Mental Health

View a list of the organisations you can call for help

If you feel that you need to talk through issues immediately, there is help available right now.

First Response Service

You can also call 111 and select the mental health option for the First Response Service

The first response service is a 24 hour service for people in a mental health crisis. This service is for anyone, of any age, who is registered with a GP in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough. Specially-trained mental health staff will speak to you and discuss with you your mental health care needs – instead of you having to go to accident and emergency departments of local acute hospitals.

You might be in crisis if:

• You are thinking of hurting yourself or suicide seems the only option
• Someone you know has made threats to hurt you or someone else.
• You are experiencing extreme distress that seems overwhelming.

First Response Service

CPFT have a First Response Service (FRS) for people of any age who are distressed, worried about their mental health or experiencing something that makes them feel unsafe. It provides 24-hour access, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to mental health care, advice and support.  

Find out more about the First Response Service. 

Mental health text line - HEAR 85258

This free text messaging support service is available in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to help those who are struggling to cope.

Launched by NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and in partnership with the national service SHOUT, the free to use text service HEAR 85258 provides real-time support to people of all ages who are struggling with their mental health.

Text the word HEAR to 85258, and you will be connected to a trained volunteer who will take you from a place of crisis to a place of calm.

During the confidential and anonymous conversation, the texter will be supported and signposted to local and national mental health services.

Texting HEAR to 85258 is free, discreet and runs 24/7. It won’t appear on any bills and requires no app, data, password, or registration. It is available for anybody who lives, works, or studies in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

For more information about what mental health services are available in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, visit www.keep-your-head.com.

If you feel your or somebody’s life is at risk due to their mental health, dial 111 and listen for the option for the mental health crisis team.

Getting the right advice, guidance and information

People may feel stressed, anxious, low and experience negative thoughts, often as a reaction to negative circumstances or events. We all feel like that now and then but it's when these thoughts and feelings become so frequent and/or severe that they significantly disrupt our ability to cope with life on a daily basis, such as negatively affecting our relationships, work, sleep and quality of life, that they can become mental health problems. If this happens then it is important to get help from friends, family or professionals such as a GP or a specially trained person. It's important to remember that, with the right advice, guidance and information, people who experience problems are often able to make a full recovery.

To respond to concerns about the mental health of men Samaritans have launched a ‘Real People, Real Stories’ campaign to share the experiences of men who have been through tough times.

Other help specifically for men is ‘Andy’s Man Club’, online and in person talking groups for men with a local group based in Peterborough. The clubs were co-founded by Luke Ambler after the loss of his brother in law to suicide.

Speak out

Your first port of call should be to contact your GP. They will either provide you with an appropriate intervention or direct you to the most appropriate provider.

Mental health services in Peterborough are provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).

If you have mental health difficulties there are people who can provide advice, treatment, care and ongoing support to help you live at home. These may be nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, consultant psychiatrists, psychologists, recovery workers, advocates or wellbeing workers. Whether you are going through some emotional stress or have long term mental health problems they can help with the following:

• self-help initiatives
• support groups
• talking therapies
• medication

Support provided can also include specialist treatment and services, residential or nursing home stays, other day care support and rehabilitation.

Helping you to feel more positive

The Five ways to Wellbeing are things you can do that can help you feel more positive about how you feel about and live your life. Feeling positive helps you cope with the times when you are feeling low or have had some bad experiences.

• Connect - with the people around you and make time for family and friends.
• Be active - go for a run, take the dog for a walk, play 5-a-side, cycle to work or sign up for a dance class... Whatever it is, make sure it is something you enjoy.

• Take notice - be aware of the world around you and how you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
• Keep learning - whether it's learning how to cook your favourite food, a new language or taking up a new sport or hobby, it's all good for our mind!
• Give - do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time; it can be incredibly rewarding.

Lifeline

Lifeline is a mental health and wellbeing helpline for people aged 18 and over living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It is available every day between 11am and 11pm via freephone 0808 808 2121.

The line will support people to manage their wellbeing, provide self-help advice or signpost to other organisations for particular concerns. View the Lifeline website.

You will also find help for adults with mental health difficulties on the Lifecraft website.

