Tag: Mental Health Organisation

What is Together for Mental Wellbeing?

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Introduction

Together for Mental Wellbeing is a UK charity working in mental health. Until 2005 it was known as the Mental After Care Association (Maca).

Brief History

Together was founded in 1879 by Rev Henry Hawkins, then chaplain of Colney Hatch asylum, who wanted to find ways to support people leaving the institution once they returned to the community.

The charity changed its name in 2005 from the Mental After Care Association. Key to the change was the incorporation of wellbeing, now a foundational concept in the charity’s work.

Background

Together is the United Kingdom’s oldest mental health charity working to support people with mental health needs. It supports more than 3,500 people who experience mental distress, through 100 different projects across the country.

Together is led by a professional management and board of trustees. The CEO is Linda Bryant, a registered Forensic Psychologist who first joined the organisation as a frontline Forensic Mental Health Practitioner and became Director of Criminal Justice Services. The charity has a core principle of Service User Leadership.

Together works with people of all ages from 18 upwards, both sexes and many different ethnic origins. Many of them have been diagnosed with severe and enduring mental health needs such as schizophrenia or severe depression. The charity provides mental health services by working in partnership with many other organisations, including housing associations, health trusts, local authorities, criminal-justice agencies and private- and other voluntary-sector bodies.

Wellbeing Week

In 2008, Together held its first Wellbeing Week, a series of events taking place in Projects and offices across the United Kingdom. Wellbeing Week’s goal is to raise awareness of mental health and reduce stigma. In March 2009, Wellbeing Week took place for the second consecutive year.

Funding

Together reported a total income of over £23 million for 2008/2009, and £17.9m for 2015/2016. The vast majority of funding is from governmental health and social care agencies, mainly for its supported housing projects.

What is SANE (Charity)?

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Introduction

SANE is a UK mental health charity working to improve quality of life for people affected by mental illness.

Brief History

SANE was established in 1986 to improve the quality of life for people affected by mental illness, following the overwhelming public response to a series of articles published in The Times entitled “The Forgotten Illness”. Written by the charity’s founder and Chief Executive, Marjorie Wallace, the articles exposed the neglect of people suffering from mental illness and the poverty of services and information for individuals and families. From its initial focus on schizophrenia (the name started as an acronym for “Schizophrenia: A National Emergency”), SANE expanded and is now concerned with all mental illnesses. SANE’s vision has been to raise public awareness, instigate research, and bring more effective professional treatment and compassionate care to everyone affected by mental illness.

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, SANE’s hotline received a 200% increase in calls.

Aims and Outcomes

SANE uses the Charities Evaluation Services framework to assess its work. They have three organisational aims:

  • Reducing the impact of mental illness.
  • Improving treatment and care by increasing knowledge about mental illness.
  • Influencing policy and public attitudes by increasing understanding of mental illness.

These aims are connected to a number of specific outcomes which are used to monitor and evaluate SANE’s work.

Objectives

SANE works to:

  • Raise awareness and combat stigma about mental illness, educating and campaigning to improve mental health services.
  • Provide care and emotional support for people with mental health problems, their families and carers as well as information for other organisations and the public.
  • Initiate research into the causes and treatments of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and depression and the psychological and social impact of mental illness.

Online Forum

One of the many features of SANE’s website is the Support Forum – a peer to peer community, moderated by SANE. The Support Forum provides a space where people affected by mental illness, family, friends and carers can offer and receive mutual support at any time of day or night 365 days a year. Users of the Support Forum share thoughts, feelings and experiences of the difficulties and challenges that can arise from living with mental illness. The forum has several different discussion rooms including:

  • Newbies.
  • Family, Friends and Carers.
  • Information Exchange.
  • Creative Corner.
  • Rant Room.

Marie talked about her experience of using the Support Forum: “I was scared to tell anyone how I was feeling, so I used the Support Forum at first. There I found a community of other sufferers and realised I wasn’t alone. I can’t express how pleased I was – I had felt so isolated up until that point.”

Emotional Support

SANE offers emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental health problems through helpline (SANEline) and text (Textcare) services and an online Support Forum where people share their feelings and experiences.

These services are led by SANE’s team of mental health professionals and delivered by a force of over 140 volunteers who undergo rigorous training and in many cases give hundreds of hours of their free time each year. SANE’s Caller Care programme provides call-back to give on-going support and help people alleviate a crisis phase or get through difficult circumstances.

