Mind
Discover information and advice about your own mental health, and see how you can support someone who’s finding their mental health challenging.
Mental health
Understanding your mental wellbeing
We explain how to recognise the early signs of mental health problems, how to keep on top of your mental wellbeing and where to go for help.
What is ‘mental health’ and why is it important?
Just as with physical health, everyone has ‘mental health.’ And just like physical health, how mentally healthy we are influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others and how we perceive the environment around us. It affects how well we manage day-to-day activities in our lives, including making decisions about finances and managing our money.
Mental health problems can be caused by lots of things factors and can affect anyone. It can range from childhood trauma, loneliness, debt, situational stress to unexplainable occurrences and each factor is equally valid and important People with disabilities or lasting health conditions may also experience problems with their mental health because of accompanying stress and complications. Multiple support routes can be found at the bottom of this page.
Signs your mental health could be suffering
Many of us suffer from mental health problems and the numbers of people affected may be surprising. One in four British adults could have a mental health problem. Luckily, the way people think and talk about mental health is changing, also due to an increasing number of people struggling. Mental health issues can affect anyone so it is important to check in on friends, colleagues and families when you can.
Some of us are already aware of our mental health problems, but sometimes issues can start without us noticing. It’s important to notice early signs to be able to prevent further issues. Here are some ways to tell that your mental health could be suffering.
Do you have regular, unexplained feelings of anger or changes to how you eat or sleep?
Do you feel extremes of highs and lows?
Have you started finding it harder to cope with day-to-day problems and activities, or get easily confused?
Do you feel like avoiding social situations?
For more signs, the NHS website has a quiz that uses questions GPs ask to find out if someone is feeling anxious or depressed.
Where can I go for help?
If you’re worried about your mental health, you can see your family doctor or GP about it. They should be able to give you advice about treatment, and may refer you to another local professional who may be able to help. There are also companies that have volunteers who can offer advice or listen to you.
LifeSkills
We explain what you can do when you’re struggling with your mental health and where you can go for support. You’ll also find tips on managing your mental health in the workplace.
NHS Live Well
Advice, tips and tools to help you make the best choices for your health and wellbeing.
Should I tell my bank?
You may not want to tell us, or whoever you bank with, about any mental health problems and, of course, that’s totally fine. We’re not here to give medical advice and won’t try to do so.
If you do choose to tell us, we can work with you to see what we can do to help you. We could change how we contact you and how often, show you where to get help and advice, or just make some changes to make you feel comfortable when talking to us.
We’ll always let you know what we will do with any information you give us about your health. We will only use it to help you. Of course, we’ll keep anything you say to us confidential.
