Regional support organisations for relatives/carers of people with mental health problems
Click on each section of the map for more information.
Highland and Islands
North Eastern Scotland
Eastern Scotland
Southwestern Scotland
North East England
Mental Health Concern
Mental Health Concern is based in the North East of
England and is part of Concern: The Mental Health and
Wellbeing Group. They provide a variety of
specialist mental health services, which are
predominantly commissioned by local authorities and the
NHS. They support many people with a wide range of
mental health-related needs.
North West England
Amaze – EIS
The website of the A-Maze Early Intervention in
Psychosis service for the Cumbria Partnership NHS
Foundation Trust. The site provides information for
patients and relatives as well as contact details for
local teams.
Lancashire Early Intervention Service
The website of the Lancashire Early Intervention
Service providing information for patients and
relatives via videos and links to useful booklets,
guides and pamphlets, as well as contact details for
local teams.
NCompass
Operates across North West England, and are the lead carer support agency for Lancashire; they offer a range of services including Advocacy, Carer Support, Health & Well Being, and Young People’s Services.
Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service
LSLCS provide a crisis support service to provide
support at times of crisis as well as a telephone
hotline service run in the evening. The service was set
up to be a place of sanctuary, as an alternative to
hospital admission and statutory services for people in
acute mental health crisis. It is governed and managed,
by people with direct experience of mental health
problems. They also run a range of peer-led groups for
members to support each other to avoid crisis.
West Midlands
East Midlands
Living with Psychiatric Medication
A local, award-winning voluntary sector social
enterprise providing a range of services designed to
meet the needs of adults whose mental health problems
have impacted significantly on their quality of life
and to promote and support positive mental health and
well-being.
Network for Change, 150-152 London Road, Leicester, LE2 1ND
Samaritans
Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. It has branches across the UK supporting people face to face, by telephone, email and letter.
Phone number: 116 123
Young Minds
Young Minds is a national UK charity committed to improving the mental health and emotional well-being of all children and young people and empowering their parents and relatives. They have a specific section of their website for parents and a dedicated helpline for parents.
Young person support: If you need urgent help text YM to 85258
ParentLine: 0808 802 5544
Suite 11, Baden Place, Crosby Row, London, SE1 1YW
Rethink
Rethink is a national mental health charity supporting everyone affected by severe mental illness to recover a better quality of life. They provide services (including respite breaks for relatives and support workers), have a network of over 150 local support groups many run by relatives and run campaigns. The Rethink website has useful information for relatives, including sibling relatives. A good starting place is the ‘how can we help section’
The Hearing Voices Network offers information and support to people who hear voices and those who support them. They have a network of over 180 groups throughout the UK and through their website you can find details of your nearest support group.
National Hearing Voices Network, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE
Chill4UsCarers
Chill4us Carers is a social network community for carers and provides information, the ability to chat with other carers. They are a peer support group offering carer resources and have experience of the isolation felt by family carers, the struggle with finding grants, money and the general difficulty of finding help for carers.
Carers UK is the voice of carers. Most of their resources are generic e.g. guide to direct payments, work and caring. They have a number of discussion forums including one for mental ill health and up to date policy and campaign information on issues affecting relatives.
The Carers Trust is one the largest providers of comprehensive relatives support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 144 independently managed Carers’ Centres, 85 young relatives services and interactive websites including discussion boards. There is useful mental health specific information on the site – use their ‘Help for carers’ search facility typing in ‘mental health’ to help you navigate.
Christopher Cargill House, 21-23 Pelham Road, Nottingham, NG5 1AP
Wellbeing includes:
personal dignity
physical / mental health / emotional well-being
protection from abuse and neglect
control over day-to-day life inc nature of care provided
participation in work, education, training or recreation
social and economic well-being
domestic, family and personal relationships
suitability of living accommodation
the adult’s contribution to society
Outcomes include:
managing and maintaining nutrition
maintaining personal hygiene
managing toilet needs
being appropriately clothed
being able to make use of the adult’s home safely
maintaining a habitable home environment
developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships
accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community including public transport, and recreational facilities or services
carrying out any caring responsibilities the adult has for a child
Bipolar UK
Bipolar UK is a national user-led organisation and registered charity for people whose lives are affected by bipolar disorder with branches in England and Wales. There is specific information for relatives on the site, use their search facility typing in ‘carer’ to help you navigate. They also have a network of self-help groups and an e-community online discussion resource.
Making Space provides a range of services for relatives including respite breaks and support. They operate in the North West, Central England and London/South East of England
Making Space – Head Office, Lyne House, 46 Allen Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7JB
Mind
Mind is a national mental health charity that provides information and support for people affected by mental health difficulties. The website provides a great deal of useful information about mental health and the support available to people experiencing mental distress and their families. A useful starting point is the ‘how can we help section’ to find contact details for their legal service, information line, publications, information leaflets. The local mind organisations located across England also provide specific services to relatives – contact your local branch to find out more:
Sane campaigns to raise awareness, undertakes research and provides help and information to those experiencing mental health problems, their families and relatives. A key point of contact and support is the helpline: 03003047000
St. Mark’s Studios, 14 Chillingworth Road, Islington, London, N7 8QJ
Job Centre Plus
Part of the Department for Work and Pensions, JobCentre Plus provides information on most benefits for people of working age and information on employment and schemes for getting into work.
