How to Get Help
If you are experiencing poor mental health and would like to speak to someone about it, there are several avenues available to you, free of cost.
- Use our built-in chat feature! The respondents on the website will listen, treat your conversation with highest levels of confidentiality, and help to connect you with appropriate services if necessary.
- Contact the Ministry of Health’s Mental Health Unit. The trained counsellors and psychologists provide free counselling services. The mental health unit can be reached via phone at: 225-0804 or 223-6604.
- COMING SOON | The Mental Health Unit will soon introduce a new Suicide Prevention Hotline for persons to call when they are experiencing severe distress.
If you or someone you love is actively suicidal or in a state of crisis, please contact the nearest health facility or hospital emergency room. A mental health emergency is the same as a real emergency!
How Can I Help a Friend?
If someone you love or care about is experiencing signs of mental distress, early intervention is important.
Supporting a friend in coping with their mental health can include:
- Active Listening: paying attention, showing that you are listening, providing feedback where asked and responding appropriately without judgment. Take their concerns seriously, be patient, and treat them with kindness and respect. Don’t compare their struggles to other people’s or your own personal experiences. Remember, it can take a lot of courage for someone to open up to you about their mental health struggles.
- Asking what you can do to help
- Knowing when more help is necessary. If you feel that you are out of your depth and your loved one requires more help it is important to express that concern to them.
- Encouraging them to seek the help of a mental health professional if necessary. It may be helpful to know resources that are available and help them to navigate the process of getting an appointment.
- Helping them to access support services such as support groups or hotlines.
