Think Mental : Building a lifeline for mental health support

Mental health has never been more important than it is now. We often hear reports of the struggles people go through when they are experiencing mental health problems and the devastating effects that these can have on themselves and their families.

This is affecting thousands of people from all walks of life. It is not limited to any age group or gender. Children experience issues at school, people in the workplace can suffer through unhealthy environments and burnout, and the elderly often experience loneliness and anxiety.

Mental health is just as important as physical health, and yet thousands of people struggle to get the help and support they need when it matters the most.

There is still a stigma around mental health, preventing people from seeking help. When people reach out, they often find that services are overwhelmed, culminating in long waiting times and further frustration. The situation is not likely to improve anytime soon.

Professional services are not cheap and may require several sessions before people start seeing any tangible benefits.

The situation can make people feel lost, alone, and unable to see a way out of their current circumstances.

I aim to change that.

I am launching a new website called Mental. This aims to be a free, accessible and supportive online platform for everybody. It will provide resources, tools and a supportive community for those who need it.

Why is this different from other mental health websites?

This isn’t just about signposting people to a list of organisations.

It’s about helping people in three distinct ways: -

Prevention

No one mentions mental health until they are suffering. What if we started the conversations earlier?

The stigma around mental health often prevents people from asking for help or talking to others.

What if we talked about mental health in the same way that we talk about physical health?

Better still, what if we talked about the benefits of a positive mindset and how the way we think can have a huge impact on our lives?

Encouraging a positive outlook can have dramatic effects on our health – more energy, more productivity, more confidence and a better ability to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Not only would this be beneficial for individuals, but it would save the NHS millions of pounds in treatments and drug delivery.

Imagine if this type of thing was taught in schools so that the next generation would be better equipped to cope with everything the world throws their way.

The website will feature a diverse range of expert-led resources, offering in-depth insights on all these topics and help people’s perception of how they think about things.

I have connections to practitioners in various fields of mental health (such as addiction, mindset coaching, and psychosis) and links to the Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham who I can approach for further advice.

Social Prescribing

Another approach to improving your well-being is undertaking activities that you enjoy and thereby boosting your mental health in the process.

Some of the best things to try are recommendations from others suffering from similar issues.

This approach has proven to have positive benefits. I worked on a clinical health trial with the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham whereby participants were able to access a large collection of media that they could then rate according to how it made them feel. Many of the participants said their quality of life improved after having access to all this content.

I aim to do a similar thing on the Mental website. Visitors will be able to suggest content or activities that they have personally found helpful. We can then use this to create an amazing collection of user-led material.

This also has the benefit that the advice may relate to a particular condition or a particular set of circumstances that others may identify with and find comforting or reassuring.

Resources

One of the main requirements of such a site will be access to a large collection of resources.

The site aims to be one of the foremost websites of its kind giving visitors access to a wide range of material such as videos, articles relating to mental health, mental well-being and mindset, links to major mental health organisations and charities, directories of professionals, exercises, self-help techniques, related apps, mood trackers and many more.

I also have a strong background in data visualisation and will be showing current trends and insights that may be informative to the professional community.

Those who find themselves suffering with their mental health often want somewhere they can go to speak to like-minded people and share experiences or seek advice. This may typically take the form of an online chat room or forum.

This can be a valuable resource, but it comes with many challenges, including potentially harmful content, misinformation, harassment, and a host of legal and ethical issues.

The Mental website will not initially implement this kind of technology but will instead seek a longer-term solution as the site’s audience and traction grow. We will consider expert-led moderation with sufficient safeguarding to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being.

Why do I need your help?

As someone who has suffered with their mental health in the past and knows several others who have also struggled, I know how crucial a site like this could be. It is an ambitious project, and I will need support for:

How your support makes a difference?

By donating you are helping people: -

Other ways to help

Think Mental. Talk Mental. Support Mental!