Mental health is a state of wellbeing where an individual can cope with normal daily stresses in life, realise their abilities, learn well, work well, and contribute to their community (World Health Organisation).
Mental health issues are widespread among adults, with 1 in 4 experiencing them each year. It’s possible to prevent these issues from happening, and with the right support at the right time, people can recover too.
This page provides information and resources to help promote positive mental health among adults. It is based on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Healthy Minds – Adult Mental Health Improvement and Early Intervention Framework.
Framework For Adult Mental Health
The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Adult Mental Health Improvement and Early Intervention Framework is a local tool to support those working across Greater Glasgow and Clyde to support positive mental health in adults. The framework brings together a range of activities that have been demonstrated as having value in the promotion of good mental health.
It is designed to be read from the bottom up, starting with actions that can be taken against the underlying determinants of mental health. This includes socio-economic factors and social environment issues like challenging stigma and discrimination. It then considers health promotion and what can be done to prevent mental health issues from occurring in the first place. Finally, the upper tier is more focused on early detection and intervention of mental health issues to prevent them from worsening, as well as recovery-oriented action.
Supporting Materials
Adult Mental Health Policy Landscape
Adult Mental Health Policy Landscape: A useful planning tool to illustrate how the Healthy Minds Mental Health framework links to and supports key adult mental health policy drivers.
Adult Mental Health Supports
Adult Mental Health Apps, Helplines, and websites: A resource directory of mental health apps, helplines, and websites to support staff with signposting and sharing of information that is appropriate to need.
Mental Health Posters
Adult Mental Health Supports Poster: A wipe-clean poster showing how mental health supports can be accessed, from 1 to 1 support, reading, group work, phone, and online. Populate with your own up-to-date information on an ongoing basis.
The Framework in Action
Listed below, you’ll find resources and supports against each element of the framework.
Respond Better to Distress
Unfortunately, some people can find it difficult to cope at times in their lives and may harm themselves or think of ending their life. We need to improve our responses to people in distress, both from services and the wider community, including action to prevent suicide and better support for people who self-harm.
If you are concerned about an individual’s mental health and wellbeing and feel they may be in distress, the GP should be their first point of contact, or contact NHS 24 on 111. If you feel the individual is in immediate danger, please call 999.
Resources
There is a range of suicide prevention and self-harm activities underway across Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Visit the suicide prevention and self-harm pages to find out more.
Suicide Prevention Resources
- Suicide Prevention Resources – NHSGGC: Brings together a range of suicide prevention information for staff relating to learning, resources and websites, helplines, and keeping safe.
- Suicide ALERT Resources: for staff working in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area to support you if you are talking with someone who may be at risk of suicide. Resources include a briefing note, prompt sheet, and a resource directory of supports.
- Time Space Compassion: An introductory guide from the Scottish Government to a relationship and person centred approach to improving suicidal crisis. It has been developed for use by people and services who regularly come into contact and support people experiencing suicidal crisis.
Self-Harm Resources and Supports
- Self-Harm Resources and Supports – NHSGGC: A comprehensive resource for staff providing support and advice to people who may be self-harming.
General Mental Health Supports
- Healthy Minds Pocket Guide – Our mental health and wellbeing card provides details for a mental health support organisation across Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, and West Dunbartonshire).
- Healthy Minds Basic Adult Mental Health (1): A session from our Healthy Minds Resource that aims to raise awareness of mental health, what can impact mental health, what to look out for if someone is struggling with their mental health, and what we can do to help protect and support mental health.
Trauma-Informed Resources
- National Trauma Transformation Programme Hub – Resources at the Trauma-Informed level, which are aimed at absolutely everyone and provide an overview of trauma and what a trauma-informed approach looks like.
Promote Wellbeing for People with Long-Term Conditions
Long-term conditions are defined as health conditions that last a year or longer, impact a person’s life, and may require ongoing care and support. People with long-term mental health problems have significantly poorer health outcomes with an up to a 20-year gap in life expectancy. Similarly, people with other long-term conditions are at higher risk of mental health difficulties.
It is important to promote holistic health for people with long-term conditions (“healthy body, healthy mind”), promote recovery approaches, and social inclusion. It is also important to include a focus on carers’ wellbeing as part of this agenda. The Healthy Minds Long Term Conditions (no. 6) session can help raise awareness of the impact that long-term conditions can have on mental health and explores strategies to help manage this.
