Our core purpose is to work with people and lead communities in improving their mental and physical health and wellbeing for a better life; through delivering excellent and responsive prevention, diagnosis, early intervention, treatment and care.
We want to provide you or the person you care for with help and support as soon as we can. Unfortunately, it can sometimes take a while for an appointment with a mental health professional or for a transfer to another service.
Even though this can be a frustrating time, there are things you can do to help while waiting for mental health services. We have listed some ideas below and in our Waiting Well leaflet. Try any of these and find what helps. Don’t worry if one thing doesn’t work for you; try something else.
Mental health problems can affect the way you think, feel and behave. If you have problems with your mental health, you might feel sad, worried, confused, angry, frightened, hopeless or isolated. Having a friend of family member to support you can make all the difference. It could be the difference between missing out on the things you care about; to getting the support you need to get better. It’s hard sometimes to explain how you feel, so start small: text, phone, leave a note try doing something together: go for a walk or picnic, go shopping, have a coffee talk side to side rather than face to face: it might be easier be open and honest as long as you feel safe
You can’t always remember things that happen every day, and recording things like feelings, thoughts, moods, worries, events, and behaviours can help you to understand them. This is something that you can take to your appointment to show your mental health professional. Think about what you want to ask at your appointment, and make a note of the things that are most important to you.
It is possible for someone to regain a meaningful life, despite mental illness. This includes:
You can work on a keeping well plan of your own to identify things that trigger problems, and things you can do to manage these. Take a look at the My Recovery Plan page, this may help you to discover your own simple, safe Wellness Tools:
Looking after your mind and body can help a lot. Think about:
Sleep: Get enough sleep if you can. Practice good sleep 'hygiene' by making your bedroom a calm haven that helps you to sleep well. Don’t drink caffeine or do exercise just before going to bed. Keep electronic devices like TVs, games, phones out of the bedroom. Advice is available in an NHS self help booklet - look for the leaflet called 'sleeping problems' - and on the NHS website.
Eating well: don’t skip breakfast! Take a look at the eat well guide for general advice on food and diet.
Relaxation: try yoga, relaxation tapes, mindfulness etc. Watch the YouTube video by another Derbyshire NHS trust, DCHS, for an example of a relaxation exercise. There are also NHS audio guides.
Exercise: Keep active, as this can help your mood. Go for a walk, go swimming, cycling, dancing or something else that makes you feel good. Find out more on the NHS Live Well website.
Vitamins: Taking a general vitamin supplement might help to improve your wellbeing. Beware of taking anything like St John’s Wort, which can have poor reactions with prescribed medications. Ask a pharmacist or health professional for advice.
Avoid non-prescribed drugs and alcohol: these don’t help, and can cause other problems.
Read a mood-boosting book: ask your librarian for advice or look at the Reading Well 'books on prescription' list.
Suggestions from Trust service users and carers include:
Please note - these are only personal suggestions, and everyone's taste is different.
Small changes can make a difference to how you feel. You can find out more in our Recovery and Wellbeing section and in our Keeping Well section.
Remember the five ways to wellbeing:
There may be services that can help and give you some support. Check out all sorts of support services. Many organisations have information about mental health in general and about groups.
Understanding all that you can about mental health issues and available services can help you to better understand things. It can help you to know what questions you want to ask. There are many excellent websites as well as informative books and videos. Be cautious though and look only at reputable sites and avoid chatrooms. Try:
NHS: visit the NHS website for health advice Medication: To find out about medication visit the Choice and Medication website Moodzone: an anonymous online peer support community Big White Wall: for on-line peer support NICE guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence give you the standards that services should be trying to reach Biographies of people who have been through problems, such as:
‘Coming back to me’ by Marcus Trescothick ‘Absolutely Foxed’ by Graeme Fowler ‘Reasons to stay alive’ by Matt Haig
Reading well books on prescription help you self-manage conditions such as depression and anxiety. Your local library can find these for you
We live in a digital age and applications (apps) have been developed for smartphones and other digital devices which can help you manage and take care of your mental wellbeing. These apps can be downloaded and used as a way of helping you think about the best ways to keep well. Visit the NHS Apps library to download apps which might be helpful, they are all NHS approved so you can be sure they are safe and secure.
Stress is what we feel when we are under pressure. It’s not an illness, it’s our body's reaction to feeling under threat; the ‘fight or flight’ response. A certain amount of pressure can be quite helpful and motivating, however sustained stress can be really bad for our health. Identify the sources of your stress, and try the free self-help booklet. You can think about: Relaxation; Controlled breathing; Exercise; Hobbies; Self-care.
Carers and families need to look after themselves. If you are a carer and you get ill, you can’t support your friend or loved one. Caring can be a rewarding experience, and it can also be stressful. As a carer you have a right to help. You can also self-refer to Talking Mental Health Derbyshire
If things get difficult enough that you need some extra help in an emergency, keep a list of numbers you can ring. You could try:
o Derby City Careline 01332 640777. For out of hours support, please call 01332 786968
o Call Derbyshire - Call 01629 533190. For out of hours support call 01629 532600
o Derbyshire County Council on 01629 533190 or 01629 532600
o Derby City Council on 01332 642855, or 01332 786968
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