Research

SANE undertakes neuroscience research to understand the causes of serious mental illness. SANE opened the Prince of Wales International Centre (POWIC) for SANE Research in 2003 to focus this work and establish a home for multi-disciplinary research. SANE provides space within POWIC to the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, which provides Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy training, integrating brain research with meditation techniques, and Professor Daniel Freeman.

SANE’s psychosocial research team focuses on the social and psychological aspects of mental illness impacting service users, carers and mental health professionals.

Campaigns

SANE campaigns to influence mental health policy and improve services, as well as combating the stigma and ignorance, which all too often exacerbate the distress that people experience. Previous work includes; campaigning for reform of mental health law, campaigning for better access to psychological therapies and campaigning about the unacceptable standard of care on many psychiatric wards.

Black Dog Campaign

In 2011, to mark its 25th anniversary, SANE launched the Black Dog Campaign. The campaign aimed to increase awareness and understanding of depression and other mental illness, to introduce new emotional support services, and encourage more people to seek help.

The Black Dog has been used as a metaphor for depression from antiquity to the present day. To bring the campaign to life SANE designed Black Dog statues that were placed across London and other major UK cities to raise awareness, reduce stigma and misunderstanding of mental health problems and to encourage more people to seek help.

It was hoped that the physical presence of a Black Dog would help people define their experience of the “invisible” condition that characterises mental illness, as well as promoting more open discussion, understanding and acceptance. In order to deliver a positive message of support each of the black dogs had a “collar of hope” and all of them wore coats designed by celebrities, artists or members of the public.

Celebrity Support

SANE have a distinguished group of high-profile patrons. Over the years they have lent their time and energy to publicising services, backing campaigns and fundraising for continued growth and success of the charity.

Celebrity supporters include:

  • Ruby Wax.
  • Bradley Walsh.
  • Rory Bremner.
  • Ian Hislop.
  • James Arthur.
  • Joanna Lumley.
  • Michael Palin.
  • Trevor Phillips.
  • Adam Ant.

What is Rethink Mental Illness?

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Introduction

Rethink Mental Illness is a mental health charity in England.

The organisation was founded in 1972 by John Pringle whose son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The operating name of ‘Rethink’ was adopted in 2002, and expanded to ‘Rethink’ Mental Illness’ (to be more self-explanatory) in 2011, but the charity remains registered as the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, although it no longer focuses only on schizophrenia.

Rethink Mental Illness now has over 8,300 members, who receive a regular magazine called Your Voice. The charity states that it helps 48,000 people every year, and is for caregivers as well as those with a mental disorders. It provides services (mainly community support, including supported housing projects), support groups, and information through a helpline and publications. The Rethink Mental Illness website receives almost 300,000 visitors every year. Rethink Mental Illness carries out some survey research which informs both their own and national mental health policy, and it actively campaigns against stigma and for change through greater awareness and understanding. It is a member organisation of EUFAMI, the European Federation of Families of People with Mental Illness.

Brief History

John Pringle published an anonymous article in The Times on 09 May 1970, describing the ways that his son’s schizophrenia diagnosis had affected his family, and what his experience caring for his son was like. This article and the support it gathered was the starting point for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, which was founded by Pringle in 1972.

In its early days, the National Schizophrenia Fellowship acted as a support group and charity for individuals caring for loved ones diagnosed with schizophrenia. The organisation was more robust than previous charities and support organisations, because of its emphasis on helping its constituents understand more about mental health, seek out community for people affected by schizophrenia, and look after their own mental health while caring for loved ones affected by mental illness.

The National Schizophrenia Fellowship was instrumental in promoting the new early psychosis paradigm in 1995 when they linked with an early psychosis network in the West Midlands, called IRIS (Initiative to reduce impact of schizophrenia). This then led to the Early Psychosis Declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the subsequent formation of early psychosis services as part of mainstream health policy.

In 2002, the organisation rebranded itself as Rethink to reflect its expanded focus on mental health, before later rebranding to Rethink Mental Illness in 2011.

Rethink commissioned a controversial statue of Sir Winston Churchill in a straitjacket, which was unveiled in The Forum building in Norwich on 11 March 2006, to a mixture of praise and criticism. This was part of Rethink’s first anti-stigma regional campaign. The statue was intended to show how people in today’s society are stigmatised by mental illness, based on claims that Churchill suffered from depression and perhaps bipolar disorder. However, the statue was condemned by Churchill’s family, and described by Sir Patrick Cormack as an insult both to the former prime minister and to people with mental health problems. Although straitjackets have not been used in UK psychiatric hospitals for decades, a sufferer from bipolar disorder identified with “the straitjacket of mental illness” and commended the image. Nevertheless, in response to the complaints, the statue was removed.

