer you to:
- counselling and therapy
- specialist mental health services
Specialist services for complex difficulties
Most people can get the help they need through their GP or our partner organisations.
Our specialist services can help if you have long-term or complex difficulties. You need a referral from your GP or another health professional to access them.
If you are referred to specialist services, a team will work with you on your goals and to create a care plan. Plans can involve talk therapy, group therapy, medicines and other forms of treatment.
Specialist services include:
- child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
- general adult mental health services
- psychiatry of later life services
- inpatient mental health services
- residential addiction services
- forensic mental health services