Qwell

Qwell is an online wellbeing support, including educational and self-help articles and peer-to-peer support via forums. Adults are also able to receive help from qualified counsellors via drop-in or scheduled online chat sessions. View the Qwell website

Keep Your Head

The keep your head website brings together all the mental health support available across the county - Keep Your Head

Centre33

Centre33 offers mental health support for young people age 25. Find out more information on their website

This service provides help to people aged 17 and over who are experiencing common mental health problems such as:

• depression and anxiety disorders

• generalised anxiety disorder (GAD

• social anxiety

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• health anxiety

• Panic

• Phobias

• obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

However, you do not need a diagnosis to access the service and the service will also see people with problems such as stress, low confidence, sleep disturbance and self-esteem issues. There is no upper age limit for people accessing the service.

More details can be viewed on the NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies webpage.

Ways of coping

Am I depressed? How can I feel less stressed? Why am I so anxious?

Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or just the normal emotional ups and downs of life, the NHS Moodzone is here to help.

It offers practical advice, interactive tools, videos and audio guides to help you feel mentally and emotionally better.

Tips and advice to boost mental health

• 10 stress busters
• How to feel happier
• Dealing with panic attacks
• How to fight fears and anxiety
• How to control your anger

Not sure how you're feeling? Try this mood assessment quiz.

Self-help and treatments

If you're considering trying self-help techniques or seeking treatment for mental health problems, these can help you weigh up your options:

• Mindfulness: is it for you?
• A simple breathing technique for stress
• Moodzone mental wellbeing audio guides
• Mental health helplines
• Talking therapies explained
• Can you get free therapy or counselling on the NHS?

You may also be interested in a selection of mental health apps and tools in the Digital Apps Library.

What is The Good Life Service?

The Good Life Service takes a fresh approach to community based wellbeing support and has been developed alongside individuals with lived experience of mental health problems.

The Good Life Service focuses on individual strengths and skills. It encourages peer support and community connectivity and is available to adults aged 18 upwards living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It has something for everyone, regardless of whether or not you have a diagnosed mental health problem.

Dealing with bereavement

People deal with bereavement in many different ways when someone has died. This may be as a result of not being able to be with the person prior to their dealth to say goodbye or having the task of letting others know the sad news or many other reasons.

Things you could consider include:

• Find other ways of saying goodbye and remembering the person
• If you cannot attend the funeral ask if people can follow the burial/cremation via a video link. If not, hold an event in your household that includes “funeral elements” such as music, photographs and readings. Things that remind you of the person. You could record this or do a video link so other family and friends can join you in remembering the person
• Take time to grieve
• Remember that people grieve differently

Find out more on the End of Life Care page.

H.A.Y. (How are you) Peterborough

H.A.Y. (How are you) Peterborough are bringing together everything in Peterborough that promotes positive mental health. From a friendly ‘how are you’, to activity groups and much more – it’s all taking care of our mental wellbeing.

Mental health isn’t something that is good or bad; it’s a continuum, a sliding scale, a constantly shifting state for each and every one of us. We all have mental health and so we all need to take care of our mental health – we don’t wait until we’re physically under the weather to do things we know are good for keeping us physically healthy and the same should be true of our mental health.

H.A.Y. Peterborough put a spotlight on all those things going on in the community that are good for our mental wellbeing.

View the H.A.Y. Peterborough website to find more details

Who are they?

The Short ­Term Adult Reablement Service (STARS) is a small team based in Peterborough.

It is a Peterborough City Council­ funded service based within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).

In order to access this service you need to live within the Peterborough City Council boundaries. You should be using secondary mental health care and you should have a named mental healthcare professional from these services working with you for the time you are using STARS.

You can discuss this service with your healthcare professional and they can refer you.

What is reablement?

Reablement is a personalised way of supporting you to identify your needs.

It is a person­ centred approach that aims to encourage and increase independence and wellbeing. It seeks to promote positive changes using your goals. Goal setting is the process of planning for your future and thinking about what you want in life. Goals can be big or small.

Reablement is aimed to enable people to learn new skills, re­-engage with lost skills and promote confidence in using these to move forward in your life.

Workwell is a free program that helps people who might be struggloing because of their health to find jobs or keep their jobs.

Work and health coaches talk to you about what you need and help you find the right support.

Visit the Workwell website to find out more about the program.

Visit the Workwell Peterborough web page directly.