Mark Winstanley succeeded Paul Jenkins as chief executive officer of Rethink Mental Illness in March 2014.

Campaigns

Amongst its recent campaigns Rethink has urged the government to look at the mental health risks of cannabis, rather than “fiddle with its legal status”. Cannabis was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug in 2004, making most cases of possession non-arrestable. However, Rethink wants government support for new research into the relationship between severe mental illness and cannabis. They have publicly stated, in response to George Michael’s advocacy of the drug, that cannabis is the drug “most likely to cause mental illness”.

In 2009, Rethink launched Time to Change, a campaign to reduce mental health discrimination in England, in collaboration with MIND. and aims to empower people to challenge stigma and speak openly about their own mental health experiences, as well as changing the attitudes and behaviour of the public towards those of us with mental health problems.

In January 2014, Rethink Mental Illness launched a campaign to “Find Mike”, a stranger who talked a 20-year-old man, Jonny Benjamin, out of taking his life in 2008. The campaign aimed to reunite the two men, with Benjamin seeking to “thank the man who saved my life” after talking him down from Waterloo Bridge, and raise awareness of mental health issues. The campaign spread quickly on social media, and within two days, the stranger’s fiancée spotted it on Facebook and knew instantly that “Mike” was her partner Neil Laybourn. The two arranged to meet, with the moment captured on Channel 4 documentary The Stranger on the Bridge, which explored the issues of the campaign. In March 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a screening of The Stranger on the Bridge at Kensington Palace, and a discussion alongside Jonny Benjamin.

Rethink Mental Illness, represented by their CEO Mark Winstanley, is a member of the independent Mental Health Taskforce. The Taskforce was responsible for developing a comprehensive five year strategy for mental health in England. It was the first time that a strategic approach has been taken to improving mental health outcomes across England’s health and social care system. NHS England welcomed the Taskforce’s recommendations, and pledged to invest more than a billion pounds a year by 2021. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt commented on the report’s publication, saying: “We will work across Government and with the NHS to make the recommendations in this landmark report a reality, so that we truly deliver equality between mental and physical health.”

Rethink Mental Illness provides part of the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health. They help shape the group’s agenda and organise meetings of MPs and Peers with an interest in mental health. This work has included leading enquiries on topics such as:

  • Reducing premature mortality for people with mental health problems.
  • Improving the quality of mental health emergency care.
  • Mental wellbeing as a public health priority.

Funding

Rethink Mental Illness has an annual income of approximately £32.7 million, according to its Directors, Trustees and Consolidated Financial Statements Report for the year ended 31 March 2019.

The vast majority of this income comes from contracts to provide a wide range of mental health services commissioned by statutory sources including local governmental health and social care bodies. Currently around £1.5 million of its income derives from individual donations, membership and corporate relationships.

Rethink Mental Illness says it protects its independent voice by making clear with funders that no donation can challenge its independence in any way, and its corporate partners sign up to a written agreement stating this position. The organisation accepts funding from pharmaceutical companies on the basis that, as with its other funders, these gifts can support its work without compromising it. It says that its discussions with pharmaceutical companies about medication and treatments will always be unrelated to any funds received from them, and that it does not endorse particular drugs or treatments. There are statements on its site about its recent funding from pharmaceutical companies – these contributions account for less than 0.1% of the charity’s overall funding.

What is Neurotics Anonymous?

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Introduction

Neurotics Anonymous (N/A), founded in 1964, is a twelve-step programme for recovery from mental and emotional illness.

To avoid confusion with Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Neurotics Anonymous is abbreviated N/A or NAIL.

Refer to Neuroticism and Neurosis.

Brief History

The conception of Neurotics Anonymous began with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) co-founder Bill W. After achieving sobriety Bill continued to suffer from neurosis, specifically depression. In letters to other AA members he wrote about his personal experience with neurosis, its prevalence in AA, and how he and others learned to cope with it. Bill expressed that as he learned to let go of his dependence on people and situations for emotional security and replaced that dependence with “showing outgoing love as best as he could,” his depression began to subside. In correspondence with another AA member about neurosis and psychoanalyst Karen Horney Bill suggested how a Neurotics Anonymous fellowship might operate.

