Mental Health Support

If you're having thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself, please reach out now. You deserve immediate support.

1. Call 999 or go to A&E if you're in immediate danger Important

   If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 999. You can also go to your nearest A&E department and tell them you're experiencing a mental health crisis. You will be seen.

2. Call Samaritans — free, 24 hours, 116 123 Important

   Samaritans are available any time, day or night, every single day of the year. Their number is 116 123 and is free from any phone — mobile or landline. You don't have to be suicidal to call. If you're struggling, they want to hear from you.

   Samaritans — call 116 123 (opens in new tab)
3. Text SHOUT to 85258 for free crisis text support Important

   If you can't talk but need support, text SHOUT to 85258. It's free, confidential, and available 24/7. A trained crisis counsellor will text with you until you feel safer.

   Shout crisis text line (opens in new tab)
4. Contact your local NHS crisis resolution team Important

   Every NHS trust has a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHT) that provides urgent mental health support as an alternative to hospital. Your GP or 111 can connect you with them. In the West Midlands, contact BCPFT (Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) via 0300 456 0003.

   BCPFT crisis care (opens in new tab)

Getting the right support often starts with a GP appointment. It can feel daunting — but you don't need to have the right words. Simply telling your GP you're struggling is enough.

1. Book an appointment with your GP

   Your GP is your first point of contact for mental health support. You can ask for a longer appointment if you're worried about time. It helps to write down what you want to say beforehand — even a few bullet points. Your GP can refer you to specialist services, prescribe medication if appropriate, and signpost community support.

2. Self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies (IAPT)

   You don't always need a GP referral for talking therapy. NHS Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) offers free CBT and counselling for anxiety and depression. You can self-refer online. Waiting times vary, but it's worth getting on the list while exploring other support.

   Find NHS Talking Therapies near you (opens in new tab)
3. Understand your rights to mental health treatment

   You have a legal right to mental health treatment through the NHS. The NHS waiting time target for talking therapies is 18 weeks. If you're waiting and struggling, tell your GP — they may be able to expedite a referral or suggest interim support.

Professional support is important, but so is community. Peer support — connecting with people who have their own lived experience of mental health difficulties — can be as powerful as any therapy.

1. Contact Rethink Mental Illness

   Rethink Mental Illness runs advice lines, carer support, and local peer support groups across the country. They offer practical help navigating the mental health system, benefits advice, and a non-judgemental listening ear.

   Rethink — find support near you (opens in new tab)
2. Find a local Mind group or service

   Mind has local affiliate centres across the West Midlands offering peer support groups, drop-in sessions, crisis houses, and counselling. Many services are free or low-cost.

   Find your local Mind (opens in new tab)
3. Explore online peer support communities

   Mind's Elefriends, the Mental Health Forum, and the SANE online community allow you to connect with others who understand — especially helpful if leaving the house feels impossible right now.

   Mind Side by Side community (opens in new tab)

Mental illness can affect your ability to work, and you may be entitled to financial support. Understanding your rights is important — but it can feel complicated. You don't have to navigate this alone.

1. Apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

   PIP is a benefit for people with a long-term physical or mental health condition that affects daily living or mobility. Mental health conditions absolutely qualify. The application process can feel difficult — Citizens Advice or a local benefits adviser can help you fill it in.

   Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (opens in new tab)
2. Know your rights at work — you're protected by the Equality Act

   Mental health conditions that have a long-term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities are classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Employers must make reasonable adjustments. ACAS and local employment law centres can advise you if you feel you've been treated unfairly.

   ACAS mental health at work (opens in new tab)
3. Understand your rights under the Mental Health Act

   If you've been sectioned or detained under the Mental Health Act, you have legal rights — including the right to an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA). Rethink Mental Illness has an excellent guide to your rights in hospital.

   Mental Health Act rights — Rethink (opens in new tab)

Recovery isn't a straight line — and that's completely normal. These small, everyday steps can make a real difference to how you feel.

1. Build a personal wellness plan

   A wellness plan (sometimes called a WRAP — Wellness Recovery Action Plan) helps you identify what keeps you well, your early warning signs, and what support you want if things get worse. Your GP, care coordinator, or a peer support organisation can help you create one.

2. Keep taking prescribed medication — and talk to your GP if it's not working

   If you've been prescribed medication, it's important to keep taking it — stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal effects. If it isn't working or the side effects are too difficult, tell your doctor. There are often alternatives. Your GP or psychiatrist is on your side.

3. Connect with others — even small connections matter

   Loneliness and isolation make mental health worse. Even small connections — a regular chat with a neighbour, a community group, or an online forum — can make a real difference. You don't have to be sociable; you just have to not be alone.