Healthy living
Information to help you if you are:
If you are concerned about your own mental health or are worried about someone close to you, contact your GP, or visit the Devon Partnership NHS Trust website.
You can also find more information and support for your mental health on the NHS website.
If you have seriously harmed yourself, dial 999 or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.
If you’re thinking about harming yourself or killing yourself you need to:
If you are frightened by the thought that you might harm yourself:
Remember, day or night there is always someone for you to talk to.
There’s a lot of good information available if you are worried about harming yourself or if you feel suicidal.
If you are worried about your mental health, it’s important to get help and support as soon as possible.
Book an appointment with your doctor. They can help to diagnose an illness, prescribe medication if suitable and refer you to the right local mental health service.
The Talkworks NHS service supports people aged 18 and over who need help coping with stress, anxiety and depression. They offer a range of different treatments and therapies. You can be referred through your GP or register yourself online and someone will contact you to arrange an appointment.
If you live with mental health difficulties, you know there are good days and bad days. You also know the bad days can affect you at work. You probably find it hard to focus or perform at your best. The aim of Able Futures is to help you enjoy more good days.
The support service is fast, flexible and, best of all, free to use this service. They could give you nine months advice and guidance from a mental health specialist who can help you learn coping mechanisms, build resilience, access therapy or work with your employer to make adjustments to help your mental health at work.
Able Futures delivers the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. It could be available to you if you can answer “yes” to the following questions:
This list is not exhaustive and it is ultimately up to the Department of Work and Pensions Access to Work Mental Health Support Service adviser to determine eligibility.
Call Able Futures free on 0800 321 3137 from 8 am to 10.30 pm, Monday to Friday to find out more about online mental health support.
The charity Mind has a produced a step-by-step guide to getting help, including what may happen and what you can do.
The NHS and Mind have useful information to help you look after yourself and improve and maintain your mental health.
It can be hard to know what to do if you are worried about the mental health of somebody you love or if somebody tells you that they are having problems.
If you’re looking after someone with a mental health problem who could not cope without your help you may be a carer and entitled to an assessment and help in your own right. Find out about the help available for carers in Devon.
Read the NHS website to understand the signs that someone may need help.
The Mind website has information to help you understand how to support someone with a mental health problem and how to best help them as they access professional services.
Bereavement support, is available if you are dealing with the loss of a loved one from suicide, bereavement support partnership Support after Suicide. They have created a booklet called Help is at Hand which can help you to deal with the situation, and can help others supporting you.
If you are under 18 with a mental health problem there are specific services that can help you.
Book an appointment to speak to your GP. They can help to diagnose a mental health problem, prescribe medication if suitable and refer you to local support services.
MyWay is an offer of support for young people across Devon. It brings together different kinds of help so you can choose what works best for you. Find out more about MyWay.
Your GP may want to refer you to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). If you see a CAMHS professional they will do an assessment to understand your difficulties and work out a plan to help you.
If you need to talk to someone you can make a free and confidential call on 0800 1111 at any time. You can also search the website for information about getting help and support and you can contact ChildLine by email, on message boards or through live chat.
YoungMinds has information about looking after yourself, getting help and managing a mental health problem.
Young carers have a lot of responsibility at a very young age; dealing with situations that many adults would find a challenge. They have to cope in difficult circumstances, often not only looking after their relative but also helping to bring up siblings and run a household.
If you are, or you know, a young person in a caring role and this is affecting your emotional wellbeing and mental health get help from Devon Young Carers. Visit www.devonyoungcarers.org.uk or phone 0345 643 4435.
If you think you, or someone you love, might be developing dementia book an appointment to speak to your GP. They can help to support a diagnosis of dementia and refer you to local support services if appropriate.
If you are experiencing problems with your memory, your GP or other health professional can refer you to a memory clinic.
There are three memory clinics in Devon. They assess people to see whether they have dementia. These assessments are very thorough and are done in one appointment. Usually, at the end of the appointment, the person is told the result of the assessment. A partner, carer or friend normally accompanies the person who has been referred and is involved in the assessment.
Following the assessment, support and treatment options are discussed and questions can be answered. The memory clinics are based in Exeter, Barnstaple and Torquay. If you think you, or someone you know, may have dementia then please speak to your GP about a referral.
For huge amounts of information and advice about dementia, living with dementia, caring for someone else and getting help visit the Alzheimer’s Society website.