You interest me very much when you talk of Karen Horney. I have the highest admiration of her. That gal’s insights have been most helpful to me. Also for the benefit of screwballs like ourselves, it may be that someday we shall devise some common denominator of psychiatry — of course, throwing away their much abused terminology — common denominators which neurotics could use on each other. The idea would be to extend the moral inventory of AA to a deeper level, making it an inventory of psychic damages, reliving in conversation episodes, etc. I suppose someday a Neurotics Anonymous will be formed and will actually do all this. Bill W., Letter to Ollie in California, 04 January 1956.

In a subsequent letter to Ollie in June 1956, Bill suggested the inventory of psychic damages include inferiority, shame, guilt and anger. He added that the effectiveness of the inventory would come from reliving the experiences and sharing them with other people.

Neurotics Anonymous was created eight years later, 03 February 1964 in Washington, D.C. by Grover Boydston (16 August 1924 to 17 December 1996). Grover was an AA member, recovering alcoholic, psychologist, and Ed.M. Grover had attempted suicide five times before the age of 21 and, like Bill W., was neurotic. Grover believed members of twelve-step programmes shared the same underlying neuroses caused by self-centeredness, a view expressed in other twelve-step programmes. Grover went as far as to say, “All of us are, indeed, brothers, and the variations in detail are no more than if one of us likes chocolate ice cream, and the other likes vanilla.”

While in AA, Grover discovered working the Twelve Steps helped remove the neuroses underlying his alcoholism. As an experiment Grover instructed a woman who suffered from neurosis, but not alcoholism, to work the Twelve Steps. He discovered that they aided her recovery from neurosis as well. He wrote Alcoholics Anonymous World Services for permission to use their Twelve Steps with the word “alcohol” in the First Step replaced with “our emotions.” Permission was granted. Grover placed an ad in a Washington, D.C. newspaper for Neurotics Anonymous, and organised the first meeting from those who responded to it. N/A grew modestly until an article was published on it in Parade magazine. The Associated Press and United Press International republished the story, and N/A groups began forming internationally.

By 1974 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, at the time in second edition (DSM-II), was undergoing revision. The framework developed for the third edition (DSM-III) was no longer based on psychoanalytic principles such as neurosis. The connotation of neurosis in common language also began to change. “Neurosis” was being used, increasingly, in a facetious or pejorative sense, rather than a diagnostic sense. These combined factors could make it difficult to take an organization known as Neurotics Anonymous seriously. In current Neurotics Anonymous literature, there is not a scientific definition ascribed to neurosis. As used in N/A, a neurotic is defined as any person who accepts that he or she has emotional problems.

Demographics

Grover Boydston conducted the first demographic study of Neurotics Anonymous in 1974. Such studies are rare and samples sizes are usually small as any group following the Twelve Traditions is required to protect the anonymity of their members. While researching such groups is still ethically possible, it is more difficult given this constraint.

  • Age: Boydston’s study found the average age of N/A members surveyed to be 43.02 years. A study six years later of self-help groups for people with serious mental illness, found the average age to be 35.3 years.
  • Attendance and Tenure: Of the N/A members surveyed Boydston found they attended, on average, six meetings per month and had spent an average of 2.37 years in N/A. N/A had existed for approximately ten years at the time of the survey.
  • Employment and socioeconomic status: Boydston categorised the occupations of N/A members into four categories.
    • Professionals: Includes people who practice a profession that is so considered by scientific, academic, business, and other people. It includes physicians, lawyers, engineers, nurses, college and university instructors. These represented 38% of the members surveyed.
    • Clerical persons: Includes people who perform office work or sales work according to the classification of “clerical.” These represented 32% of the members surveyed.
    • Homemakers: A person who takes care of a home as his or her main work. These represented 16% of the members surveyed.
    • Other: Includes students and people who do not fit into the three previous categories. These represented 32% of the members surveyed.
  • According to Boydston’s results at least 70% of N/A members were employed. This is similar to a specific study of Emotions Anonymous that found most of the members were middle class. Other studies of self-help groups for people with serious mental illness found most of the members tend to be unemployed, while others found members to be predominantly working class.
  • Ethnicity: Boydston’s study, and all similar studies in the literature have found that the majority of members in N/A and other self-help groups for people with serious mental illness in the United States are white.
  • Hospitalisation: Boydston’s study of N/A members found that 42% percent had been hospitalised for psychiatric reasons. More recent studies have shown that in self-help groups for serious mental illness approximately 60% (55-75%) of members had been hospitalised for psychiatric reasons.
  • Marital Status: In Boydston’s study of N/A members he found 25% were single, 48% were currently married, 22% were divorced and 5% were widowed. This finding has not been replicated in studies of similar groups where it was found most members had never been married.
  • Religion: Boydston’s survey included not only religious affiliation, but also included a measure of religiosity. Of the N/A members surveyed he found 24% identified as Catholic, 47% identified as Protestant, 9% identified as Jewish, and 19% did not consider themselves religious. Additionally, only 19% of members identified themselves as “very religious”, 42% identified themselves as moderately religious, and 39% identified themselves as “not very religious”.
  • Specific disorders (neuroses): Boydston’s survey contained an open-ended question asking about the “main complaints” N/A members came to the programme with. He summarized them in a list of twelve. Listed below are his results, in order from the highest to lowest percentage of members reporting them. Members often presented with more than one complaint.
    • Depression (58%).
    • Anxiety (32%).
    • Fears (23%).
    • Problems in relationships (18%).
    • Psychosomatic pains (14%).
    • Confusion (13%).
    • No desire to live (11%).
    • Inability to cope (9%).
    • Nervousness (7%).
    • Loneliness (6%).
    • Feelings of hopelessness (5%).
    • Hate (3%).
  • Sex: Boydston’s study of N/A members found approximately 36% were male, and 64% were female. This ratio, of two (or more) females for every male, has been reproduced in all other studies of self-help groups for persons with serious mental illness, as well as specific studies of Emotions Anonymous groups.

