Mental Health
I need urgent help now…
- If your life is in immediate danger or you are having dangerous thoughts that you feel you can’t control, you should call 999.
- If you’ve already hurt yourself, you should go to the nearest A&E department.
- You can call 111 for urgent mental health support or click “Crisis Support” from the options below to tell you more about your local crisis teams and their contact numbers.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to how you feel in your mind and is your overall emotional and psychological wellbeing, whether you’re happy or sad. It doesn’t mean you’re “mad” or “crazy.”
Your mental health can be affected by the difficult experiences you’ve faced in your home country or during your journey to the UK. Many asylum seekers and refugees have witnessed loss, violence, or threats to their lives. These experiences can cause you to relive those moments, affecting your sleep, energy, concentration, and mood. This is called “trauma” and is a natural emotional response to distressing events.
It’s also common to feel stressed, anxious, or low while waiting for a decision on your asylum case. This can affect your motivation and concentration.
Talking about how you feel can help you feel better, whether to a friend or a professional. The UK has many services that can support your mental health, and you don’t have to go through it alone.
The UK has lots of support available for addressing mental health and mental illnesses, which involves a mix of different laws, healthcare services, societal attitudes, and support structures.
Mental health is your state of wellbeing and how you feel in your mind, whereas mental illnesses are common mental health problems that can be diagnosed. These can cause changes in your thinking, emotions, behaviours and your ability to function and cope. They can sound scary, but they are common in the UK, these can include:
Feeling constantly sad and losing interest or motivation in things, which can stop you doing your normal activities.
Feeling a sense of fear or dread which can lead to physical reactions in your body such as increased heartrate or feeling tense or restless.
Experiencing uncontrollable repeating thoughts that something bad will happen and feeling compelled to do repetitive behaviours.
Can happen after a distressing event and can cause anxiety, flashbacks/nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts.
There are other mental health conditions too, such as phobias, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, though they are less common.
Different cultures have different views on mental health. In some places, mental health issues may not be discussed openly, or they may be seen as shameful and seen as a weakness. This can make it harder for you to talk about your feelings or seek help.
Like a physical illness, people do not choose to become mentally unwell and it can happen for a number of reasons. It can feel very frightening but there is lots of support available to help you to feel better.
In the UK, there has been a lot of effort to reduce mental health stigma. It’s encouraged to speak about how you feel, whether with friends, family, or professionals.
If talking to those close to you is difficult, or if you feel like they may not understand what you are going through then professional support can be a comfortable alternative. Sometimes it can feel better to talk to someone you don’t know and they can offer you the best advice.
Professional Help
If you have been struggling with your mental health for a few weeks and it’s affecting your daily life, you can visit your doctor (GP). They can help you find the right support, including talking therapies and other mental health services. Advice is also available on the NHS website (which can be found further below) to support you to feel better. There are also other support organisations and helplines that you can contact for support and advice listed below.
In the Northeast, there are many services that offer help and support in the form of talking therapies. These can take many different forms but can include online programmes to complete, groups to attend as well as one-to-one sessions delivered in a number of ways. These are funded by local NHS trusts or charities, free of charge.
Your General Practitioner (often called a GP or doctor) can tell you which services are available for your area and they can often make a referral for you to the service. There may be a wait for these services, as due to demand they can’t always offer immediate support. All services should have translators available, if you would like one, you should tell the service before your first appointment so that it can be arranged.
Below you will find a list of northeast mental health services, if you are unsure which will cover your area you can ask your GP.
What should I expect from the services listed above?
When you first contact a service, you’ll likely have an initial call, usually called an assessment, where they ask questions to understand your situation and how you are feeling. Based on your responses, they’ll discuss treatment options with you. It is really important to ask questions here if there is anything you don’t understand in order to get the right option for you.
Anything you tell a mental health professional will usually be kept confidential, meaning nobody else will find out you have accessed support unless you would like them to know. The service might want to share some information with your GP but they will ask your permission to do this. There are limits to confidentiality however, if you disclose anything that concerns your safety or the safety of another person then information may have to be shared.
Crisis Support
If you have a mental health problem that you need immediate help with you can contact your local Crisis team, this is usually for people who need urgent mental health care.
