Mind

How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?

Mind, as the leading mental health charity in England, delivers a range of national activities which have a key role in the delivery of all of the outcomes of the NSPA.

– We provide a range of national information services enabling people to access accurate and quality information about options for support when they are struggling with their mental health.

– Our online peer support service allows people to speak openly and honestly about their feelings, and reduces the sense of isolation that people can feel when they are unwell.

– We reach 70 million people each year with our media work; many of the articles which have appeared have included practical advice about how to develop mental resilience.

– Our training offer ‘Mind workplace’ focuses on employees and employers, providing mental health awareness training and specific guidance around suicide prevention across the country.

– Through our network of Local Minds we ensure people are able to access face to face support when they need it, and run a range of crisis services across the country for people who are very unwell.

– We campaign to improve the quality of crisis care, and are delivering the Crisis Care Concordat at a local level.

What are your current priorities?

Our current priorities include:

Advice and support

– We will continue to grow the number of times we provide access to timely, relevant and high quality information about mental health through a range of channels. We will ensure that our information discusses suicide openly and without shame, and provide information about a range of options to empower people to take steps which are appropriate for them to improve their situation. We will also continue to grow access to peer support, online and offline, connecting people to share their experiences and feel less alone.

Crisis care

– We will continue to campaign to improve the quality of crisis care across England, and seek to influence the delivery of the Crisis Care Concordat at a national and local level.

Anti-stigma campaigning

– With our partner Rethink Mental Illness we will continue to run the Time to Change Campaign to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems. This campaign includes local community activities including a £2.7m grants scheme for projects led by people with experience of mental health problems; a high-profile anti-stigma campaign; a media advisory service; targeted work with organisations, young people and African and Caribbean communities; and a network of grassroots activists combating discrimination.

Working with the media

– We will work across a range of media to report suicide responsibly, and continue to raise the profile of mental health and resilience to encourage people to seek support when they are struggling.

– Support people likely to develop mental health problems, to stay well

– Through our resilience work programme we will work to reduce the likelihood of those most at risk, of developing mental health or co-morbid mental health issues. We will also work to increase the likelihood that those at risk, will manage their mental health successfully

– We will build people’s capacity to cope with stress and difficult experiences.

Strengthening of services

– We will work to strengthen the quality and availability of services and support available to people struggling with their mental health. We will do this through our own network of local Minds, and through our work with national bodies.

What challenges are you currently facing?

– Stigma surrounding mental health problems which can stop people from seeking support.

– Quality and availability of crisis care varies hugely from one area to the next- this can prevent people from seeking support, or result in people being failed by services when they are most in need

– Exposure to graphic content and triggering stories in the media and online

– Challenges in getting organisations to consider that suicide awareness and prevention is their responsibility

– Lack of knowledge and understanding about what can help people who are considering suicide, which can result in the person and those around them feeling hopeless about future.

– Low health literacy, particularly in marginalised groups, already at greater risk of developing mental health problems

– Despite mental health being discussed as a national priority, mental health services have been under funded for decades meaning many people struggle to get the support they need, whether from primary care services, community services, when in hospital or after they have been discharged.