Here you will find a collection of self-help resources for a range of different mental health presentations and issues. If further support is needed that is not a life threatening emergency, please contact your GP.
General Self-Help Resources
Centre for Clinical Interventions – A range of self-help resources and workbooks that consist of a set of modules to help you work through any struggles with mental health. The workbooks are based on the specific presenting issue.
Clear Your Head Scotland – A wide range of tips and ideas to help you keep a clear.
Get urgent mental health help – If you have an urgent mental health need, there’s support available to get you the right care in the right place.
Mental Health Foundation – Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity that provides information, carries out research and campaigns and aims to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems.
NHS Inform – Both physical and mental self help guides can be found at NHS Inform.
Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid – This course is delivered face to face and is aimed at anyone who wants to help someone with mental health problems whether in a professional or personal capacity.
Alzheimer Scotland – Alzheimer Scotland provides a wide range of specialist services for people with dementia and their carers. They offer personalised support services, community activities, information and advice, at every stage of the dementia journey.
You can contact them on 0808 808 3000 or visit www.alzscot.org.
Age Scotland – is a charity that offers support and advice for older people. You can visit www.ageuk.org.uk/scotland or call 0800 12 44 222.
Silver Line Scotland – 0800 470 80 90 (24 hours) – this is a telephone service providing support and advice specifically for older people.
Carer’s Centres – these centres offer support for those caring for others. You can find information on their websites or contact them on the numbers below:
- Falkirk – 01324 611510 – centralcarers.org
- Clackmannanshire – 01259 226839 – centralcarers.org
- Stirling – 01786 447 003 – www.stirlingcarers.co.uk
Problems with Anger self-help guide – A guide developed by NHS Inform to help you respond to thoughts and feelings of anger in a more helpful way.
How to control your anger (NHS Inform)
Why am I so angry? (NHS Inform)
Anger Self Help Audio – This guide aims to help you to recognise whether you may be experiencing anger problems, understand what anger is, what causes it and what keeps it going, and find ways to understand, manage or overcome your anger. Accompanying worksheets are also available.
Anxiety Self-Help Guide – A guide developed by NHS Inform to help you understand more about anxiety, and find ways to cope with feelings relating to anxiety.
Why do I feel anxious and panicky? (NHS Inform)
Anxiety stress and related conditions (15 min video) – A video developed by the Mental Health information Station that follows Jake’s experiences of anxiety and stress. The animation explains how these common emotions can develop and how they can affect our daily lives. We follow Jake’s efforts to deal with the problems before being given guidance on how to deal with these types of conditions.
Bereavement and grief self-help guide – A guide developed by NHS Inform to understand and cope with the experience of grief.
Cruse Bereavement Scotland – A service you can self-refer to for bereavement counselling. The website also contains some helpful leaflets on bereavement.
Low mood and Depression (NHS Inform)
Tips for coping with depression (NHS Inform)
Depression self-help guide – A guide developed by NHS Inform to help you understand more about depression, and find ways to cope with feelings relating to this.
Depression Self Help Audio – This guide aims to help you to recognise whether you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, understand what depression is, what causes it and what keeps it going and find ways to understand, manage or overcome your depression. Accompanying worksheets are also available.
Adult Eating Disorders Service (NHS Forth Valley)
Beat Eating Disorders – The UK’s Eating Disorder Charity
FEAST – FEAST is a global support and education community of and for parents of those with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and more.
Eating Disorders (NHS Inform)
Eating Disorders (Parent Club)
Parenting a teen – how eating disorders can affect young people (Parent Club) – In this video, clinical psychologist Fiona Duffy explains how eating disorders can affect young people and shares advice for parents.
Recovery and self-care for eating problems (Mind)
Treatment and support for eating disorders (Mind)
South East Eating Disorders Scotland (SEEDS) – South East Eating Disorders Scotland (SEEDS) is a managed network of clinicians working in Eating Disorder Services in the NHS across the Borders, Fife, Forth Valley and Lothian regions of Scotland. Their pages were developed as a resource for adults living with an eating disorder in any of these regions of Scotland as well as for family, carers and friends of people with an eating disorder diagnosis, and other health care professionals.
Understanding Eating Problems (SAMH – Scottish Action for Mental Health)
OCD: A Self-Help Guide – A resource developed my NHS Inform to help you understand more about OCD and ways that can help you cope with these symptoms.
OCD UK – A website full of resources specifically tailored to helping those struggling with OCD.
Are you having panic attacks? (NHS Inform)
Panic self-help guide – A self-help guide developed by NHS Inform to help you recognise the signs of panic and respond to them.
How to deal with panic attacks (NHS Inform)
Panic Audio Clip – Dealing with a panic attack can be a traumatic experience. Anything that we can do during a panic attack can sometimes really help, so for an MP3 audio file to listen to in the moment click the link above.
No Panic – A website containing helpful resources for individuals who suffer with panic attacks. The link below contains a 4.23 minute audio clip to help ease the symptoms of a panic attack.
How to Breathe to Control Panic – A youtube video (4 mins) created by No Panic to help you breathe through a panic attack.
Coping with fears and phobias (NHS Inform)
Ten ways to fight your fears (NHS Inform)
Help for phobias (NHS Inform)
Your wellbeing and mental health after birth (NHS Inform)
Mental health issues after birth (NHS Inform)
Post-natal depression (NHS Inform)
Post-traumatic stress self-help guide – A guide developed by NHS inform based on CBT principles which supports people experiencing PTSD symptoms and suggest ways to cope and manage this.
HeadFit: Online tool to support deference personnel – An online platform with resources specifically aimed at supporting those who work as defence to take a more proactive approach to their mental health and mental fitness.
Problem solving self-help guide – This self help guide introduces strategies for problem solving. The process is broken down into five steps. Accompanying worksheets are also available.
Problem solving audio clip – A clip that talks you through helpful ways to try to solve problems that could cause you stress.
Sleep problems self-help guide – A self-help guide aimed at those experiencing problems with sleep.
Other Links
- How to get to sleep (NHS)
- How to sleep better (Headspace)
Social Anxiety self-help guide – A self-help guide developed by NHS Inform that aims to help you understand more about what social anxiety is and how to manage or overcome it.
Stress: Self-help guide – A guide developed by moodjuice to help manage the symptoms of stress.
10 Stress Busters (NHS Inform)
Step on Stress – Free stress management course – Step on Stress is a free stress management course for anyone living or working in Forth Valley over 16 years of age that helps you learn to manage your stress.
Stress control – A free online adaptation of Stress control classes – A 6 week Stress Control classes, delivered by the developer Dr. Jim White over live-steam. Sessions can be accessed in either the morning or evening via Youtube at scheduled times.
Breathing and relaxation exercises for stress (NHS Inform)
Trauma and the Brain (NHS Lanarkshire EVA Services) – An animation developed by NHS Lanarkshire that explains how Trauma can affect the brain. This animation aims to help you understand how a survivor of abuse my respond differently to everyday life.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Impact on brain, body and behaviour (6 mins) – Often trauma can stem from adverse experiences in childhood that can then go on to significantly impact how a person can function and interact with others in day to day life. This video explains how experiences in childhood can lead to this.