The theme of MHAW this year is anxiety. According to a poll by the Mental Health Foundation, one in ten UK adults feel hopeless about their financial circumstances, with a further third of people feeling generally anxious and stressed in the past month.
To help support people affected by anxiety, and any other mental health and wellbeing issues, the council has launched a new mental health support directory online.
The Warrington-wide Happy? OK? Sad? website, which has been shaped by the feedback of people with lived experience of mental health issues, is now available for people to access a wide range of mental health support. This includes a directory of local and national services that can provide help and advice for people with mental and emotional wellbeing issues including:
- Anxiety
- Bereavement
- Drugs and alcohol
- Domestic abuse
- Gambling
- Eating disorders
- Self-harm
- Stress and depression
- Suicidal thoughts
The Happy? OK? Sad? website also contains guidance and resources to help people improve their physical and wellbeing more generally. The website is for anyone, with information for both young people and adults.
Cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, said: “Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job - or losing one - or other events that might feel we can’t fully control.
“Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face, but it can be made easier to manage with the right support and advice.
“I am therefore pleased to see the launch of Warrington’s new Happy? OK? Sad? website which is a really important one-stop-shop of support and resources for people with mental health and emotional wellbeing issues. It’s really important people know where they can go to access the right support and this website brings together local and national organisations that can help you.
“I hope we can collectively use this Mental Health Awareness Week to reach out to people we know may be struggling, or reaching out for help yourself if you are affected by anxiety or any other mental health issues.”
To find out more about Warrington’s new one-stop-shop of mental health support organisations, visit: warrington.gov.uk/happy-ok-sad