Criticism

N/A members in Comalapa (a municipality in Nicaragua) believe X-ray images (radiografías) can serve as a moral diagnostic revealing information about the intent and mores of those being examined. There is, however, no evidence that they are deliberately attempting to mislead other members. Americans had similar misunderstandings of X-ray technology when it was first introduced in the United States.

Increasing Deviant Stigma

Sociologist Edward Sagarin noted that alcoholics and addicts are considered deviants because their behaviour is socially labelled as deviant. Meaning chronic substance abuse is seen as deviant, while being sober or “clean” is normal. For an alcoholic or addict, joining groups such as AA or NA immediately reduces their deviant stigma, regardless of whether or not the alcoholic or addict believes it does. There is no similar clear cut language to label the deviance of those in N/A, in the act of joining members label themselves as deviant and take on stigma by identifying as one of those in the group afflicted with the problems of the other members. Initially joining the group may prove to be more ego damaging than ego reinforcing, regardless of whether or not the group helps them overcome their problems. Therefore, social stigma would attract alcoholics and addicts to groups like AA and NA. It would, however, become a barrier preventing people from joining groups such as N/A.

In contrast, those with severe mental illness may have acquired stigma through professional labels and diagnoses as well as through other behaviours associated with their mental illness defined as deviant. This stigma may not be as easily understood as alcoholism or addiction because the behaviour is more varied and can not be explained by substance use.

The objective of NA and AA is not just to help their members stop abusing drugs and alcohol. It is acknowledged in these programs that addiction is more systemic than a “bad habit” and is fundamentally caused by self-centeredness. Long term membership in Alcoholics Anonymous has been found to reform pathological narcissism, and those who are sober but retain characteristics of personality disorders associated with addiction are known in AA as “dry drunks.”

Effectiveness

Neurotics Anonymous developed the Test of Mental and Emotional Health as a tool to help members evaluate their progress. It is a fifty question test, with each answer rated on a three level Likert scale. Possible scores range from zero to one hundred. Higher scores are thought to indicate better mental and emotional health.

In Boydston’s survey of N/A members, when asked if they had received help through the program, 100% of those surveyed said “yes.” Boydston claimed N/A had similar results to AA in terms of recovery – 50% with a desire to stop drinking do so, 25% recover after one or more relapses, but most of the other 25% never successfully recover.

Literature

From 1965 to 1980 Neurotics Anonymous published a mimeographed quarterly periodical, the Journal of Mental Health. This should not be confused with the newer journal of the same name that began publishing in 1992. Early in the development of N/A they used Alcoholics Anonymous (the so-called Big Book) and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the two fundamental books of the Alcoholics Anonymous programme. While reading out loud at meetings, members changed instances of the word “alcoholic” to “neurotic.” Passages in the book referring specifically to drinking were ignored. Eventually, N/A began creating books from articles published in the Journal of Mental Health. There were three such books published in English.

