How Your Support Can Help Rethink Mental Illness This October 2019

Shockingly, more people are affected with mental illness than cancer or heart disease annually. In the UK this equates to 1 in 4 people having some kind of mental health condition. Life changing mental health issues can affect any person at any age, however most tend to become apparent in the late teens and early 20’s.

It isn't just the psychological aspects of life which are affected by mental illness, but also physical health, financial issues and employment struggles. Mental ill health is the biggest cause of lost days at work in the UK, and a significant factor in the majority of suicides. Only a quarter of people affected by depression or anxiety receive support, and a third of those experiencing psychosis miss out on treatment.

Often the life changing negative impact of a mental health condition can be lessened significantly if you can access support quickly. However, it is still unfortunately apparent that a person suffering with a severe mental health crisis is far less likely to receive emergency support than someone with an urgent physical condition.

Rethink Mental Illness has over 40 years’ experience of supporting people severely affected by mental illness. Tens of thousands of people rely on us each and every year to support them in times of crisis, cope with their illness, be able to live and function independently and realise that they are not alone. Our Advice Service offers practical information and support about any aspect of mental health and has produced 110 fact sheets downloadable for free on their website. Last year our award-winning information was accessed over 7.3 million times.

Your donations will go towards funding local services and support groups across the country which help people affected by mental illness and their carers.

In honour of World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, you can support Rethink Mental Illness by voting for them in our 2019 Charity Poll. Find out more about their work at www.rethink.org.