Helplines
- Anxiety and Stress Disorders: NHS Living Life provides a free telephone-based service for people over the age of 16 feeling low, anxious, or stressed. Call 0800 328 9655 – lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 9.00 pm.
- Asthma + Lung UK: Speak to an asthma expert nurse on their helpline 0300 222 5800.
- British Heart Foundation: a website which hosts a section on emotional support and wellbeing.
- Diabetes Scotland: Call their confidential helpline for information and support on 0141 212 8710 (charges apply), Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 6.00 pm, or email helpline.scotland@diabetes.org.uk
- Epilepsy Scotland: Provides a free, confidential helpline that provides information and emotional support to anyone affected by epilepsy. Call 0808 800 2200, Monday to Friday, 10.00 am – 4.30 pm.
- NHS Inform: provides information on a range of illnesses and conditions and helps people make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.
Promote Wellbeing and Resilience with People & Communities
Resilience is an individual’s ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage or highly adverse conditions. It’s a key part of good mental health.
Being socially connected and resilient, both as individuals and communities, are powerful influences on mental health and wider wellbeing. This can be achieved through developing social connections, tackling isolation, building resilience, strengthening the use of community assets (including social prescribing), and strengthening self-care and peer support.
There is a wealth of initiatives happening across communities to help social connections and reduce loneliness and isolation, including the Thriving Places initiative.
Resources
Local Mental Health Supports
- Healthy Minds Pocket Guide – Our mental health and wellbeing card provides details for a mental health support organisation across Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, and West Dunbartonshire).
Mental Health in the Workplace
- Mental Health in the Workplace: A resource that provides information about the range of resources, supports, websites, and learning opportunities available for staff working across Greater Glasgow and Clyde to support mental health in the workplace.
Loneliness Resources
- Campaign to End Loneliness in Scotland: Information and resources to help combat loneliness and isolation.
- Healthy Minds Loneliness and Isolation session (no. 7): An awareness-raising session focused on loneliness and isolation, their impact on mental health, and what can be done to help.
Resilience Poster
- Resilience Poster: Top ten tips to help develop resilience (available to download in different languages). Copies can be ordered free from the Public Health Resource Directory.
Adult Mental Health Reading List
- Adult Mental Health Reading List: A reading list of books has been created to help people self-manage any mental health or wellbeing issues, gain more understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and feel less alone.
Promote Wellbeing and Resilience at Work
Workplaces have a key role to play in improving our nation’s health and quality of life. Good quality work can be beneficial for our mental health, while unemployment and poor quality work are toxic influences.
The business case for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of employees is a strong one. The benefits include fewer days lost to sickness/absence, greater staff retention, productivity, and staff morale.
Resources
Mental Health in the Workplace Resources
- Mental Health in the Workplace: Information on the range of resources, supports, websites, and learning opportunities available for staff working across Greater Glasgow and Clyde to support mental health in the workplace.
- Healthy Working Lives For employers in Scotland looking for workplace health, safety, and wellbeing information. This includes information on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of employees, what they can do, and access to resources to help with this.
Workplace Mental Health Stigma
- See Me in Work – Supports employers and individuals to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
Mental Health Awareness-Raising
- Healthy Minds can be used by organisations and employers to raise awareness of mental health and issues that can impact mental health such as sleep, loss, and grief.
Promote Positive Attitudes, Challenge Stigma and Discrimination
Despite supportive policies within Scotland, the experience of people with mental health issues in our communities remains poor. More than two-thirds (71%) of people with mental health problems in Scotland have experienced stigma and discrimination.
The impact of stigma and discrimination can be wide-ranging, including making someone’s mental health problems worse and stopping them from getting support. Visit the Anti-stigma and discrimination page to find out more about some of the work being taken forward across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Resources
See Me – Scotland’s Programme to Tackle Stigma
- See Me is Scotland’s Programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Scotland’s Association for Mental Health and The Mental Health Foundation.
Mental Health Stigma Awareness Session
- Healthy Minds Stigma and Discrimination session (no. 15) aims to raise awareness of mental health stigma and discrimination and what can be done to help tackle it.
Tackle Underlying Determinants and Promote Equity
Health inequalities are the unfair and avoidable differences in people’s health across social groups and between different population groups.
To reduce health inequalities, action is needed across society to address the fundamental causes of social inequality. This includes inequalities in income, employment, education, and daily living conditions.