Pain Management
What is pain?
The occurrence of pain rises as people get older, and women are more likely to experience pain than men.
The most common causes of pain in adults include:
- injury
- medical conditions (such as cancer, arthritis and back problems
- surgery
There are 2 main types of pain:
- Acute pain – a normal response to an injury or medical condition. It starts suddenly and is usually short-lived.
- Chronic pain – continues beyond the time expected for healing. It generally lasts for longer than 3 months.
Pain may be anything from a dull ache to a sharp stab and can range from mild to extreme. You may feel pain in one part of your body or it may be widespread.
Chronic pain is a condition that describes persistent pain that lasts from weeks to years. While the duration of pain is not definitive, the term typically applies to persistent pain that endures for more than 3 months. Chronic pain is most common in people between 40 and 60 years of age.
Acute pain occurs suddenly, and is associated with injury or short-term illness. Pain that is acute will resolve within 3 months time. Examples of acute pain include sprains, minor burns, cuts, and muscle spasms. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain is persistent, subjective, and may arise from a variety of illnesses or psychological state of mind.
The causes of chronic pain are as broad as the condition itself. Some reported causes of chronic pain are illness, old injury, and genetic conditions. More specifically, some people have been able to establish a correlation of their pain with: arthritis, nerve damage, depression, motor vehicle accidents and more.
Chronic pain can do more than just cause discomfort, it can negatively impact sleep cycles and appetite. This often results in extreme fatigue and mood changes, with an increased risk of depression. The severity of pain can vary greatly.
Pain is a complex protective mechanism. It is an essential part of evolution that protects the body from danger and harm.
The body has pain receptors that are attached to 2 main types of nerves that detect danger. One nerve type relays messages quickly, causing a sharp, sudden pain. The other relays messages slowly, causing a dull, throbbing pain.
Some areas of the body have more pain receptors than others. For example, the skin has lots of receptors so it is easy to tell the exact location and type of pain. There are far fewer receptors in the gut, so it is harder to pinpoint the precise location of a stomach ache.
If pain receptors in the skin are activated by touching something dangerous (for example something hot or sharp), these nerves send alerts to the spinal cord and then to part of the brain called the thalamus.
Sometimes the spinal cord sends an immediate signal back to the muscles to make them contract. This moves the affected body part away from the source of danger or harm.
This is a reflex reaction that prevents further damage occurring. It happens before you feel pain.
Once the ‘alert!’ message reaches the thalamus, it sorts the information the nerves have sent, taking into account previous experience, beliefs, expectations, culture and social norms. This explains why people have very different responses to pain.
The thalamus then sends the information on to other parts of the brain that are linked to physical response, thought and emotion. This is when you may feel the sensation of pain, think ‘That hurt! What was it?’, and feel annoyed.
The thalamus also contributes to mood and arousal, which helps to explain why your interpretation of pain partly depends on your state of mind.
What steps can I take to manage my pain?
Accessing specialist pain management services often takes months to years, and in the meantime an individuals’ dependence on medications can increase while their mood deteriorates.
A person’s emotional wellbeing can impact the experience of pain. Understanding the cause and learning effective ways to cope with your pain can improve your quality of life. Key pain management strategies include:
- pain medicines
- physical therapies (such as heat or cold packs, massage, hydrotherapy and exercise)
- psychological therapies (such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), relaxation techniques and meditation)
- mind and body techniques (such as acupuncture)
- community support groups.
Reasons you might need pain management
People suffer from varied types of pain, which can fall into a number of different categories. If you are experiencing any of the following, you may want to see a pain specialist:
- Low back pain;
- Neck pain, including whiplash;
- Leg pain, including sciatica;
- Headaches;
- Facial pain;
- Nerve pain or
- Arthritis
Chronic pain and depression commonly co-exist; pain can be a result of persistent depression and depression can be a result of persistent pain.
It’s also not uncommon to experience anxiety alongside chronic pain. Anxiety disorders are the second most diagnosed disorder after depression in those with chronic pain.
