Support is available if you are worried about your mental health.
You can get:
- advice on ways to improve your mental health
- support from your GP or mental health organisations and professionals
- specialist services for complex difficulties
The type of support you need depends on how your mental health affects your everyday life. For example, how long you've had difficulties and if you find it hard to cope.
Reasons to get help for your mental health
Information, advice and self-help
Information and advice can help you to understand your difficulties and what might help.
Guides on common mental health difficulties
Self-help for mental health
Self-help tools can help you improve your wellbeing. They can be the first step if you want to try something yourself.
Self-help can include apps and courses to learn skills to improve your mental health.
Self-help to support and improve your mental health
Your Mental Health information line
You can phone the information line any time to find out about:
- supports and services available to you
- how to access our services and other services that we fund
Freephone: 1800 111 888
Where to get more support
It may help to talk to someone if:
- you tried self-help resources but think you need more support
- your difficulties continue to make life harder than usual
You can contact a mental health organisation that we fund. Or you can talk to your GP about your difficulties.
Mental health organisations
You can contact an organisation directly to get the following services:
- helplines and listening services
- 1-to-1 counselling or therapy
- support groups
You do not need a referral from a GP for most of these services. But your GP can give you advice about organisations in your area.
Organisations that provide mental health supports and services
Mental health organisations for children and young people
How your GP can help
GPs can assess and treat certain mental health difficulties. For example, depression or anxiety.
A GP can also give you advice about how to improve your mental wellbeing. They can prescribe medicines if you need them.
They can also help you access other supports such as:
- talk therapies
- specialist mental health services
Specialist services for complex difficulties
Most people can get the help they need through their GP or HSE-funded organisations.
Our specialist services can help if you have long-term or complex difficulties. You need a referral from your GP or another health professional.
After the referral, a team helps you create a care plan based on your goals. Plans can involve talk therapy, group therapy, medicines and other forms of treatment.
Specialist services include:
- child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
- general adult mental health services, including through a community mental health team
- psychiatry of later life services
- inpatient mental health services
- residential addiction services