Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
Lift someone out of loneliness
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event run by the Mental Health Foundation that focuses on improving good mental health across the nation. This year, the week will run from Monday 9 May – Sunday 15 May, with the theme exploring the impact of loneliness and how we can tackle it.
Loneliness affects millions of people in the UK every year and is a key driver of poor mental health.
The Foundation’s Mental Health in the Pandemic research has found that loneliness has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. The Foundation has been tracking loneliness levels in the UK during the pandemic and found the experience has been much higher with devastating impact. Loneliness has been an important factor contributing to higher levels of distress, resulting from people’s sense of isolation and reduced ability to connect with others. Further polling also found that loneliness was one of the leading issues that the public felt needed to be addressed.
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Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and can have a huge impact on our wellbeing.
Sometimes admitting we feel lonely can be hard but it’s important to remember that many others experience feelings of loneliness too, and that this feeling can pass.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we are encouraging people to reach out to others to help someone who may be feeling lonely, which might in turn help you feel less lonely too.
Find more support and advice for ways to lift someone out of loneliness on the Every Mind Matters – Loneliness webpage
This Mental Health Awareness Week, search Every Mind Matters for more support and advice for ways to lift someone out of loneliness.
Take the Mind Plan quiz to get a personalised mental health action plan with practical tips to help you deal with stress, anxiety, low mood and trouble sleeping. Plus, advice on how to cope with feelings of loneliness.
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How you can get help to support your mental health
Anyone registered with a Leeds GP can call the mental health helpline on 0800 183 0558. The service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
MindWell is the mental health website for people in Leeds. The site includes a coronavirus mental health information hub which brings together information about self-help resources for mental health and where people in Leeds can find help for their mental health as well as practical offers of support during the Covid-19 pandemic: www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk
The NHS Every Mind Matters website also includes a wide range of resources to help with anxiety, low mood and stress.
Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service is for anyone aged 17+ registered with a Leeds GP and provides support and psychological therapies for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. The service also provides online therapy courses and self-management tools which are available at any time day and night to help with a wide range of issues including stress and anxiety, mindfulness, depression and bereavement. Help is available immediately through online courses at https://leeds.omnitherapy.org/
If you prefer talking therapies, you can also refer yourself through the website: www.leedsmentalwellbeingservice.co.uk
Operation Courage: the veterans mental health and wellbeing service – if you’re due to leave the armed forces, have just left or even left many years ago, Operation Courage can help. The service can be contacted directly, or through a GP, a charity or relative. Visit www.nhs.uk/opcourage to find out more.
Children and young people can visit the MindMate website for information and support about their emotional health and wellbeing: www.mindmate.org.uk
Further advice and resources can also be found on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/
Support for people in crisis is also available:
Connect – a survivor-led local helpline which offers emotional support and information to people in Leeds every night from 6pm-2am on 0808 800 1212. Connect also provides online support through instant chat for people – www.lslcs.org.uk Connect specialises in working with people at risk of suicide and self-harm and those with complex mental health needs.
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s (LYPFT) Single Point of Access (SPA) – if you, or someone you’re worried about, needs urgent care or treatment for a mental health crisis call the SPA on 0800 183 1485 (open 24/7, every day).
For crisis support in York please call the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Single Point of Access telephone number: 0800 051 6171. This is an all age, telephone number available 24/7 for those living in County Durham and Darlington, Teesside and North Yorkshire and York.
Anyone whose life is in immediate danger should call 999.
Other Leeds based support:
Leeds Recovery College www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/advice-support/leeds-recovery-college/about-the-recovery-college/
Northern Gambling Service – www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/our-services/northern-gambling-service/