  • Neurotics Anonymous (1968). Neurotics Anonymous. Washington, D.C.: Neurotics Anonymous International Liaison, Inc.
  • Neurotics Anonymous (1970). The Laws of Mental and Emotional Illness. Washington, D.C.: Neurotics Anonymous International Liaison, Inc. ASIN B000FTOFYS. LCCN 76102220. OCLC 104842.
  • Neurotics Anonymous (1978). The Etiology of Mental and Emotional Illness and Health. Washington, D.C.: Neurotics Anonymous International Liaison, Inc. ASIN B000FTON22. LCCN 76040759. OCLC 4500175.

The N/A organisations in Brazil and Mexico use translations of the English literature as well as literature written by groups in their area.

Parallel Organisation

A registered charity, known as Neurotics Anonymous and located in London, was created in the late 1960s by John Oliver Yates. Yates was prompted to create the groups after trauma he had suffered from a car accident that left him completely blind. Group membership was open to anyone, although it was recommended for people who had a nervous illness severe enough to require hospitalization. This charity differed from conventional twelve-step programmes in several ways. There was a nominal fee charged for membership. Meetings opened with a discussion of outside issues, such debate on social, political or cultural topics. The debate was followed by a personal problem forum where members brought their problems to Yates for initial comment followed by a presentation for group discussion.

What is Andy’s Man Club?

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Introduction

Andy’s Man Club is described as:

“a talking group, a place for men to come together in a safe environment to talk about issues and problems they have faced or are currently facing”.

Background

It was formed by Luke Ambler and his mother-in-law Elaine after his brother-in-law took his own life.

The club, with its slogan “it’s okay to talk”, started in early 2016 in Halifax with a first meeting of nine men. Since then, the group has expanded across the country and by February 2020 had over 800 men attending every week. Each group meeting is led by a volunteer “group facilitator” who has been trained by the organisation.

Other similar organisations have come to exist, some with a local focus and others with a national.

In 2021 they earned the Queens’s award for voluntary service.

Similar Charities

  • It’s tricky to talk.
  • Talk Club.
  • MenSpeak.
  • Men Walk Talk.
  • Proper Blokes Club.
  • It’s Worth Talking About.
  • Man-Down.

Locations

There are a variety of locations (as of November 2021):

  • Altrincham.
  • Batley.
  • Bradford.
  • Brighouse.
  • Dewsbury.
  • Doncaster.
  • Dundee.
  • Dunfermline.
  • Edinburgh.
  • Exeter.
  • Glenrothes.
  • Gosport.
  • Halifax Central.
  • Halifax North.
  • Hartlepool.
  • Hebden Bridge.
  • Huddersfield Ainley Top.
  • Huddersfield Central.
  • Hull Central.
  • Hull North.
  • Leeds East.
  • Leeds West.
  • Manchester.
  • Newton Abbot.
  • Oldham.
  • Perth.
  • Peterborough.
  • Plymouth.
  • Porthcawl.
  • Preston.
  • Rhondda.
  • Rochdale.
  • Rotherham.
  • Scarborough.
  • Sheffield.
  • Stafford.
  • St. Andrews.
  • Sunderland.
  • Torbay.
  • Wakefield.

What is the Samaritans (UK)?

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Introduction

Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide throughout Great Britain and Ireland, often through their telephone helpline.

Its name derives from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan although the organisation itself is non-religious. Its international network exists under the name Befrienders Worldwide, which is part of the Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines (VESH) with Lifeline International and the International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services (IFOTES).

Brief History

Samaritans was founded in 1953 by Chad Varah, a vicar in the Church of England Diocese of London. His inspiration came from an experience he had had some years earlier as a young curate in the Diocese of Lincoln. He had taken a funeral for a fourteen-year old girl who had killed herself because she feared she had contracted an STD. In reality, she was menstruating. Varah placed an advertisement in a newspaper encouraging people to volunteer at his church, listening to people contemplating suicide.

The movement grew rapidly: within ten years there were 40 branches and now there are 201 branches across the UK and Ireland helping many, deliberately organised without regard to national boundaries on the basis that a service which is not political or religious should not recognise sectarian or political divisions. Samaritans offers support through over 21,200 trained volunteers (2015) and is entirely dependent on voluntary support. The name was not originally chosen by Chad Varah: it was part of a headline to an article in the Daily Mirror newspaper on 07 December 1953 about Varah’s work.

In 2004, Samaritans announced that volunteer numbers had reached a thirty-year low, and launched a campaign to recruit more young people (specifically targeted at ages 18-24) to become volunteers. The campaign was fronted by Phil Selway, drummer with the band Radiohead, himself a Samaritans volunteer.

