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How to help someone struggling with their mental health (5 ways)
There is alot you can do to help someone struggling with their mental health. Here are 5 practical things to do.
1. Be with them .. and do these things:
- Listen: Without interrupting, judging, or comparing.
- Answer: Their calls, texts and WhatsApps today. They may be lonely.
- Be patient: Show patience and be caring, and avoid being judgmental.
- Privacy: Keep information to yourself, when they confide in you.
- Offer to help: Offer to help with everyday tasks (e.g. shopping or cooking) or include them in your plans. Offer money if appropriate.
2. Ask open questions: Ask open-ended questions about how they are feeling and what would help them.
3. Express caring and support: Let them know you care about them and that you are there to help.
4. Encourage professional help: If needed, encourage them to talk to a mental health professional:
- GP
- IAPT (NHS counsellor). In many areas they can refer themselves without going through the GP. Help them do this.
- Other: e.g. counsellor, or psychotherapist.
5. Educate others (e.g. your work colleagues, friends and family): Educate others about mental health problems so they understand the facts and do not discriminate.
What if they believe things that seem very unusual or scary?
If someone is experiencing reality in a very different way from people around them, they may not realise or agree that seeking help could be useful for them.
They may be experiencing psychosis, mania, hearing voices or feeling very paranoid. In this case, it can also be helpful to:
- Focus on how their beliefs are making them feel – for example anxious, scared, threatened or confused – as these feelings will be very real
- Encourage them to see a doctor soon
- Avoid confirming or denying their beliefs. Instead it can help to say something like “I understand that you see things that way, but it’s not like that for me.” Or if they say a very untrue thing, don’t agree with them to smooth things over, e.g. “its not true tht that people are talking about you”.
Other resource
How to help someone with mental health problem (BBC website)