People may contact the crisis team when they are unable to keep themselves safe from suicidal thoughts, or if they are seeing or hearing things that aren’t there. These are often called hallucinations and they are a symptom of psychosis. This is luckily not very common, but can feel very scary.
Crisis services usually involve an experienced team of mental health staff, offering assessments and home treatment for adults experiencing a mental health crisis, often as an alternative to staying in hospital.
While these services are offered 24 hours a day, and is more immediate support than talking therapy, they are often not as quick as an ambulance, so if your life is in immediate danger or you are having dangerous thoughts that you feel you can’t control, you should call 999. If you’ve already hurt yourself, you should go to the nearest A&E department.
Contact details for crisis teams across the North East can be found below:
New support number from 111
There has now been a new pathway to access mental health support by calling NHS 111 and selecting option 2 for urgent mental health support, you can do this for yourself, or for someone else if you would like support or advice. This new option is free to call, and is available for anyone of any age, all over the UK.
The call will be answered by a mental health advisor, who are supported and supervised by trained mental health clinicians. They work within crisis services and will provide reassurance and make sure you are directed to the most appropriate professional or service. They can:
- Support you with self-care advice
- Transfer callers to the crisis teams for triage and assessment, if this is needed
- Refer to primary care services for further support, e.g. your GP
- Refer to community services that are alternatives to crisis, e.g. the voluntary sector
- Contact 999, if there is a risk to the persons life
The NHS trust in this area is the Tees, Eask and Wear Valley Trust (often called TEWV). They cover County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and more.
Their emergency mental health team is called the Crisis Resolution and Intensive Home Treatment Team (it may be called CRHT). For urgent mental health care in this region: Telephone: 0800 0516 171
The NHS trust in this area is the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Trust (often called CNTW). They cover Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside. Their emergency mental health team is called the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team. The contact numbers below are for each individual area.
- Newcastle and Gateshead:
- Telephone: 0191 814 8899 or freephone 0800 652 2863.
- Text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07919 228 548
- Sunderland and South Tyneside:
- Telephone: 0303 123 1145 or freephone 0800 652 2867.
- Text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07889 036 280
- Northumberland and North Tynes
- Telephone: 0303 123 1146 or freephone 0800 652 2861.
- Text number for people who are Deaf and/or have communication difficulties: 07887 625 277
Helplines and Support Organisations
Mental Health Resources
There are lots of different national and regional support helplines, or support groups, that you can access if you are struggling with your mental health. Each organisation will work differently and may offer different levels of support so it is important to contact them directly to find out what they offer. The contact details and information for the different services can be found below:
How can they help?
Samaritans provide confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair through their 24 hour helpline.
Contact Details:
Call for free on: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Website
How can they help?
ANDYSMANCLUB are a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend, peer-to-peer support groups. They offer confidential, face-to-face groups aiming to get men talking.
Contact Details:
How can they help?
Advice and emotional support for asylum seekers, Monday- Friday (10am-8pm) and Saturday (10am-3pm) via telephone or Webchat. Barnardo’s also offer 8 free therapy sessions, either via telephone or online. Sessions can take place in your own language at a time that works for you.
Contact Details:
Call: 0800 151 2605
Email: boloh.helpline@barnardos.org.uk
Website
How can they help?
Shout offer a free 24/7, confidential, text line for mental health support. They aim to offer a more accessible way to get people talking and allow people to not feel as alone.
Contact Details:
Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258
Website
How can they help?
PAPYRUS is the national UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. It aims to support young people, and those worried about them, from the risk of suicide.
Contact Details:
Call Papyrus: 0800 068 414
Text: 07786 209697
Website
How can they help?
They help people and provide therapy for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and other problems caused by torture. They also provide creative and group activities, including cooking, music, art and gardening.
Contact Details:
How can they help?
Supportline offer confidential, phoneline support to anyone, on any issue. They provide a preventive service before people reach the point of crisis and are open to children and adults.
Contact Details:
Call: 01708 76200. Email: info@supportline.org.uk
Website
How can they help?
Cruse provide bereavement support for all those experiencing grief ensuring they get the support they need.
Contact Details:
Call: 0808 808 1677
Website
How can they help?
