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Support from family, friends and partners
Many people mentioned the importance of friends, family and partners for their well-being, though not all had supportive friends or family they could rely on....
Some people we spoke to attended support groups; others were involved in campaigning or political groups, or attended groups where they learnt a new skill. A few people were involved in user-led research and were involved in their local Mental Health trusts. Charities and other organisations (e.g. Mind and Rethink) run local support groups throughout the UK. Mental health support groups for service users and carers can provide a forum for people who have experienced psychosis to meet, talk, share experiences, gain emotional support, and talk about ‘what works’. Some people also used internet-based support groups and chat rooms to find information about psychosis or talk about their mental distress in confidence (for more information see ‘Sources of information’ and ‘Mental health & wellbeing resources’).
Other groups people went to provided useful, creative and relaxing activities such as cooking, gardening, poetry, creative writing, assertiveness training, art and music. Most groups people spoke about aimed to improve their participants’ general well-being. Many people had been to a support group, centre or organisation – some at their GP’s suggestion. A few people got help via their carer to attend, or went along with their carer. People were also involved in service-user groups that: campaigned for political change; tackled the stigma associated with mental health problems (e.g. the Time to Change campaign); or offered alternatives to psychiatric ways of understanding mental well-being and illness (e.g. The Hearing Voices Network). People additionally took part in service-user-led organisations that produced reports and research about service-user experiences and mental health policy (e.g. Suresearch).
Tom had been to an art group, but wanted to paint privately in his own studio and not with others. One person said they already had enough support at home, whilst Tim didn’t want to go to a Rethink group as he thought it was too depressing, such as when he heard about people who had committed suicide.
Many people mentioned the importance of friends, family and partners for their well-being, though not all had supportive friends or family they could rely on....
People discovered different ways to cope with their mental health problems in their everyday lives. Other sections describe how they tried to recover from mental...