Mental Health is something everyone should be ‘okay’ with talking about with the people in their lives. But unfortunately, it is not due to the stigmatisation and discrimination some people with mental health issues face.
However, there are places to go and people to talk to at various mental health charity organisations around the United Kingdom (UK). Mind is one such charitable organisation.
What is Mind?
Mental health charity organisations around the UK are trying to help those with mental health issues. Mind is a Mental health charity that helps people struggling with mental health issues, nationally and locally in England and Wales.
Mind has 125 independent charities that they refer to as ‘Local Minds’; these local minds are how Mind operates on a local level. Local Minds are independent and funded by donations, grants, and services they provide other organisations such as the NHS and local councils.
How Mind assures Local Minds are well run
While the 125 local minds are independent charities, they, as a local mind, are assessed by Mind through a set of standards covering all of the activities of the local Mind. This set of standards is called the Mind quality mark (MQM).
The MQM is an assurance that the local minds uphold the high standards that Mind has set and are well run. During the MQM assessment, not only are the charities’ policies and procedures assessed but various people are visited and interviewed. These people range from staff and volunteers to trustees and people who used services to ensure that the opinions were fair.
When should you look for help from Mind?
If you feel like your mental health is poor and you need support or advice with your mental health, go to Mind and choose how you believe they can best help you. Mind has many ways of helping or sending you in the right direction to get help, and they are just a call or email away.
Always remember different people need different things to help them, especially in mental health. There is no miracle cure to mental health issues, so getting sooner is always better.
How can Mind help with mental health issues?
In life, there is not always a correct answer. The same is valid for treating and supporting those with mental health issues. So, there are many ways people try to improve their mental health, and Mind tries to offer some of those ways to improve your mental health. There are four main ways that Mind tries to help and support those who need it.
Side by Side
The first way Mind can offer you is their supportive online community called Side by Side, used for peer support, which means you can talk with those with similar experiences. As well as try to support each other, which can also help you feel less alone and understood.
This option is suitable for those who need some support and people to talk with about their experiences and problems. It is not a crisis service or for those who believe they may need more urgent help.
Local Mind
Another way Mind can give you support, and help is by showing you where your ‘Local Mind’ is. These independent charities called local minds are Mind approved charities that can help people locally and are specialised for the locals. Going to your local Mind can be more helpful for some as you get the human interaction and someone who can understand the local setting and problems that might be troubling you.
This option is suitable for those who want human interaction and can travel to their Local Mind. However, it is not ideal for those with severe social anxiety or people who cannot travel easily to their local Mind.
Mind’s Helpline
Mind has an Infoline that acts as an information and signposting service to help you if you need to talk about:
- mental health problems
- treatment options
- where to get help near you
- advocacy services.
the calls to the Infoline are confidential unless you:
- request that they seek help for you as you cannot do it yourself
- seem like you could be a risk to someone else
- are under the age of 18, and they think you are in danger
- are over the age of 18, and you have disclosed your name, where you are and are in grave danger
This option is especially suitable for people who have social anxiety and do not like interacting with people face-to-face. The Infoline is also accessible to those with hearing or speech impairment as well as those who don’t speak English.
The Infoline is not suitable for those who want to speak face to face.
Mind’s Guides
While Mind has direct ways to help you, such as the helpline and local Mind, it also has passive ways of helping those struggling with mental health issues, such as the Side by Side and their guides. Mind has guides like ‘Seeking help for a mental health problem’ and ‘Talking therapies and counselling’, which you would expect. However, they also have guides like ‘Advocacy’ and ‘Support for emergency responders’, which are lesser-known topics.
These guides are essential because the only way to get rid of misconceptions people have been by educating them on the topic.
The main disadvantage of these guides is that people are less likely to consume them unless recommended or needed.
How else does Mind help?
Mind can also help with legal information in specific areas through guides and articles, such as your legal rights regarding sectioning and the laws around discrimination. While hopefully, you won’t need to refer to it, there is no reason not to remember where you can get such information when you need it.
Mind also has an Infoline that can be used to ask for legal information and general advice on things like:
- sectioning (being detained under the mental health act, so you can’t hurt/kill yourself or others)
- mental capacity
- community care
- discrimination and equality.
Like Mind’s other Infoline, this Infoline is also accessible to those with impaired speech or hearing and people who don’t speak English.
Those who believe they need help with their mental health should either go to their GP or Find help wherever it may be, whether from a charity or private therapist.