Every mind matters

NHS - every mind matters

Simple steps and resources to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Every mind matters

Everyone has mental health and sometimes, as with physical health, it can become unwell.  There are lots of reasons why this can happen such as life events. Here are examples of issues which can cause mental ill health for some people.  And with 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem each year it's very common to need some support at some point in our lives.  Here are some resources and practical support to help you cope when you need a helping hand.

Do you need help now?

If you have seriously harmed yourself or think you are going to, call 999 or go to your nearest Accident and Emergency department.

If you are having thoughts about suicide and need to talk to someone you can Contact a Samaritan

Call for free anytime day or night - telephone 116 123

Contact the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Mental Health Crisis Line (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) by calling 0800 953 0110.

I don't need urgent help but I'm having suicidal thoughts

There's no right or wrong way to talk about suicidal feelings. You are not alone.

Whether you're concerned about yourself or a loved one, these helplines and support groups can offer expert advice.

Wellbeing, Mental Health Helpline and Texting Service 

Confidential support for people requiring emotional support in relation to their own mental health or that of someone they know.

Available Monday to Friday 7pm to 11pm and Saturday to Sunday 12pm to midnight. Freephone 0800 9154640, or text Hello to 07860 022 846. You can also use the site to send a message.

Find out how you're doing

Mental Health check-up for 13-25 year olds in Lancashire.

AMPARO

A support service for those bereaved by a suspected suicide. Available across the whole of Lancashire.

Help is at Hand

Support after someone may have died by suicide including help for people who find the deceased.

Healthy Young Minds

Here you can find a variety of advice, guidance and support related to children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Talking Therapies

A range of free therapeutic interventions, including online programmes and one-to-one therapy, to help people overcome common difficulties such as stress, anxiety and depression.

MIND

A mental health charity providing an A-Z of online support.

Lancashire Mind

Our vision is Mental Wellbeing for All and with your help we can stop misconceptions about mental health, develop resilience in people from an early age and work with communities to build a happier Lancashire.

Student Minds

Experiencing mental health difficulties at university can feel overwhelming.

However there is lots of support that might be available to you while at university including support programmes that Student Minds offers, as well as services available at your university.

Keeping physically healthy

Keeping physically healthy can help reduce common mental health issues. There is lots of information and local support groups available:

Missing having a chat with people?

Here are some great options you could try, free of charge. They can be great ways to speak to someone new.

  • Lancashire Volunteer Partnership, Telephone Befriender Service. Telephone 01772 416417 between 8am-4pm Monday – Friday. Or contact us on Facebook or Twitter.
  • Call in Time (Age UK) - a telephone befriending service. You can sign up for a free weekly friendship call.
  • The Silver Line Helpline  also offers free weekly telephone calls to people age 55 and over.

Search for local mental health services on the Lancashire and South Cumbria mental health services map.

The Google Maps based system lists all the organisations working locally, and allows you to search for your closest service or for specific types of support.

You can use the interactive map to find:

  • your closest mental health service
  • most age-appropriate service (for example for younger or older people)
  • language translation or interpretation facilities
  • opening hours for mental health services (24 hour support for example)
  • different types of support (for example, bereavement services, counselling, practical support)

The map also includes countywide services. 

  • Dementia café - Greater Preston: 3rd Tuesday of every month, 10am-12pm, Christ Church Hall, Victoria Road, Fulwood, Preston PR2 8NE.
    Dementia cafe - Greater Preston
  • Dementia café Chorley: Hollinshead Street Church, Hollinshead Street, Chorley PR7 1EP 2nd Thursday of every month 2-4pm
    Dementia cafe - Chorley
  • Dementia café- South Ribble: 4th Thursday of every month, 1.30–3.30pm, Penwortham Community Centre, Kingsfold Drive Penwortham, Preston PR1 9EQ Dementia cafe - South Ribble
  • Memory café Garstang: twice monthly and free at the Methodist Church Windsor Road 

Singing For The Brain Greater Preston: Singing for the Brain - Greater Preston

Age UK Lancashire Information Hub

Many people face financial worries which can affect happiness, health (such as anxiety, depression and loss of sleep) and performance at work.

There are services that can support you if you need help with your bills or debt advice. It can also help to understand how mental health and money are connected.

Here are some places you can look for more information:

Our benefits and financial help section has information about benefits you might be entitled to and advice on managing your energy bills.

The Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership - Cost of living crisis webpage has lots of advice if you're worried about money.

MoneyHelper is a free service provided by the Money and Pensions Service, helping people to clear their debts, reduce spending and make the most of their income.

The PayPlan website has advice to improve your relationship with money and take control of your financial future.

On the Mind webpage - The link between money and mental health you can learn how worries about money can have an impact on your mental health, and your mental health can affect how you manage your money. There's also tips for getting to know your money and mood patterns.

The Money Saving Expert mental health guide includes how to handle debts when unwell, working with banks, where to access free debt counselling, specific tips for bipolar disorder or depression sufferers and whether to declare a condition.