Some people may find that their pain and mental health issues cause them to avoid certain situations and become inactive.
Both of these behaviours can become chronic issues in themselves. Avoidance can lead to social isolation, and inactivity can worsen chronic pain. In turn, this can make depression even worse.
Here are conditions that can cause chronic pain
Chronic pain can be caused by many different conditions or illnesses. Some of the most common causes include:
- Endometriosis
- Past injuries or surgeries
- Back problems
- Arthritis
- Nerve damage
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines
- Cancer pain
- Slow healing after surgery
Not only can depression make day-to-day life difficult, but it can also slow down the healing process after surgery and lead to further complications.
People with moderate anxiety and depression have an increased chance of wound complications, hospital re-admissions and longer hospital stays. The complications can be even worse for those with severe anxiety or depression.
Mental health is something that shouldn’t be overlooked before having surgery. If you think you might be depressed and are going to have surgery, it’s important to seek help to make sure you’re physically and mentally prepared.
10 signs you might be depressed
Symptoms vary from person to person and can include physiological, physical and social symptoms. There are many different symptoms of depression, but they can include:
- Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
- Persistent low mood
- Feeling hopeless
- Feeling anxious
- Having low self-esteem
- Lack of energy
- Isolating yourself from friends and family
- Feeling irritable and intolerant of others
- Experiencing suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming yourself
If you’re suffering from chronic pain and depression, it’s important to treat both problems at the same time. Considering one without the other isn’t likely to resolve the overall issue. However, when the two occur simultaneously, it can be harder to treat.
Chronic pain can be treated in a number of ways. Everyone is different and what works for someone else may not work for you.
However, chronic pain can be managed with the aim of going back to everyday life.
Some ways chronic pain can be managed are:
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Reflexology
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Pain Management
- Physiotherapy
- Surgery (depending on the condition)
- Medication
What to do next
When it comes to depression and chronic pain, it’s clear that there is a need for action and a greater understanding of how these conditions are interlinked. Both conditions should be treated at the same time to ensure the most positive outcomes and most effective management.
If you think you might be depressed, it’s important to speak up and seek help. See our local and national organisations sections.
Many non-medicine treatments are available to help you manage your pain. A combination of treatments and therapies is often more effective than just one.
Some non-medicine options include:
- Heat or cold – use ice packs immediately after an injury to reduce swelling. Heat packs are better for relieving chronic muscle or joint injuries.
- Physical therapies – such as walking, stretching, strengthening or aerobic exercises may help reduce pain, keep you mobile and improve your mood. You may need to increase your exercise very slowly to avoid over-doing it.
- Massage is another physical therapy; it is better suited to soft tissue injuries and should be avoided if the pain is in the joints. There is some evidence that suggests massage may help manage pain, but it is not recommended as a long-term therapy.
- Relaxation and stress management techniques – including meditation and yoga.
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) this form of psychological therapy can help you learn to change how you think and, in turn, how you feel and behave about pain. This is a valuable strategy for learning to self-manage chronic pain.
- Acupuncture is a component of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the skin. It aims to restore balance within the body and encourage it to heal by releasing natural pain-relieving compounds (endorphins). Some people find that acupuncture reduces the severity of their pain and enables them to maintain function. However, studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture in managing pain is inconclusive.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy – low voltage electrical currents pass through the skin via electrodes, prompting a pain-relieving response from the body. There is not enough published evidence to support the use of TENS for the treatment of some chronic pain conditions. However, some people with chronic pain that are unresponsive to other treatments may experience a benefit.
Your doctor or other healthcare professional can guide you through the best treatments for you.
Sometimes pain will persist and cannot be easily relieved. It’s natural to feel worried, sad or fearful when you are in pain. Here are some suggestions for how to handle persistent pain:
- Focus on improving your day-to-day function, rather than completely stopping the pain.
- Accept that your pain may not go away and that flare-ups may occur. Talk yourself through these times.
