Supporting well

If a loved one is showing signs and symptoms of mental illness, you should be open and honest about your concerns. You can offer encouragement and support. You can also help to find a mental health professional for them.

If they need urgent help call 999 or visit West Yorkshire Suicide Prevention.

You may be having difficult thoughts like:

You may also have concerns such as:

You might experience challenges like:

If you haven't experienced a mental health problem, it can be difficult to understand what it's like. You can ask them to try and explain, but remember it isn't always easy to do so. You could both look at some mental health information, blogs and short videos. These resources might help them find something that puts it into the right words.

If your loved one has self-harmed, or is considering doing so, take them to hospital or call for emergency help.

You can find some useful information and resources through the websites listed below:

Live Well Wakefield - Supporting healthy living for the people of Wakefield District, providing information, advice, and support in coping with everyday life. Call: 01924 255363
Wakefield Discovery College run short courses and one off workshops across the whole of the Wakefield district to support you to; understand and manage health conditions, find new skills and interests, build strengths and inner resources, engage in physical activity and become an expert in your own self-care. Email: wakefielddiscoverycollege@swyt.nhs.uk
Wakefield District Domestic Abuse Service - A comprehensive local support service. Call: 0800 915 1561
Samaritans - Offering a safe place to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever's getting to you. You don't have to be suicidal. Telephone support available 24hrs a day – 365 days a year. Call: 01924 116 123 (this number is free to call)
Turning Point - Offers specialist and integrated services across England and Wales, focusing on substance misuse, learning disability, mental health, and employment. The service is designed to provide quick and easy access to a range of psychological therapies – so you can get the help you need, when you need it. Call: 01924 234 860
The Silver Line - call: 0800 4 70 80 90, The Silver Line is the only free confidential helpline providing information, friendship and advice to older people, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Age UK - Age UK services for the elderly | Age UK
Age UK - Your mind matters: Elderly mental health | Age UK
Age UK Wakefield District: call 01977 552114
If you need extra support, contact Social Care Direct. They will make an over the phone assessment to assess the help you may need. There are online referral forms where you can refer yourself or refer someone else. You can contact them by calling 0345 8 503 503, emailing social_care_direct@wakefield.gov.uk, faxing 01924 303455 or by minicom on 01924 303450 (type take welcome).
Suicide Prevention, Samaritans - You can call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
HOPELINE247 (PAPYRUS) - you can email pat@papyrus-uk.org.uk, call 0800 068 4141 or text 07860039967. Papyrus has more helplines which cover addiction, anxiety, self-harm and suicide. These can be found here.

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Last updated: 23/11/2022