Editor’s Note: These are unprecedented times we’re living in as the world deals with the Covid 19 pandemic. Signaleer Sloopy Noopers shared the following post on our internal forums and I wanted to share with our larger EvE Online community as well.
Disclaimer
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We are all lucky enough to be part of the amazing Signal Cartel community and this will no doubt help many of us cope with the current situation and isolation (it’s certainly helping me!!). There are a lot of amazing people here who are more than happy to chat and help you alleviate the boredom and stress that may come your way. However, it is important to recognise, as Thrice said in his post, that we aren’t medical professionals and we can only offer a friendly ear and some fun distraction. If you or someone close to you is suffering with mental health issues, or you suspect that they may be, it is important to seek professional guidance. With that in mind I have put together a list of useful links to resources which you can use or direct people towards. This list is nowhere near complete so please add links and any useful resources to this thread as you see fit.
These are some links to some sites and organisations you may find useful for you or those close to you. Hopefully these will guide you in the right direction. However, by no means is this a comprehensive list so please check that these are right for your situation.
General Links
This is the Rethink Mental Illness site dedicated to Covid 19 and mental health. They offer a massive amount of advice which is specific to the current situation. They are based in the UK but there is a lot of general information which will be useful to everyone.
The official US government mental health website has a very useful guide to the basics of mental health. This includes information regarding the early warning signs that someone may be suffering with poor mental health.
The NHS have a very useful guide to anxiety and mindfulness. Anxiety can creep up on you out of nowhere so this general guide can help you identify the symptoms as well as suggest some simple coping methods. The NHS have more advice and guidance on their Every Mind Matters page.
UK charity Mind offers up some excellent advice on coping with loneliness on their site. Loneliness is a growing problem in our world which is likely to be heightened due to the current situation. Hopefully Mind’s guide will help you support yourself and those close to you.
Just Answer is a live chat service with medical professionals who can offer advice and guidance on a wide range of issues. This is an excellent site but I would imagine that they are somewhat over run. If you are unsure as to your situation or that of someone close to you contacting Just Answer can help by giving advice and also freeing up already strained medical services.
Childline has an excellent online toolbox with ways to cope with stress, anxiety and a range of other issues. Although aimed at children (this is very useful for people with children who may be scared and anxious) there is some excellent guidance which everyone can use.
The BBC have a useful article with tips on protecting your mental health during the outbreak. They have also produced a short video in partnership with Anxiety UK.
For an EvE Online community based support group, please reach out to Broadcast 4 Reps. They have a Discord server as well you can check out.
Regional Links
We have members here from all over the world so it would be difficult to give a complete list of mental health services for every region. I’ve put together a list of useful agencies for some of the big regions. Please, by all means, add to this for your region.
Australia
Beyond Blue – Support and guidance for all mental health issues
Kids Helpline – Support and advice for people aged 5-25
France
Fil Sante Jeunes – Advice and support for children and young people
SOS Amitié – Support for those in distress or struggling with mental health
Croix Rouge – Red Cross mental health support
USA
Samaritans US – 24hr phones with people who will listen and help you through
Mentalhealth.Gov – US government mental health organisation
Warmline.org – Peer-run mental health and crisis support lines
Please Live have a pretty comprehensive directory of US support lines here.
Mental Health America is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all Americans.This site contains information about mental illness, warning signs, and other resources.
UK
Samaritans UK – As with the US group
CAMHS – NHS mental health support for children and young people)
Mind – UK mental health charity
Other
Here’s a link to a Wikipedia page containing details of a range of mental health support groups around the world. Although not a complete list this should give some great starting points.
Stay safe and see you in space!!