A-Z of mental health
Information and advice on a huge range of mental health topics
I'm worried about someone else
It can be really worrying when someone you know is going through a difficult time. Our information covers a wide range of mental health conditions, and contain helpful tips on supporting someone.
Choose one of the tabs below to get started.
I need help as friend or family member
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Carers, friends and family
Explains how to cope as a carer, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Relaxation - tips
Brief tips to help you relax
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Stress- tips
Brief tips on how to cope with stress
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Suicide - supporting someone else
Explains how to support someone who is suicdal, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Talking treatments
Explains what talking treatments are used for, what happens during therapy and how to find a therapist.
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Wellbeing
Explains how to improve and maintain your mental wellbeing, whether you have a diagnosis of a mental health condition or not.
I want to know about a mental health condition
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Bipolar disorder
Explains bipolar disorder, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Body dysmorphic disorder
Explains Body dysmorphic disorder, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family
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Borderline personality disorder
Explains Borderline personality disorder (BPD), including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Depression
Explains depression, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family
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Dissociative disorder
Explains dissociative disorders, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Eating problems
Explains eating problems, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Hearing voices
About voices, who hears them and how to cope if they are a problem.
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Mental health problems - early signs
Explains the early signs of mental health problems, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Explains obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Panic attacks
Brief tips about panic attacks and what might help
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Paranoia
Explains paranoia, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Personality disorders
Explains personality disorders, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Phobia
Explains phobias, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Explains post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Postnatal depression
Explains postnatal depression, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Psychotic experiences
Explains pyschotic experiences, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Schizoaffective disorder
Explains schizoaffective disorder, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Schizophrenia
Explains schizophrenia, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Seasonal affective disorder
Explains seasonal affective disorder, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and suport. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Self-harm
Explains self-harm, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Sleep problems
Explains insomnia and other sleep problems, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Stress
Explains what stress is, including possible causes, and how you can learn to cope, with tips on how to relax.
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Suicidal feelings
Explains what suicdal feelings are, including possible causes and how you can learn to cope.
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Suicide - supporting someone else
Explains how to support someone who is suicdal, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Tardive dyskinesia
This information explains what tardive dyskinesia is, the risks of developing it and how it might be managed.
I want to know more about treatments
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Antidepressants
Explains what antidepressants are used for, how the medication works, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.
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Antipsychotics
Explains what antipsychotics are used for, how the medication works, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.
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Arts therapies
Explains what art therapies are, what they are for, what happens during therapy and how to find a therapist.
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Cognitive behaviour therapy
Explains what Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is, what it is for, what happens during therapy and how to find a therapist.
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Complementary therapy
Explains what complementary and alternative therapies are, how they are used, and how to find a therapist.
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Dialectical behaviour therapy
Explains what dialectical behaviour therapy is, what it is for, what happens during therapy and how to find a therapist.
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ECT
Explains what electroconvulsive therapy is, what it is for and what happens during the treatment.
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Lithium and other mood stabilisers
Explains what mood stabilising drugs are used for, how they work, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.
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Medication
List of all psychiatric drugs currently available in the UK, with links to the relevant Mind information
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Medication - stopping or coming off
Explains issues faced when coming off medication, how to approach it, techniques for gradual reduction, possible withdrawal symptoms and how to tell the difference between withdrawal and relapse
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Neurosurgery
This information explains what neurosurgery is, when it is used, what its affects are, and the availability and success of the treatment.
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Rights - consent to treatment
Answers some of the common questions about consent to medical treatment and explains the options available.
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Sleep problems - tips
Brief tips on how to cope with sleep problems
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Sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers
Explains what sleeping pills and minor tranquillisers are used for, how the medication works, possible side effects and information about withdrawal.
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St John's Wort
This information explains what St John's wort is used for, how it works, possible side effects and interactions with other medicines.
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Talking treatments
Explains what talking treatments are used for, what happens during therapy and how to find a therapist.
They are in crisis
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Carers, friends and family
Explains how to cope as a carer, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Crisis services
A guide to crisis services with information about where you can go for support.
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Mental Health Act - the Mind guide
A guide to the Mental Health Act, with information about your rights and what you can do to get support
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Nearest relatives under the Mental Health Act
A brief legal guide to nearest relatives under the Mental Health Act, including details of where you can go for further information or support.
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Paranoia
Explains paranoia, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Parenting in a crisis
Explains difficulties that you might face as a parent if you are struggling with your mental health, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support. .
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Rights - civil admission to hospital
Answers some of the common questions about civil admission to hospital (often called sectioning) and explains the options available.
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Self-harm
Explains self-harm, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
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Suicidal feelings
Explains what suicdal feelings are, including possible causes and how you can learn to cope.
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Suicide - supporting someone else
Explains how to support someone who is suicdal, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
They need practical support
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Advocacy
Explains what advocacy is, what types of advocacy are available and how you might access them.
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Anger
Explains anger, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Benefits
Brief answers to some of the most common questions that our Infoline receives about benefits.
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Children and young people
Gives information about where children and young people can get support with a mental health problem.
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Community care
Answers some of the common questions about community care and explains the options available.
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Complementary therapy
Explains what complementary and alternative therapies are, how they are used, and how to find a therapist.
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Debt
Gives information about where you can get support with - and out of - debt when you have a mental health problem.
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Drugs - street drugs
Explains the mental health effects of street drugs, what might happen if you use street drugs and also have a mental health problem, and suggestions for where you might find support.
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Exam stress
These pages provide advice about how to prepare for exams, how to recognise if stress is getting out of hand, and what to do about it.
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Financial help
Gives information about where you can get support with funding opportunities.
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Food and mood
A guide to food and mood, with information about what you can do to get support.
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Holidays and respite care
Information about support available to help you to go on holiday
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Housing
A guide to housing, with information about what you can do to get support.
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Insurance cover
A guide to insurance cover and mental health, with information about what you can do to get support.
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Loneliness
Explains loneliness, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Money and mental health
Gives information about the relationship between money worries and mental health
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Parenting in a crisis
Explains difficulties that you might face as a parent if you are struggling with your mental health, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support. .
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Personal budgets
A guide to personal budgets for social care, with information about what you can do to get support
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Rights - community care and aftercare
Answers some of the common questons about community care and aftercare and explains the options available.
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Rights - discharge from hospital
Answers some of the common questions about discharge from hospital and explains the options available
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Self-esteem
Explains how to increase your self-esteem, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Stress
Explains what stress is, including possible causes, and how you can learn to cope, with tips on how to relax.
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Stress- tips
Brief tips on how to cope with stress
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Student life
Explains how having a mental health problem can impact upon being a student, and suggests ways of coping and where to go for support.
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Suicide - supporting someone else
Explains how to support someone who is suicdal, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
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Wellbeing
Explains how to improve and maintain your mental wellbeing, whether you have a diagnosis of a mental health condition or not.
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Who's who in mental health
A brief guide to who's who in mental health, including details of where you can go for further information and support.
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Work
Explains how you can be mentally healthy at work, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.