The Hub of Hope is a directory of mental health support and services across the UK. They help people find the guidance they need and access to relevant help and support networks.
Contact Details:
Barnardo’s Support
In addition to the Boloh helpline above, Barnardo’s also have specific support for families arriving in the UK from Afghanistan. The site has information, advice and guidance on staying safe, healthy and the support available. You can access it by clicking the button below.
Op COURAGE
Op COURAGE are a service that supports veterans with their mental health. This service provides specialist care and support for those due to leave the armed forces, reservists and those who’ve already left, it was developed by veterans, for people that have worked in or alongside the armed forces. Their support is open to Afghans under the ARAP scheme.
Op COURAGE is delivered by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with lots of other NHS trusts and organisations and although is North East based, the service is available across England. Veterans can self-refer, or be referred by a family member, a third sector organisation or their GP and the service is available 8am-8pm, 7 days a week.
Tel: 0300 373 33 32 Email: OpCourageNORTH@cntw.nhs.uk
Leo’s Amanah Project
Leo’s, the region’s neonatal and baby loss mental health charity, are launching a new space for the ethnic minority communities in Middlesbrough, called the Amanah Project. This is part of The Middlesbrough Family Hubs Initiative and sessions are aimed at mothers and babies within the community, you do not need to have had a loss or a neonatal stay to attend.
The Amanah Project’s ‘Stay & Play Group’ will take place every other Wednesday from February 26th at the Abingdon Family Hub. The group will meet from 10-11:30am, offering a relaxed stay and play environment for mothers to come along regardless of whether you are registered with Leo’s or not. Children are able to play whilst Mothers can enjoy conversations, refreshments, games and craft activities.
The Amanah Project offers culturally informed and sensitive care to help you confidently understand women’s health and the journey of motherhood. For any enquiries about the group, please contact the project lead, Ava by emailing ava@leosneonatal.org or calling 07561104092. Please click the button below to view the Amanah Project flyer.
Make Every Contact Count (MECC)
If there is a service that you feel that you would benefit from but it has not been mentioned you may want to visit the MECC Gateway. The MECC Gateway is a health and wellbeing conversation and signposting tool allowing health information, community activities and services to be shared across the North-East and North Cumbria. It can be used for both adult and young people’s services and can be accessed via the button below.
Additional Resources
Sometimes we may be struggling with how we feel due to something else that has happened in our life and other contributing factors such as our safety from those around us, our drug or alcohol content or our eating habits as all of these things can sometimes make us feel much worse. Therefore lots of helpful organisations have been listed below, you can click on individual one’s to find out more information.
For women in Tyneside and Northumberland who need to talk to someone about rape or sexual abuse. Their helpline is available Monday-Thursday 6pm-8.30pm.
Call: 0800 035 2794
Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre offering counselling and advice in Darlington and County Durham. Their emotional support helpline is available: 6.30pm-8.30pm on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s and 10am-12pm on Wednesday’s, Thursday’s and Saturday’s.
Call: 0300 222 5730
Email: support@rsacc-thecentre.org.uk
Website
ARCH Teesside is a specialist sexual violence service offering free and confidential support, help and advocacy to people in the Teesside area who have experienced rape and sexual abuse, at any point in their lives.
Call: 01642 822331
Website
To provide support for families and individuals affected by domestic abuse across the North East. Their helpline is available 24 hours.
Call: 0300 020 2525
Email: info@myharbour.org.uk
Website
For those in County Durham, Tyne and Wear and South Northumberland, they provide help, support, counselling and mentoring for individuals and families with substance and other process addictions, mental health issues, and other neurodiverse conditions.
Call: 0300 330 3040
Email: info@addictionsnortheast.com
Website
a national charity for people experiencing homelessness, addiction, sexual violence and abuse and a range of other problems. They offer specialist services for women, young people and families.
Call: 0191 273 8891
Email: central.office@changing-lives.org.uk
Website
Humankind offers services covering drugs and alcohol, clinical services, housing related support, housing, employment, training and education, health and well-being, children, young people and families, women, criminal justice and community and offender rehabilitation.
Call: 01325 731160
Email:info@humankindcharity.org.uk
Website
BEAT are an eating disorders charity with a vision to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. It offers both an adult helpline and a youth helpline, parents, teachers or concerned adults should call the adult helpline.