NICE Guidelines
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) has made some recommendations about the treatments you and your relative should be offered. These are based on a careful review of all the available evidence by a panel of clinical experts, service users and relatives.
NHS Choices (Carer information)
Information on help for relatives, including benefits, work issues and your rights as a relative.
Direct Gov.UK
The official UK government website for citizens, including information about disability rights and support in the UK
The Department for Work and Pensions
Government information on benefits, pensions and work related issues.
The Department of Health
Government information on health and social care services, policies and strategies.
Care Quality Commission
Information about the Care Quality Commission and the Mental Health Act.
Schizophrenia.com – USA
Started in 1995, it is a leading non-profit web community dedicated to providing high quality information, support and education to the family members, caregivers and individuals whose lives have been impacted by schizophrenia co-ordinated in the USA. It has an extensive list of books about schizophrenia including material for children, siblings, parents and partners as well as personal accounts from service users and relatives.Started in 1995, it is a leading non-profit web community dedicated to providing high quality information, support and education to the family members, caregivers and individuals whose lives have been impacted by schizophrenia co-ordinated in the USA. It has an extensive list of books about schizophrenia including material for children, siblings, parents and partners as well as personal accounts from service users and relatives.
National Alliance of the Mentally Ill – USA
Includes extensive information on mental health conditions and treatments. It is an American site so some details may be different to the UK.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
The DBSA is a leading American peer-directed organisation which focuses on depression and bipolar disorder and provides resources and empowering services.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) – Canada
The site has a range of information about psychosis including a report called: ‘Women and Psychosis: A guide for women and their families’.
UK Advocacy Network
The organisation actively promotes user empowerment and user involvement in the choosing, monitoring and running of mental health services.
Turning Point
Provides services for people with complex needs, including those affected by drug and alcohol misuse and mental illness.
Together: Working for Wellbeing
Together’s focus is to support people who have complex and enduring mental health issues, most of whom are referred to our services by other professionals.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS are an impartial and confidential service which can provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry, help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS, provide information about the NHS
complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint, and inform you about how you can get more involved in your own healthcare and the NHS locally. Your local NHS Trust will have its own PALS service.
Royal College of Psychiatry
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional and educational body for psychiatrists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. They produce a range of information leaflets that can be downloaded from their website such as debt, carers, schizophrenia, spirituality and mental health as well as podcasts. They ran a campaign a few years ago with the Princess Royal Trust for Carers producing specific information for relatives about information sharing and patient confidentiality.
No Panic
Information and support for people affected by anxiety, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder or tranquilliser withdrawal.
NHS Choices
The NHS Choices website offers in-depth information about psychosis and bipolar disorder, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, useful questions you may want to ask of mental health professionals with answers. There are also ‘real stories’ on-line.
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health
Offers accessible information on NICE mental health guidelines.
The Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation provides information, carries out research, campaigns and works to improve the services for anyone affected by mental health problems, whatever their age and wherever they live. The interactive website has bulletin boards and forums, publications and information.
McPin Foundation
The McPin Foundation aims to transform mental health research by putting the lived experience of people affected by mental health problems at the heart of research methods and the research agenda.
Internet Mental Health
Information on mental health conditions, diagnoses, treatments and research.
Institute of Psychiatry
Provides information on mental health as well as information on research projects at the institute. It has developed a specific web resource for relatives where summaries of published research are held, interviews with professionals and relatives can be found and links to other resources sign posted.
FRANK
Free confidential drugs advice.
The phone number is 0300 123 6600
For those with a hearing impairment, you can textphone FRANK on 0300 123 1099
Family Action
A safe online community of people who are anxious, down or not coping to support and help each other by sharing what’s troubling them, guided by trained professionals.
The Cochrane Library
Provides literature reviews of health related research including reviews into studies of schizophrenia. A project to produce lay summaries of all the schizophrenia studies is underway. They are also found on this site.
Chinese Mental Health Association
Specializes in providing community based mental health assistance and support to the ever growing Chinese community in the United Kingdom.
Centre for Mental Health
The Centre for Mental Health carries out research, policy work and analysis to improve practice and influence policy in mental health as well as public services. Their priorities are mental health care in the criminal justice system and employment and mental health. They publish reports on-line including information on recovery
British Psychology Society
The BPS are the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. It has a publications section on its website including links to all the NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) guidelines that define best practice treatments and supports for mental health services users and their families.
Big White Wall
A safe online community of people who are anxious, down or not coping to support and help each other by sharing what’s troubling them, guided by trained professionals.
Anxiety UK
Anxiety UK works to relieve and support those living with anxiety disorders by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services. They work to improve services for those living with anxiety disorders, and also campaign to raise awareness of anxiety disorders.
