Mental health

Feeling good mentally is just as important as feeling good physically. Emotional health plays a huge role in how we all think, feel and behave.

Poor emotional health and wellbeing can lead to stress, anxiety and depression and panic attacks, and can make it difficult for you to feel positive about your daily life and maintain good relationships with family, friends and colleagues.

Having access to advice about your emotional health can be valuable, and many people find that talking their problems over with someone is extremely helpful.

Please look at our list of services in the Mental health support section.

Mental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. The majority of people who experience mental health problems can get over them or learn to live with them, especially if they get help early on.

You can find more information about a variety of topics inlcuding signs and symptoms on the Mind A-Z of mental health web page.

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust have developed several self help guides which have been written by local healthcare professionals with contributions from healthcare staff and service users.

Publications include subjects such as Abuse, Controlling Anger, Domestic Violence, Health Anxiety, Obsessions and Compulsions, Post Traumatic Stress and Self Harm, you can find out more on the NHS Self help leaflet website.

A Mental Health Act assessment is a statutory assessment that may be requested when a child or adult appears to be mentally unwell, and it is felt necessary to admit the person to hospital for their own health, safety or for the protection of others for assessment and or treatment.

You can find more informaiton on the Council's Mental Health web page.

Recovery can mean different things to different people, however, for many, recovery is about the realisation of goals, and the development of relationships and skills that support a positive life, with or without ongoing mental health problems.

The Vocational Pathway is part of the treatment pathways within the psychosis and  non-psychosis teams within NHS Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (NTW).  You can find more information on the Wellbeinginfo.org The road to recovery web page.

You can also find more information about recovery on the Mental Health Organisation Recovery website.

Self-harm is when you hurt yourself as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences that feel out of control. It can be the thing people turn to when they feel they have no other option.

You can find out more information and support on the Wellbeinginfo self harm web page.

Mind have also produced a self help booklet about self harm and there are booklets on a range of topics, which includes self-harm, from Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS web page.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, there is information and services available who can help.

An eating disorder is a mental illness and food is used to try and manage feelings. If you have an eating disorder you will have an unhealthy relationship with food. This may be eating too much or too little food. You may become obsessed with food and your eating patterns if you have an eating disorder.  You can find more information and support on the Rethink Mental Illness eating disorder web page.

 You can also find more information on the Wellbeinginfo Eating distress web page.

Male Eating Disorders Support
This service will help men in the North East who have difficulty with their eating habits, weight, food, diet and exercising, and offer details of professional services that can help individuals recover.  For more information please call 01670 850 517.