Chad Varah Breaks with Samaritans

In 2004, Varah announced that he had become disillusioned with Samaritans. He said, “It’s no longer what I founded. I founded an organisation to offer help to suicidal or equally desperate people. The last elected chairman re-branded the organisation. It was no longer to be an emergency service, it was to be emotional support”. One in five calls to Samaritans are from someone with suicidal feelings. Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people will die by suicide.

Services

The core of Samaritans’ work is a telephone helpline, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Samaritans was the first 24-hour telephone helpline to be set up in the UK. In addition, the organisation offers a drop-in service for face-to-face discussion, undertakes outreach at festivals and other outdoor events, trains prisoners as “Listeners” to provide support within prisons, and undertakes research into suicide and emotional health issues.

Since 1994, Samaritans has also offered confidential email support. Initially operating from one branch, the service is now provided by 198 branches and co-ordinated from the organisation’s head office. In 2011, Samaritans received over 206,000 emails, including many from outside the UK, and aims to answer each one within 24 hours. In 2009, Ofcom introduced the first harmonised European numbers for harmonised services of social value, allocating 116 123 to Samaritans. This number is free to call from mobiles and landlines. From 22 September 2015, Samaritans has promoted 116123 as their main number, replacing the premium rate 0845 number previously advertised.

In 2014, Samaritans received 5,100,000 calls for help by phone, email, text, letter, minicom, Typetalk, face-to-face at a branch, through their work in prisons, and at local and national festivals and other events.

Samaritans volunteers are given rigorous training, and as such they are non-judgmental, empathic and congruent. By listening and asking open questions, the Samaritans volunteers help people explore their feelings and work out their own way forward.

Samaritans does not denounce suicide, and it is not necessary to be suicidal to contact Samaritans. In 2014, nearly 80% of the people calling Samaritans did not express suicidal feelings. Samaritans believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and make emotional health a mainstream issue.

Media Guidelines

In 2013, following extensive consultation with journalists and editors throughout the industry, Samaritans produced a set of guidelines outlining best practice when reporting suicide. Since its publication, the organisation has received many awards in recognition of its work influencing the way in which suicide is reported.

Samaritans Radar

On 29 October 2014, Samaritans launched the Samaritans Radar app, which Twitter users could activate to analyse tweets posted by people they followed; it sent an email alert to the user if it detected signs of distress in a tweet. However, because Twitter users were not notified that their account was being monitored in this way, concerns were raised that the service could be abused by stalkers and internet trolls, who would instantly be made aware that an intended victim was potentially feeling vulnerable.

Following concerns, the service was suspended on 07 November 2014, nine days after launch. Joe Ferns, policy director for Samaritans, said in a statement: “We have made the decision to suspend the application at this time for further consideration”. He added: “We are very aware that the range of information and opinion, which is circulating about Samaritans Radar, has created concern and worry for some people and would like to apologise to anyone who has inadvertently been caused any distress. This was not our intention”. The app was later withdrawn completely.

Confidentiality

Samaritans have a strict code of caller confidentiality, even after the death of a caller. Unless the caller gives consent to pass on information, confidentiality will be broken only in rare circumstances, such as when Samaritans receives bomb or terrorism warnings, to call an ambulance because a caller appears to be incapable of making rational decisions for themselves, or when the caller is threatening volunteers or deliberately preventing the service being delivered to other callers.

In November 2011, the Board of Trustees UK agreed a motion breaking with confidentiality in the Republic of Ireland by agreeing, “To provide confidential support to children but report to the Health Service Executive any contacts (from either adults or children) where it appears a child is experiencing specific situations such as those that can cause them serious harm from themselves or others.” In 2011, Facebook collaborated with Samaritans to offer help to people in distress. This led to ‘cold case’ calling, which some believed was an infringement on people’s privacy. An Irish journalist wrote of her experience of receiving such a communication.

International Reach

Through its email service, Samaritans’ work has extended well beyond the UK and Ireland, as messages are received from all around the world.

Samaritans’ international reach is through Befrienders Worldwide, an organisation of over 400 centres in 38 countries offering similar activities. Samaritans took on and renamed the Befrienders International network in 2003, a year after it collapsed. Some members of Befrienders Worldwide also use the name Samaritans; this includes centres in the United States, India, Hong Kong, Serbia and Zimbabwe, among others.

The Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines (VESH) combines Samaritans (through Befrienders Worldwide) with the other two largest international services (IFOTES & Lifeline), and plans a combined international network of helplines. In their roles as emotional support service networks, they have all agreed to develop a more effective and robust international interface.

