Welcome to the Mental Health Forum!
We aim to be the friendliest place on the web to meet and discuss anything related to mental health. This includes mental health problems such anxiety and panic attacks, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia, as well as friendships and relationships and everyday life issues. We also welcome discussion and debate of mental health issues and policy.
Whether you are experiencing psychological distress, are a friend, partner or relative of someone who is experiencing mental health issues, or if you work in the mental health field - you are most welcome here.
Please explore the website site, see below for our latest news and have fun on the message board!
The Mental Health Forum is run on a non-commercial basis by a team of dedicated volunteers to whom we are greatly indebted to for their time, dedication, knowledge and experience.
Local Forums
The Mental Health Forum is developing a network of local online mental health forums that enable members to have the opportunity to make contact with other local people. These local forums bring together local people involved with mental health issues whether one experiences or has experienced mental health issues, is a friend, relative, parent or carer of someone who has, or is a worker in the mental health field (from support worker to service manager and from nurses to psychologists and psychiatrists) as well as anyone who has an interest in mental health issues.
You can find the existing local forums here: Local Forums
These local forums enable opportunities locally for:
- mutual support to develop;
- sharing of information and resources;
- the advertising and holding of events;
- generally promoting togetherness in the local mental health community;
- campaigning on mental health issues including challenging stigma and misconceptions.
They are moderated by local volunteer moderators. They include people who experience mental and/or emotional distress, friends, partners or relatives of someone who is experiencing mental health issues, and people who work in the mental health field.
The responsibilities of the local moderators are to check the messages the messages that are posted in the local online forum, to give information to the local Mental Health Forum about the different organisations, services and events for people with mental health difficulties in your local area, develop partnerships with local organisations and to publicise the local mental health forum. It is important to compliment what is already happening in an area, rather than duplicate what is happening.
If you are interested in being involved in running one in your area (i.e. town, city or borough) please contact us.
Getting Help
There are a range of people you can talk to about what you are experiencing with your mental health. A number of services and organisations also support people with mental health problems. Often you need to try a few approaches to find out what works best for you.
Urgent Help
If you need someone to talk to urgently and in confidence - the Samaritans www.samaritans.org offer emotional support 24 hours a day on 08457 90 90 90.
You can also email the Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
If you require urgent medical help please contact your local GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or if it is an extreme emergency please call 999.
Tell someone you trust. You may find it helpful to talk to your partner, a relative or a friend about your problems. They may be concerned about you and welcome the opportunity to hear what you have to say. If this is not possible, you may prefer to talk to someone else you can trust, like a faith leader or a tutor.
Your GP may be the first person you talk to about your mental health problems. If you have a good relationship with your doctor, you may find it helpful just to know there is someone you can talk to about the feelings you are having. Your GP may refer you to specialist services if he/she feels they will help you.
If you are unhappy with your own doctor, you can ask to see another doctor at the same practice or can visit a different practice within your area. If you are unsure where to find other doctor's surgeries, use the 'Find a local health service' search facility on the NHS Direct website www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Other ways of getting help
Here is a list of other key organisations offering information and support, including helplines and local services for people affected by mental health problems.
Mind: Mind offers advice and support to service users. They have a network of local associations in England and Wales to which people can turn for help and assistance. More information can be found on the Mind website: www.mind.org.uk or Telephone: 0845 766 0163 or Email Mind: info@mind.org.uk
Rethink: Rethink is a national charity which provides information, advocacy plus a network of local groups and community services for people with severe mental illnesses and their carers. More information can be found on the Rethink web site: www.rethink.org or Tel: 0845 456 0455 or Email Rethink info@rethink.org
Scottish Association for Mental Health: SAMH is the biggest mental health organisation in the voluntary sector in Scotland. It operates a range of services across Scotland for people with mental health problems. It also strives to influence public policy. More information can be found on the SAMH website www.samh.org.uk or Tel: 0141 568 7000 or Email SAMH enquire@samh.org.uk
Young Minds: Young Minds provides information and advice for anyone with concerns about the mental health of a child or young person. More information at the Young Minds website www.youngminds.org.uk Tel: 020 7336 8445
Specialist services Most people recover from mental health problems without needing to go into hospital. There are a number of specialist services which provide various treatments, including counselling and other talking treatments. You may also need help with other aspects of your life, for example claiming benefits or dealing with housing problems. Often these different services are co-ordinated by a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).
CMHTs are usually based either at a hospital or a local community mental health centre. Some teams provide 24 hour services so that you can contact them in a crisis. If you are already in contact with a CMHT you may find it useful to keep their number by your phone in case you need it. Otherwise you should be able to contact your local CMHT via your local social services or social work team.
To find out more, visit the Who's Who in the mental health section of DirectGov, the UK Government's website www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/HealthAndSupport/MentalHealth/DG_10023345. Also check out their Introduction to Mental Health section for a useful description of services and support: www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/HealthAndSupport/MentalHealth/DG_10023439.
You may also find it helpful to contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau www.citizensadvice.org.uk for advice about benefits, debt problems, legal issues and local services. The Citizens Advice website has a directory of bureau.
Please also use the Mental Health Forum to get help. People here will be able to share their own experiences and knowledge and help you find what works best for you. Often you need to try a few different approaches to find one which suits you.
About Us
The Mental Health Forum has grown out of the 1 in 4 Forum, which was started by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK in April 2003 and is now run by Radish Online Limited, a non-profit social enterprise. The 1 in 4 Forum earned a reputation of being a high-quality forum where members could get mutual support while also considering mental health policy and service development issues. It is a tradition that continues with the Mental Health Forum.
Here at the Mental Health Forum we aim to build a high-quality community where members can get mutual support, and discuss mental health policy and service development issues. This forum serves people experiencing mental health issues, their friends or relatives, and people working in the mental health field (from support worker to service manager and from nurses to psychologists and psychiatrists).
The Mental Health Forum is run on a non-commercial basis by a team of dedicated volunteers to whom we are greatly indebted to for their time, dedication, knowledge and experience. A big thank you to you all.
