Every day in this country, thousands of individuals find themselves suffering mental distress, often without the cause being obvious to them. Fortunately, places to which they can turn for help have never been more widely available.
Churches were among the first to provide training facilities for services to meet this need. Best known, of course, are The Samaritans, founded in 1952 by the London vicar Chad Varah (after he wrote an article for the magazine Picture Post and 235 troubled people contacted him for help). Later, the Westminster Pastoral Foundation (now WPF Therapy) led the way in providing training facilities for clergy and lay volunteers around the country.
In due course, as the need was recognised, mental health services went main-stream and now the Health Service and local authorities are providing a range of services under such titles as ‘Health in Mind’. Many GPs refer to these services patients who come to them with concerns about ‘low mood’ and similar problems.
Charities such as Rethink (telephone 0300 5000 927) now use the internet to provide guidance to persons who may hesitate to approach local services in the first instance.
It is common for individuals to feel unhappy without being able to ‘put their finger’ on what is giving rise to their disquiet. So, reader, if you feel you need support, don’t hesitate to contact one of the organisations mentioned here.