The Scottish government and NHS have recently published the undernoted list of supports that are available to those who are suffering from mental health and wellbeing issues following Covid but the organisations listed provide support to anyone who is suffering from mental health and wellbeing issues regardless of the cause.

Support with mental health and wellbeing If you’re struggling, remember you can always talk to your GP, someone else in your GP practice, other support can be accessed from:

  • NHS 24: call 111 if you need urgent support for your mental or emotional health. Open 24 hours a day
  • Breathing Space: call 0800 83 85 87 for a free, confidential, phone service for anyone in Scotland over 16. If you’re experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety, Breathing Space provides a safe and supportive space, listening, offering advice and providing information. Open Monday to Thursday: 6pm – 2am and Friday to Monday: 6pm – 6am
  • Samaritans: call 116 123 for confidential emotional support if you’re in distress or despair. Open 24 hours a day
  • British Red Cross Helpline: call 0808 196 3651 if you’re feeling lonely, worried, or are having difficulty accessing food or medication. Support is available in more than 200 languages. Open every day from 10am – 6pm · NHS Inform: find useful information about mental health at www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses[1]and-conditions/mental-health
  • Clear Your Head: find information to help you cope and advice on how you can support other people who you think might be struggling at www.clearyourhead.scot

For children and young people:

  • Aye Feel from Young Scot: find information for younger people about looking after your mental health and wellbeing at www.young.scot/campaigns/national/aye-feel or speak to a member or staff who you can trust at your school, college or university
  • Parent Club: find information for parents and carers of younger children at www.parentclub.scot

Free loneliness and isolation support Connecting with You is a free service run by the British Red Cross. It’s available to all people aged 18 or over in Scotland who are experiencing issues associated with loneliness. This service can offer ongoing support to help you to reconnect with people and activities from before the pandemic.

It aims to help you to build confidence in day to day things like going to the shops, to a café, or just getting out and about. Connecting with You can provide one-to-one support by phone, online, or in person. To arrange a phone conversation about what kind of support would be most helpful to you, contact the British Red Cross: