Men’s Mental Health – support for when you need it

Did you know 1 in 4 adults experience a mental health problem each year?

Conditions like anxiety and depression are incredibly common – they can affect anyone and they can be treated. If you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, or difficulty sleeping, you might benefit from trying one of our digital programmes. Each of these can be completed anonymously, for free, and at your own pace. We’ve included some details, below, on a few of these.

Daylight – for anxiety. The Daylight app is a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme to help you develop techniques to use anytime you’re experiencing anxiety. You can get started with Daylight here.

Sleepio – for sleep difficulties. The Sleepio app is a CBT programme, developed by experts in sleep medicine, to help you manage sleep difficulties. You can get started with Sleepio here.

Silvercloud – for a number of common issues. Silvercloud is an online CBT programme with modules covering common issues like anxiety, depression, resilience, alcohol, and stress. You can get started with Silvercloud here, you will need the code “Wellhubscot” to access.

If you are concerned about your mental health, it is worth speaking to your GP. You can also contact organisations like Breathing Space or the Samaritans. Details of national and local support services can be found here. If you need urgent support with your mental health, please contact either NHS 111, the Samaritans, or Breathing Space, using the details found on this page.

We know that talking about your mental health can be difficult. For inspiration, watch this video series from John, a social worker, talking about his experiences with mental health difficulties.

Did you know it’s estimated that 1 in 20 people are thinking about suicide at any one time?

If you experience suicidal thoughts or feelings, you’re not alone, there are thousands out there experiencing something similar. More importantly, there is support out there too, so reach out if you need it. To speak to someone about what you’re experiencing, you can contact:

Breathing Space: call 0800 83 85 87 (available 6pm-2am Monday – Thursday and 6pm Friday – 6am Monday

The Samaritans: call 116 123 (available 24/7)

NHS 24: call 111 (available 24/7)

If you don’t feel that you can keep yourself safe right now, then please seek immediate help by either:

• Going to any hospital Accident & Emergency Department.
• Calling 999 and asking for an ambulance if you can’t get to A&E, or asking someone to contact 999 for you.

For more information on suicidal thoughts and feelings, read this article from the SAMH.

Feelings of loneliness or social isolation are often a big factor in poor mental health, and in suicidal feelings. If you’re feeling isolated, you could look for a Men’s Shed to join. Men’s sheds are community spaces for men to connect, converse, and create. You can find out more about Men’s Sheds, and find ones in your area, by following this link.

It’s common to try to block out problems or difficult emotions that you might be experiencing, it could be through alcohol, drugs, or even gambling. If you need support with alcohol or drugs, there are a lot of services across the country who can help. You can find alcohol and drug services in your area on NHS Inform, just follow this link.

If you need support with gambling, whether you’re using it as a way to deal with other problems in life, or if it’s causing you problems with your mental health, visit the Gamcare website using this link. Gamcare have advisors available 24 hours a day, and you can contact them via phone, WhatsApp, or online for confidential advice, information, or emotional support.