Hampshire 24/7 mental health services available at Christmas

These services are accessible to residents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The NHS 111 mental health triage team offers support around the clock to individuals of all ages.

The service provides phone-based psychological intervention, allowing individuals to receive necessary care at home.

This service aims to ensure that support is provided at the most suitable time and place, preventing issues from escalating.

Individuals can contact the NHS 111 mental health triage team by visiting 111 online or by calling 111 and selecting option 2.

Another available service is the Shout text service.

Residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can text 'HANTS' to 85258 to communicate with one of Shout's trained volunteers.

This service is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Additionally, NHS Talking Therapies (previously known as iTalk) is a service for adults in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

It offers a variety of treatments in many formats, supporting everyday wellbeing and diagnosed common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, phobias, OCD, and PTSD.

Sara, a 34-year-old from Southampton, sought help from the 111 team when her medication made her feel worse, and she contemplated taking her own life.

Sara said: "I completed the online form and thought nothing more of it until my phone rang, and I spoke to a nurse who didn’t make me feel dismissed or stupid, she treated me like a human being and listened to me.

"She helped me calm down by doing some breathing exercises with me which I didn’t think would help but really did as we did them together and then gave me the information for something called the lighthouse."

Ben, a 22-year-old from the New Forest, also used the NHS 111 service after being informed about it by a friend.

The service provided support when he was considering taking his own life.

These services aim to provide immediate support for those in need, particularly during the festive season.