Mental health problems can affect anyone, rich or poor, young or old, destroying the lives of those affected and the lives of the people close to them. There needn’t be a particular reason, such as death, divorce or debt for people to experience mental health problems. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. Each year more than 250,000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals and over 4,000 people take their own lives.

Early intervention and information are crucial in enabling those affected by mental health problems to recover quickly and – critically – in preventing further episodes.
Too often the stigma that surrounds mental health, and a lack of accurate information surrounding mental health conditions prevents people from seeking and finding appropriate and vital help when it is required.

A range of different treatment options are available, and their appropriateness varies from person to person. They can include prescribed medication, talking therapies (such as cognitive behavioural therapy) and alternative therapies. Diet and exercise have been found to be impact on mood management.

Further information about mental health in general, and specific conditions such as depression, is available from a number of mental health organisations including Mind and Rethink. A more comprehensive list of sources of help is provided here.

Services for people bereaved by suicide:

It is a key ambition of JMMF to see that everyone affected by suicide should receive timely and appropriate support. To help commissioners provide appropriate local services a guide to providing local services is now available from Public Health England. We hope that as part of local authority and health services’ wider suicide prevention work that they will provide more and better postvention services.

In addition, NSPA have launched Developing and delivering local suicide postvention support and Evaluating local suicide postvention support. These resources outline a suggested pathway of support for people affected by suicide and a step-by-step framework for delivery.

All three resources were produced by Amy and her team at Meadows Communications with input from a wide range of valued practitioners.

 
The Judi Meadows Memorial Fund is a restricted grant of the McPin Foundation. Charity number: 1117336
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