Living in a country as fast-paced as the United Kingdom and struggling with your mental health can often leave you feeling as though there is no real support available. 

ONE in four UK adults (25 per cent) say they have felt lonely some or all of the time over the last month, according to a survey of 6,000 UK adults commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation.

Fear not! Charity Today has compiled (in no particular order) a list of the leading mental health charities throughout the country and detailed their respective areas of interest or expertise.

Mental health charities UK 🇬🇧

Anxiety UK

Operating throughout the United Kingdom, Anxiety UK is a leading mental health charity fighting to improve the mental health of children and young people.

The charity wants to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

Telephone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk

Bipolar UK

Bipolar UK is the only national charity dedicated to empowering individuals and families affected by bipolar. Peer support is at the core of the charity’s work.  This means people affected by bipolar helping others. The integrated service consists of:

• More than 85 peer support groups for people affected by bipolar, facilitated by trained and supported volunteers – many groups have now migrated online
• A moderated eCommunity with over 9,000 active users
• One-to-one peer support is provided by telephone and email, recognising that support groups and digital services will not be for everyone
• Information and resources provided on our website which is used by over 360,000 people a year
• Empowering approximately 1,000 people per month to stay well and we have the ambition to reach thousands more

Bipolar UK does not offer crisis support.

Calm

You can talk to CALM about anything. The charity has a few guides to things people tend to struggle with.

CALM’s helpline 0800 58 58 58 and livechat are open from 5pm to midnight every day. 365 days a year.

If you or someone you know needs help right now, call 999.

Contact

Contact is a collaboration of mental health charities and organisations, convened by The Royal Foundation. Each organisation offers mental health support for veterans. A wide range of support is available through these mental health charities for servicemen and women and their families.

Visit the charity’s support pages for more information.

The Mix

The Mix is a UK support service for young people. Helping you take on any challenge you’re facing – from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs.

If you’re under 25 and need help but don’t know where to turn, call The Mix for FREE on 0808 808 4994. They’ll explore your situation with you and find organisations that may be able to help you further. Phone lines are open 7 days a week from 4pm to 11pm. You can also webchat them 7 days a week from 4pm to 11pm.

YoungMinds

Is one of the UK’s leading charities fighting for children and young people’s mental health.

The charity has the objective of wanting to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

Use YoungMinds guides to find out more about different mental health conditions, how to cope with your feelings and what support is available to you.

To contact an individual team, please use the relevant enquiry form:

• Fundraising
• Recruitment and volunteering
• Training
• Press

If you cannot find an answer to your query and do not wish to contact a specific team, you can use the general enquiries form at the bottom of this page, or call the charity’s office on 020 7089 5050.

Mental health charities England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Mind

Mind has a network of local mental health charities that support people in communities across England. Their range of services includes supported housing, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment and training schemes, counselling and befriending.

Find out if there is one where you live, search the local Mind mental health charities list.

If you need non-urgent information about mental health support and services that may be available to you:

• Telephone Mind’s Infoline on 0300 123 3393
• Email info@mind.org.uk
• Find more information on the charity’s helplines page

Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink Mental Illness improves the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through their network of local groups and services, expert information and successful campaigning. The charity’s goal is to make sure everyone severely affected by mental illness has a good quality of life.

Depending on your circumstances and the help you need now, you can:

• get urgent help if you’re having a mental health crisis,
• get mental health support and advice if you are not in immediate danger but need help,
• call an emotional support line if you want to speak to someone about how you’re feeling,
• get advice and information about your rights and options.

For more information, please visit https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/advice-and-information-service/get-help-now/

Together, for mental wellbeing

Together offer a wide variety of support to help people deal with the personal and practical impacts of mental health issues. The services they can provide range from one-to-one support in the community to supported accommodation and making sure people understand and are able to express their needs in their dealings with official bodies.

Together now work with nearly 5000 adults every month at 80 projects throughout England. You can find your nearest service using their service finder.

Together for Mental Wellbeing
52 Walnut Tree Walk
London
SE11 6DN

Tel: 020 7780 7300
Email: contact-us@together-uk.org 

Mental health charities Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

SAMH is Scotland’s national mental health charity.

Working in over 60 communities SAMH work with adults and young people providing mental health social care support, services in primary care, schools and further education, among others.

If you would like to get in contact with SAMH by phone, please use the contact details below. Note that phones and emails are monitored 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.

• General enquiries: Please call our national reception on 0141 530 1000 or fill out the ‘contact us’ form below, and the team will be able to redirect you to the correct person
• SAMH Information Service: Whether you’re seeking support, looking for more information for someone you love, or just want to have a chat about mental health, SAMH can help. You can call the SAMH Information team on 0344 800 0550 or email at info@samh.org.uk.
  Available 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays
• If you need help urgently, please seek support here.

Penumbra Mental Health

Penumbra Mental Health (PMH) is a pioneering charity providing dedicated services for people experiencing mild to serious and enduring mental ill-health.

PMH support people on their journey to better mental health, by working with each person to find their own way forward.

If you’d like to explore ways to improve your mental wellbeing, use Penumbra Mental Health’s service checker to see if they’re in your area.

Support in Mind Scotland

Support in Mind Scotland offers a National Information Service which can sign-post you to the local support that will most fit your needs.

The charity’s National Information Service is open Monday to Friday from 9am – 4.30pm.

Telephone 0300 323 1545.

Website https://www.supportinmindscotland.org.uk/

Mental health charities Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Mind Cymru

Mind Cymru has a network of local mental health charities that support people in communities across Wales. Their range of services includes supported housing, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment and training schemes, counselling and befriending.

Find out if there is one where you live, search the local Mind mental health charities list.

If you need non-urgent information about mental health support and services that may be available to you:

• Telephone Mind’s Infoline on 0300 123 3393
• Email info@mind.org.uk
• Find more information on the charity’s helplines page

West Wales Action for Mental Health

Working together with service users, carers, voluntary organisations, statutory providers and commissioners to improve the standards of mental health throughout West Wales.

WWAMH aim to promote equal opportunities and challenge the stigma of mental illness by providing practical help and information, training and advice, working with people to develop new and existing projects and promoting good practice.

For mental health support or information contact the 24-hour CALL Helpline (0800 132 737)

Hafal: Recovery from serious mental illness in Wales

Hafal is a Welsh mental health charity supporting those affected by serious mental illness in Wales. Hafal helps people recover from serious mental illness.

Hafal is one of four mental health charities in Wales – Adferiad Recovery, CAIS, Hafal and WCADA – who have joined together within Adferiad Recovery, a new organisation which will provide support for vulnerable people in Wales and their families and carers.

For help and guidance from Hafal visit their website.

Other Mental Health Services ℹ️

Shout Crisis Textline 85258

If you need immediate support, you can text SHOUT to 85258 and chat by text. The service is free on most networks and available 24/7, and trained volunteers will listen to you, and work with to help you take the next steps towards feeling better.