Why support Mind

Mental health problems can affect anyone, rich or poor, young or old, shattering the lives of those affected and the lives of the people close to them.

Each week...

• 104 people in the UK will take their own lives.
• 2,038 adults will be admitted to a mental health hospital in England, resulting in about 5 million bed days per year.
• There will be 912 detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983. 385 of these will be voluntary admissions.

Every year...

• 33 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written in England and 16 million for sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs or tranquillisers.
• The total cost of mental health problems in England is estimated at £77 billion.
• The Mind infoline responds to 25,000 queries. A further 17,373 queries go unanswered due to lack of resources.

In our lives...

• One in four of us will experience mental distress at some point in a year.
• Depression will be the second leading cause of global disability by 2020.

Read our donor charter.

The difference we make...

Mind infoline and Legal Advice Service

The Mind infoline provides vital information in response to 25,000 enquiries per year, via phone, letter and email. The Legal Advice Service provides legal information and general advice on mental health related law to the public, service users, family members/carers and mental health professionals. Mind also offers a huge range of books and leaflets on mental health and sends out around one million publications to enquirers each year. Information is also available on our website.

Crucial support in the local community

We work with nearly 200 community-based local Mind associations throughout England and Wales. They provide over 1,000 services including supported housing, information helplines, drop-in centres, counselling, befriending, advocacy, employment and training schemes.

Support for minority groups

Diverse Minds helps make mental health services more responsive to the needs of black and minority ethnic communities.

Influencing change and government

This is done through lobbying and campaigning, supporting local groups and a network of local campaigners. We do this in consultation with Mind Link, a network that provides users of mental health services with vital support and the chance to have a direct say in shaping Mind's policies and campaigns.

Knowledge through training

Our Conferences and Training unit promotes positive mental health by providing accessible training to providers, professionals and users. This includes Mind's annual conference, the largest mental health event of the year.