The Lancashire Mind Money and Me programme is a free 6-week programme to give you the skills and confidence to manage your mental health when you are experiencing money problems.

Apps and online tools

NHS App and your NHS account

An App a Day (Orcha) – lots of apps to choose from. Is there one here for you?

Audio guides

You can find a mental wellbeing podcast or audio guide to listen to in your own time in private, to help you through times when your mood is low or you're feeling anxious.

Meditation  and mindfulness

  • Mindful Breathing Exercise (NHS)
    Try this mindful breathing exercise video to help you feel more calm and present.
  • Breathing Exercise for Stress (NHS)
    Here is a calming breathing technique for stress, anxiety and panic. It takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.
  • Mindfulness can also help to reduce stress and improve mood. There are several mindfulness Apps available. Headspace is one you may find helpful. It's free for the first 10 days so you can see if it works for you.

Reading for Health (online books for free)

You can download recommended books for common mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, phobias and some eating disorders from Lancashire Libraries. There is a selection of books for children, young people and adults. Search #Read4Health on Twitter for more information.

Most people experience grief when they lose someone important to them. It affects everyone differently. There's no right or wrong way to feel. You may be finding it particularly difficult at the moment because of the changes in place to try to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

You may feel that you need some extra help and support during this time. The following organisations and helplines offering bereavement services are there to help you.

Grief after bereavement or loss (NHS)

NHS advice with links to resources you can try that may help in coping with bereavement.

Cruse Bereavement Care

Tel: 0808 808 1677

Support, advice and information for children, young people and adults when someone dies.

Samaritans

Tel: 116 123

Freephone number providing a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, whatever life has done to them. Available 24 hours a day, every day of the year

Ataloss.org

The UK's signposting website for bereaved people.

Lancashire Registration Service – how to register a death

Helpful information form Lancashire County Council

Child Bereavement UK

Tel: 0800 02 888 40

Help for children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child dies. They support children and young people up to the age of 25 who are facing bereavement, and anyone affected by the death of a child of any age.

SANDS (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity)

Tel: 0808 164 3332

Support for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby. Whether your baby died long ago or recently, they are here for you. You can access free bereavement counselling using their GriefChat service.

Support For Children and Young People Who Have Been Bereaved

Winston's Wish

Tel: 08088 020 021

A Freephone National Helpline providing therapeutic advice on supporting a grieving child or young person after the death of a loved one.

Hope again

Tel: 0808 808 1677

Provides support for children and young people living after loss.

Compassionate Friends

Tel : 0345 1232304

Telephone helpline, resources, and other forms of support for parents, siblings and other family members who have suffered the death of a child or children, of any age, and from any cause.

Childhood Bereavement Network

Information, resources and support for people working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK.

Muslim Youth Helpline

Tel: 0808 808 2008

A free, confidential and emotional support service. The service uses male and female volunteers.

Organisations Offering Lancashire-based Support

Hospices also provide information and support for bereaved people

Here are links to the hospices in Lancashire. Find the one for the area in which you live. There are also hospices for children which also provide support. Contact the individual hospice for further details:

The Bereavement Counselling Services (Ormskirk)

Tel: 01695 570 729

Provides free and confidential help to anyone who has been bereaved. Based in Ormskirk.

Churches and Faith Groups

Church and Faith Groups

Your Church or Faith Group will be able to offer you support and may have bereavement support volunteers. Please contact them by telephone or email.

Lancashire Council of Mosques Bereavement Support Service

Tel: 01254 692289 or

07739 516 239

Qualified, trained volunteers are able to provide support.

Building Bridges in Burnley

The Partnership can help to put you in touch with support from members of your local faith community. You can contact them using the email form from this link.

Preston Muslim Burial Society

Tel: 01772 830328

Muslim faith based bereavement support group. Provided free by trained volunteers.

Muslim Burial Trust

(Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale)

Trained volunteers provide support for Muslim funerals from the announcement of death to the burial. Unfortunately we do not provide any bereavement support after the burial has taken place.

Please contact us by email communityoutreachuk@gmail.com

Lancashire Adult Learning offer a range of wellbeing courses which are free to Lancashire residents.

Training video for suicide prevention

Here is some free on-line training from the Zero Suicide Alliance to help you identify when someone is presenting with suicidal thoughts/behaviours and provide support and signpost appropriately.

  • Gateway training  (An introduction to suicide prevention. In just 10 minutes, you could learn life-saving skills.)
  • Step up training  (A 10 minute introduction as to how social isolation impacts on our mental health)..
  • In depth suicide awareness training  (A more in depth suicide prevention training session which aims to give you the life-saving skills and confidence to help someone who may be considering suicide).

Positive Action in the Community (PAC) provides recommended face to face training if you are interested in developing skills to help people who may be considering suicide or young people who may need support with their mental health. These courses include:

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: teaching about the warning signs of mental illness.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid (currently on hold, e-mail training@p-a-c.org) for more information).