“Peer support is lifesaving. I’m still suicidal, I’m not out of the woods, but with the support from my group I am getting there. I have hope!”
– MindOut service user
At MindOut it’s important to us to offer services that we know work to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing. We are constantly gathering feedback from across all our services to know what works and what doesn’t.
Peer Support is about people with lived experience of mental health issues offering help and support to each other.
This is what we found out this year
Our service users tell us that peer support groups have a real impact on their lives. In this report we found:
80% of group members reported significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of suicidal thoughts
60% reported significant improvements to self-injury.
Our groups offer a space where people can share and express the emotional distress they experience. The groups reduce isolation and help people manage overwhelming feelings. They can save lives.
Bringing people together to share their difficulties and support one another really works!
Peer Support comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. At MindOut we offer drop-in peer support groups, themed peer support groups and peer mentoring. From self-assessment ratings we found that:
62% of people who attended peer support groups felt their wellbeing improved, and many felt it improved significantly.
And 70% of people who received peer mentoring felt their wellbeing improved, and again many significantly.
People are complex, mental health is complex and recovery is not just about getting better, but through sharing our experiences we can face our pain and distress and learn to manage these thoughts and feelings.