Help right now
If you need to talk to someone now you can call Crisis Mental Health Support, Wigan 0-25 years. Crisis lines are free phone numbers and are available in Wigan for patients and public of all ages (children, young people and adults) to call when they are experiencing a mental health crisis or are worried about someone else who may be in crisis.
- For young people 18-25 years please contact Mental Health Crisis line: 0800 051 3253, open 24/7
- For children and young people (up to the age of 18), please contact Wigan CAMHS Team on 01942 775400, open 9-5pm or 0800 051 3253, after 5pm.
Childline - Call 0800 11 11 for their free 24 hour helpline.
Samaritans (external link) - Call 01942 116123 for their free 24 hours helpline.
Papyrus HopelineUK (external link) - If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for a young person who might be you can contact HOPELINEUK for confidential support and practical advice. Call 0800 068 4141, open 9am until Midnight or text 07860039967.
Help and support contacts
If you have been told by your doctor that you do have a mental health issue and you are confused about what this could mean for you, the following links give more information about the support available, the types of mental health issues and possible therapies and treatments, as well as some suggestions of things that everybody can do to stay mentally well.
- MIND - Mental health charity (external link) - Provide information and support for people living with a mental health problem or supporting someone who is
- NHS Self help booklets (external link) - Covering many topics including anxiety, bereavement, panic and sleep
- Kooth (external link) - Free, safe and anonymous support including online counselling for 11-18 year olds, chat forums and self-help information.
- Willow Project (external link) - Willow Project is a registered charity, supporting children and young people aged 6-19 and their families who are affected by mental health and emotional issues
- Young Minds (external link) - They provide support to young people across the UK and to parents with concerns. Text YM to 85258 or call 0808 802 5544
- SHOUT 24/7 confidential test service (external link) - Support for individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying or relationship issues. Text 85258 or email info@giveusahout.org
- Winston's Wish (external link) - Support for children and young people who have experienced the death of someone close to them
- Beat (external link) - A national eating disorder charity. Contact them on 0345 634 1414
- Harmless (external link) - They provide coping strategies, leaflets and factsheets about self-harm
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (external link) - Also known as CAMHS. They work with young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties, and their families.
This article was written by a young person from Wigan
Mental health affects all of us. We all naturally feel sad, angry, worried and stressed sometimes about very different things such as:
It’s important to keep mentally healthy, a positive sign of this is feeling balanced and feeling relevant emotions at appropriate times (such as feeling sad in sad situations and happy in happy situations).
If you’re regularly feeling extreme levels of one emotion such as regularly feeling very angry or very sad for no particular reason, this could be a sign that you might need some support to be mentally well.
What can you do?
Everybody has bad days no matter who you are or what your age. Don’t keep it bottled up! You might find it helpful to tell others what’s bothering you, such as friends, parents or teachers. Maybe write down your feelings, draw/paint a picture or go for a walk to collect your thoughts.
Doing regular exercise, eating well (such as eating green vegetables), cutting down on alcohol and getting enough sleep will also help to improve your mood.
However, if you feel like you are rarely happy, or are often angry, upset, panicky, anxious or stressed, have bad mood swings, or have stopped feeling anything at all, and this goes on for a little while, it’s a good idea to tell somebody professional about it.
Your doctor is always a good option or you can ring Childline on 0800 11 11. This way someone can try to help you work out the reason why you aren’t happy and get you some support.
Anybody could have a mental illness in the same way that anybody could get a physical illness. Nearly all mental health conditions are treatable. Many may only be temporary, some conditions may come and go throughout life. Professionals can help you find ways to treat your illness and feel better.
Relaxation exercises