Mental health support and information services during the coronavirus outbreak

Current advice and information on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) support groups is available from the AA website.

You can get updates about the status of Aware support groups here. It is now offering a phone-in Support and Self-Care Group, for example, which is a peer group for people experiencing anxiety, mild to moderate depression, bipolar disorder and mood related conditions, in order to give and receive support.

Aware's support line is also available at 1800 80 48 48 from Monday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm, or by emailing supportmail@aware.ie.

From 30 March, the Bodywhys helpline service, available on 01 210 7906, is running on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and on Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 12.30pm. 

If you wish to contact someone at Bodywhys for support, please use the email support service alex@bodywhys.ie.

Its online support group, BodywhysConnect, for adults (19+) with eating disorders will operate as normal. YouthConnect online support groups for those aged 13-18 will operate as usual too. 

Bodywhys has also highlighted the new HSE eating disorders app for those who may seek support in this area.

Cocaine Anonymous is offering online meetings, with more information available here.

Gamblers Anonymous is offering online and conference meetings, with more information available under the "Meetings Update" section of its website. 

Grow has developed a six week programme, 'Create Hope and Stay Positive', which can be followed online during the coronavirus outbreak.

An online mental health recovery group, provided by GROW in Australia, is also available, or you can contact GROW's information line on 089 047 474 for assistance.

LifeRing is scheduling online support meetings to replace in-person meetings. You can find the schedule here.

Pieta has put in place measures to ensure the continuity of its services and protect it staff. As a result, it has now implemented phone-based support for all clients.

Its helpline (1800 247 247) and text service (51 444) operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its email response (mary@pieta.ie) operates Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm.

You will also find contact details, and information for its Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service on its website.

The Samaritans' phoneline is available 24 hours a day. Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie.

Shine will continue to offer remote support and a phone and email outreach service to people who use its services. 

The Shine email counselling support service, phil@shine.ie, will continue to be available at this time.

For more information and updates, check the Shine website.

Smart Recovery Ireland is offering online meetings: you can find more information about these here. 

ALONE has started a COVID-19 helpline for older adults, explaining that professional staff will be available to answer queries regarding coronavirus and give advice and reassurance where necessary. The support line will be open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, by calling 0818 222 024; hours may be extended to meet the demand.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland's national helpline continues to run six days a week (Monday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm, and Saturday from 10am to 4pm): you can reach it by calling 1800 341 341, or emailing helpline@alzheimer.ie. Its Home Care, Dementia Advisers and Online Family Carer Training services continue to run also.

There is now a COVID-19 Community Forum in every local authority to provide assistance to those who need help with collection and delivery of food, medication or other essential items; transport to medical appointments or assistance with other health needs; and social isolation supports. You can find each helpdesk number for your local forum here.

The Children’s Rights Alliance Helpline is operating on Mondays from 10am to 2pm, Wednesdays from 2pm to 7pm, and Fridays from 10am to 12pm. Call 01 902 0494 or email help@childrensrights.ie.

BelongTo's Monday Chats Service for information, referral, and advice over phone, email and text is ongoing. To arrange to talk to one of its Youth Workers, use the ‘Contact Us’ page on its website. Its Crisis Counselling Service with Pieta will continue to operate on a digital basis for existing clients.

BelongTo advises that, if you need support during this period, you can reach out to the following services (some may have delays):

• Call the LGBT Helpline on 1890 929 539 (Monday to Thursday, 6.30pm to 10pm; Friday, 4pm to 10pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 4pm to 6pm)
• Visit lgbt.ie to access their instant messaging support service from 6.30pm to 10pm, seven days a week
• Text LGBTI+ to 086 1800 280 and chat in confidence, 24/7 with a trained crisis volunteer over text. Standard text rates may apply. 

Family Carers Ireland is running online coffee club mornings for carers, and has other helpful resources available on its website.

Care Alliance Ireland is also running online support groups for carers.

The National Women's Council of Ireland has set up a Women and COVID-19 resource hub, where you can find lots of information related to the needs of women, including health, mental health, income, and women's rights.

For information about your local domestic violence service or refuge, call the national helpline at 1800 341 900 or visit the Safe Ireland website.

The Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline is fully available on 1800 341 900, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Its text service for Deaf and Hard of Hearing women is available daily on 087 959 7980, while its online chat service is available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7pm to 10pm from its website.

Women’s Aid support for women applying for domestic violence orders is continuing by phone on 089 221 4636, rom Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Women already linked in with a support worker will continue to be supported by phone.

The Irish Hospice Foundation has launched a COVID-19 Care and Inform Hub on its website, offering support and advice on grief, loss and bereavement care during the ongoing pandemic. The hub provides both practical and compassionate information and supports for people who are caring for someone receiving end-of-life care or who are grieving, which is regularly updated to reflect the latest government provisions around COVID-19. The hub recognises the important tradition of Irish families and communities coming together in times of grief, and aims to support people to continue this in as safe and meaningful a way as possible.

Responding to coronavirus can take an emotional toll on healthcare workers and has the potential to impact your mental health. 

Up to date mental health information for staff and healthcare workers, including the HSE staff helpline, a free staff counselling service and online mental health programmes can be found here.

New Virtual LGBTI+ Youth Group

BeLongTo have launched their first online group for new LGBTI+ young people between 14 and 23. The group will run for 4-weeks and take place every Monday from 3-4pm. Join friendly Youth Workers to meet other LGBTI+ young people, for an introduction to BeLonG To, Pride history and fun and games. More information can be found here.  

Reopening of BeLongTo's Frontline Service

BeLongTo's Youth Workers are now facilitating weekly face-to-face peer support groups at their HQ in Dublin. These groups are open by invitation to LGBTI+ youth who are not out at home and cannot access online services. They have undertaken a number of measures to limit the risk of Covid-19, so young people can feel safe and supported. Their digital support services and digital youth groups will continue to run online, over phone and email. More information can be found on their website.