See also:

  • The Samaritans Hong Kong (Multilingual Service).
  • The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong.
  • Samaritans of Singapore.
  • Samaritans USA:
    • This was formed in 2005 when Samaritans of Boston (established 1974) joined forces with their Framingham branch.
    • Samaritans is also a certified member of Contact USA (a Lifeline International member).
    • There are Samaritans offices in other regions of Massachusetts and the US operating independently with a common mission and philosophy.

Similar Charities

A number of other helplines exist that offer a similar service to Samaritans. These are often aimed at a specific sector/group of people.

  • One example is Nightline:
    • A student-run listening and information services, based at universities across the country, offer a night time support service for students.
    • Each service is run specifically for students at a particular university/geographical area, and most Nightlines are members of the Nightline Association, a registered charity in England, Wales, and Scotland.
  • The NSPCC’s ChildLine service is similar to Samaritans in some ways:
    • NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) offers support for children only, but Samaritans supports both children and adults alike.
    • The NSPCC does not usually support adults.
  • Another example is Aware:
    • A national voluntary organisation, based in Ireland, which provides supports to individuals who experience depression with their families and friends.
    • It provides a Helpline service, as well as nationwide Support Groups and monthly lectures, which seek to educate and increase awareness of depression.

What is the Richmond Fellowship?

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Introduction

Richmond Fellowship is a charity and voluntary sector provider of mental health services in England.

Established in 1959, Richmond Fellowship serves over 9000 people in England every year, and offers a range of support to people with mental health problems including supported accommodation, residential care, employment support and community based support, working with the NHS and local authorities to deliver services.

Brief History

Richmond Fellowship was founded in 1959. The aim of the service was reintegrating people with mental ill health into the community despite long periods of time in hospital.

In 1973, Princess Alexandra became a patron of Richmond Fellowship and the organisation became a registered housing association in 1976. Richmond Fellowship played a significant role in hospital re-provision during the 1980s, providing new homes in the community for people across England. At this time Richmond Fellowship expanded its services for people with mental health problems including work schemes and day centres.

In 1975 the Richmond Fellowship opened a halfway house in Morriston, New Jersey. In 1985, the organisation expanded to Hong Kong.

Throughout the 1990s, Richmond Fellowship grew and developed a widespread programme of mental health support including self contained flats, floating community support and 24-hour nursed care. It achieved Investors in People status in 1998.

Continued growth saw Richmond Fellowship adapt its mission to ‘Making Recovery Reality’ in 2006 to reassert its core values and better represent the holistic range of support it offers to people with mental health problems.

In October 2015 Richmond Fellowship joined a new national group of charities, Recovery Focus, which brought together organisations with strong individual services, innovative approaches, flexible local presence and a wide range of expertise from around England. The partnership is made up of mental health charities Richmond Fellowship, 2Care, Croftlands Trust and My Time along with substance misuse charities Aquarius and CAN.

In April 2016, Helen Edwards was appointed the new group Chair of Recovery Focus, the group which brings together a coalition of mental health and substance use charities such as Richmond Fellowship and Aquarius.

Campaigns

Richmond Fellowship is an active member of Time to Change running awareness campaigns to tackle mental health stigma. Richmond Fellowship is also a supporter of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat and a member of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance.

What was the National Mental Health Development Unit (UK)?

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Introduction

The National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) was a governmental organisation in England charged with supporting the implementation of mental health policy.

The unit worked to achieve this by advising on best practice for improving mental health and mental health services. NMHDU closed on 31 March 2011.

The NMHDU was funded by the Department of Health and the National Health Service, and aimed to work in partnership with the NHS’s strategic health authorities and all stakeholders. The unit was launched in 2009, following the abolition of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). The director of the NIMHE, Ian MacPherson, became the director of the NMHDU.

The Unit had several specific programmes of activity, including to support the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme. The Unit also supported the government’s strategy for mental health, New Horizons, which was published in December 2009 following the end of the National Service Framework plans.

The NMHDU replaced the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) in 2009.

What is the Mental Health Association of San Francisco?

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Introduction

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHA-SF) is a charitable organisation which deals with mental health education, advocacy, research, and service in San Francisco.

It was established as the San Francisco Mental Hygiene Society in 1947. The present name was adopted in 1957.

The San Francisco-based organisation is one of 320 affiliates of Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) throughout the United States and an affiliate of the Mental Health Association in California.

It has received core funding from The California Endowment.