Adult helpline number: 0808 801 0677
Email: help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Youthline (under 18): 0808 801 0711
Email: fyp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Website
A national LGBTQIA+ support line. For anyone, anywhere in the country, at any point in their journey. We can discuss anything related to sexuality and gender identity. Whether it’s sexual health, relationships or just the way you’re feeling.
Call: 08000 119100 (10am-10pm every day)
Website
Helping Yourself Feel Better
Trying to help yourself is an important first step to feeling better. There are lots of things you can do to help your mental health if you’re not yet ready to speak to someone about how you’re feeling, or if you’re waiting to access support.
There are some tips from our Welcome Resources below, you can find the ‘Looking After Your Health’ one translated into different languages, here.
Welcome to the UK Resource Tips:
It is important not to remain isolated and inactive whilst waiting for your decision, otherwise these feelings may get worse without you noticing it. Other people who have lived through this experience strongly recommend you take action to break this circle and protect your emotional wellbeing. Although asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK, you can still pass the time meaningfully and positively. This will keep you feeling stronger.
Be proactive and take action by:
- Connecting to other people—Don’t sit in your room alone. Find out where there is a local drop in for asylum seekers, or a community group that speak your language. You will meet lots of people this way. Ask your Mears Welfare Officer for information.
- Getting involved in activities – many of these local community groups run a range of activities which can keep you active and you can learn new things. After 6 months you will be eligible to study some courses for free at a local college. You can volunteer also, which is unpaid but can provide you with experience which will be useful for future employment.
- Being active—however you choose, It could be anything you do in your day-to-day life – like running, walking, dancing, jogging, swimming and playing football or doing housework.
Solace UK Resources
Solace UK have also generated lots of mental health resources for refugees and asylum seekers. They feature videos in multiple different languages and are on coping with stress, the refugee experience, relaxation techniques and dealing with anxiety and lack of confidence. They can be accessed here.
Mental Health Foundation Resources
Mental Health Foundation have created a video featuring asylum seekers that have shared their experiences of living in a hotel long-term in Scotland, how this has affected their mental health, and tips and advice for coping. This short documentary was co-produced as part of the Mental Health Foundation’s Weaving Threads for Wellbeing programme in Glasgow. The video can be accessed by clicking here.
The Mental Health Foundation also have refugee programmes for Scotland and Wales but they also have lots of specific mental health resources for refugees and asylum seekers that can be accessed here.
Other Self-Help Resources for Mental Health:
There are lots of resources below that you can look over and read in your own time to help you understand your mental state. Including posters, videos, top tips and some translated materials; there are plenty of resources to help you monitor and boost your wellbeing.
Children’s Mental Health Support
Professional Support
Children’s mental health support works slightly differently to adult services and self-referrals are not generally accepted.
Referrals can take place either from any professional working with a child, young person or their family, so this could be a social worker, the child’s GP or school.
The team that works with mental health and wellbeing for under 18’s is called the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and is commonly abbreviated to CAMHS. Their contact numbers for the two North East NHS trusts are:
- Tees Esk Wear Valley (TEWV): Contact number: 0300 013 2000. Including County Durham, Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.
- Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW): Contact number- 01228 603 017. Including Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland and North and South Tyneside.
Support from Voluntary Organisations:
- Anna Freud: providing assessments and therapeutic help for a variety of emotional and psychological problems up to the age of 25. Call: 02077 942313 Email: info@annafrued.org Website
- Muslim youth helpline (MYH): The helpline is open from 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM, 365 days a year. Call: 0808 808 2008 Website
- Barnardo’s family helpline: Offering free therapeutic support for children and young people under the age of 21 on the Ukraine and Afghanistan pathways who are living in England: Call: 080815 69877 Website Email: RefugeeFamilyHelpline@barnardos.org.uk
- UK trauma council resources: Free resources to help children and young people affected by war, migration and asylum: Website
Barnardo’s Afghan Virtual Youth Space
Barnardo’s also offer a Virtual Youth Space, held 6-7pm on the 1st Monday of every month for young people from Afghanistan aged 10-17. For more details about the virtual youth space, click the button below.
