Click here for a list of helplines for immediate help in NZ

You can always find this page at PaulDuignan.Consulting/help.

how to help someone who is facing a mental health issue

What should you do if you know someone who is experiencing a mental health issue? The HELP acronym sets out four things that you can do.

H - Assist the person to get help.
People facing mental health issues sometime don’t realise that they can get help, or they are reluctant to seek help. You can assist them by encouraging them to go and get help. Some suggestions for where they can get help are provided here. Sometimes they might like you to go along with them for their first appointment so that they see supported and encouraged. If you are finding supporting someone with a mental health issue is stressful, you might wish to go and see a counsellor for a session or two yourself to assist you in supporting them.

E - Educate yourself about the particular issue that they are grappling with.
Not all mental health issues are the same. So you should educate yourself about the particular mental health issue that the person you are supporting is currently facing. Different approaches are needed in different situations. For instance, if someone has an alcohol or drug problem you might have to help them in a different way from a situation where someone has a problem with anxiety or depression.

L - Show them love and support.
It is very important that people with mental health issues feel supported. The mere fact that someone cares for a person can be very important in encouraging them to keep working on the issue that is causing them problems.

P - Do practical things to help them.
When people have mental health issues it can sometimes feel like they have double the workload of a person who is not experiencing any mental health problems. This is because they have to live their normal life, while at the same time they have to deal with the pressures that their mental health problem is causing. So it is often the case that when a person is facing a mental health issue, there are a number of practical things that you can help them sort out.

Please note that when you are dealing with issues around child-rearing, relationships, dealing with stress of any type or doing psychological or self-development work, if you find yourself feeling overwhelming emotions, troubling thoughts or actions, you need to talk to a health professional.