Mental Health Help

Feeling unable to cope, worried you may hurt yourself or somebody else and/or experiencing suicidal feelings?

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The Clare Project is not a mental health crisis service. If you are worried about your own or someone else’s mental health, please make use of the options below.

🚨 For immediate help

  • If your life – or someone else’s life – is in immediate danger, please call ☎ 999 or go to 🏥 A&E.

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⏰ For same or next day help

You can get help with your mental health in different ways depending on what you prefer. All services are free.

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😟 Feeling stressed, anxious, low or experiencing panic attacks?

The following are services that you can either contact directly (details below) or be referred by a GP.

🧠 NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression

If you live in Sussex, are over 18 and are struggling with common mental health problems such as feelings of depression, excessive worry, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), you can refer yourself to your local NHS Talking Therapies service.

Services are free, confidential and provide a wide range of support, including courses, online programmes and one-to-one sessions. They aim to help you understand your symptoms and take practical steps to improve your mental health.

NHS Talking Therapies is unable to provide urgent mental health help or support to people experiencing more severe difficulties with their mental health. Instead, please see a GP who can refer you to the appropriate service.

🩺 Mental health support at your GP surgery

If you have a diagnosed mental illness or are having difficulties with your mental health and would like coping strategies to help, you can get support with your mental health from the Emotional Wellbeing Service, or a similar service, at most GP surgeries. These services can provide you with information, advice, guidance and support.

Contact your GP surgery to find out what mental health support is available.

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⚠️ Experiencing a significant change in your mental health?

You should call 📞 NHS 111 or visit NHS 111 online for advice if you – or the person you are concerned about – experience a significant change in your mental health and are not already receiving care from mental health services.

This might include:

  • Hearing or seeing things that are not experienced by other people (e.g. hearing voices)
  • Having strong beliefs that are not shared by others (e.g. believing there is a conspiracy against you)
  • Having excessive energy or movements, sleeping very little
  • Behaving in a bizarre and out-of-character way
  • Changes in behaviour like wanting to avoid people, lack of basic self-care

Whilst these can be normal experiences, they can also be signs of something more serious.

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💰 Worried about money, housing or another issue that is affecting your mental health?

There are many ways to get practical help with issues that may be affecting your mental health.

📍 ...if you live in Brighton & Hove

📍 ...if you live in East Sussex

📍 ...if you live in West Sussex

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🤝 Social Prescribing service at your GP surgery

Social Prescribers can connect you to support, services and activities to help address the challenges you may be struggling with. Ask your GP or GP surgery if they have a Social Prescribing service. Waiting times differ between GP surgeries.

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🥗 Help for disordered eating

Beat (Eating Disorders) offers information and support for anyone affected by an eating disorder. You can visit the Beat website for more information, or use their one-to-one web chat service .

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💻 Qwell (digital mental wellbeing)

Qwell is a free digital mental wellbeing service for adults in Brighton & Hove or East Sussex. It offers informative resources, self-guided activities, peer-to-peer forums, and live text chat with mental health practitioners. You can learn more or sign up on the Qwell website .

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📖 The Clare Project’s Mental Health Crisis booklet

This resource covers how to deal with or prevent mental health crises. You can read it here .

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👪 Information for family and friends

  • The Clare Project’s “Friends and Family Tips” booklet: You can read or download it here .
  • Allsorts Youth Project: Visit their website
    Allsorts listens to, connects & supports children & young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or exploring their sexual orientation and/or gender identity (LGBT+), as well as their families.
  • Mermaids UK: Visit their website
    Supporting trans, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families.

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ℹ️ Where to find advice and information about local mental health support

Not sure what support you need or would like? There are several community-based groups that can help, whether you have a diagnosed mental illness or just need short-term advice about your mental health. Find out what’s available in your area:

📍 If you live in Brighton & Hove

Call UOK on 📞 0808 196 1768 (9am–5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays) or arrange a call back via the UOK callback service . You can also visit the UOK website for more details.

If you are a carer for someone with a mental health difficulty, visit the Carers Centre.

📍 If you live in East Sussex

Call UOK on 📞 0808 196 1768 (9am–5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays) or arrange a call back via the UOK callback service . For further information, you can look at the East Sussex Mental Health Directory . If you are a carer, check out the East Sussex Carers support page .

📍 If you live in West Sussex

Pathfinder is an alliance of mental health support providers covering Littlehampton, Horsham, Worthing, Crawley, Chichester, Midhurst, and Adur. You can find more details on the Pathfinder West Sussex website . If you are a carer for someone with a mental health difficulty, please visit the Carers Support website and their mental health section .

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