- Find out as much as you can about your condition so that you don’t fret or worry unnecessarily about the pain.
- Enlist the support of family and friends. Let them know what support you need; find ways to stay in touch.
- Take steps to prevent or ease depression by any means that work for you, including talking to friends or professionals.
- Don’t increase your pain medicines without talking to your doctor or pharmacist first.
- Increasing your dose may not help your pain and might cause you harm.
- Improve your physical fitness, eat healthy foods and make sure you get all the rest you need.
- Try not to allow the pain to stop you living your life the way you want to. Try gently reintroducing activities that you used to enjoy. You may need to cut back on some activities if pain flare-ups occur, but increase slowly again as you did before.
- Concentrate on finding fun and rewarding activities that don’t make your pain worse.
- Seek advice on new coping strategies and skills from a healthcare professional such as a psychologist.
Concerned about someone else and their pain?
The lack of reprieve from pain can be exhausting for the one suffering from the pain and loved ones.
People with chronic pain tend to communicate differently with those who are well. They may be reluctant or unable to talk about their pain and their feelings. They may tell you they are fine when they are not, and it may simply be that they don’t have the right words to describe how they feel. This can lead to a breakdown in communication.
If you are a family member or loved one of someone suffering from chronic pain, you may feel stress, frustration, and even anger. These are common emotions when dealing with the significant impact of chronic pain. However, supporting someone with chronic pain is extremely important. If you have never experienced anything similar yourself, you may have difficulty understanding the complexity of it. If you feel you need additional support for yourself, please see Support for families and carers under the Local Support section.
First, it’s crucial to let go of some common misconceptions about what chronic pain actually is. The concept of pain has undergone considerable revision in recent decades. While once thought of in purely physical terms, we now know that it is made up of physical, psychological, and neurological factors. But many people still treat those suffering from pain as though it’s only a sign of physical injury.
Pain sufferers may be met with disbelief if they do not have a visible injury. We now realize that the involvement of neurological factors explains why pain can occur in the absence of external causes. Oftentimes, when pain persists, part of that pain turns into anxiety and depression.
Whether physical or emotional, pain is very difficult to convey in language, making it even harder to understand what the pain sufferer is experiencing. So to understand a person in pain, you have to remember that pain is a highly complex and individual thing. Pain is different for everybody, depending on personality and past experiences. You will never truly understand another person’s pain, but you can do your best to try.
Truly listening is one of the most helpful things you can do for a person in pain. To be a good listener, you must let go of any preconceived notions or assumptions. Listening also involves more than just hearing what is being said. You may need to read between the lines and interpret unspoken non-verbal cues. Pay attention to how they are saying something as much as what they are saying.
While listening, look for signs of severe or inadequately controlled pain, including sweating, irritability, sleep disturbances, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, decreased activity, and suicidal thoughts. Many chronic pain sufferers are so accustomed to these negative feelings they do not recognize their significance.
Unfortunately, those suffering from pain are sometimes not believed when they do open up about their pain. There are many reasons for this, including a myth that chronic pain sufferers exaggerate their pain in order to gain sympathy or avoid responsibilities. Research has shown that exaggerating pain to get sympathy is very rare. You love the person who is in pain, so make sure you have an open mind about what they are telling you and believe what they say.
Every person with chronic pain has a unique, individual experience. People that live with chronic pain do not always show any visible symptoms, so it is helpful to be knowledgeable about their condition. If they are having treatments done, look those up as well.
The pain scale is a tool we use to measure and describe the intensity of the pain an individual feels at any given moment. This includes values from 1 to 10 to describe levels of pain. A rating of 1 indicates “free of pain and feeling wonderful,” while a rating of 10 indicates the “most horrible pain ever experienced.” If you are familiar with the pain scale, it can be a useful, objective tool at home in identifying and understanding pain levels.
As a support person or caregiver, there is no way for you to know how the pain sufferer feels. You must believe them when they say they need a break or a day off. It is important to respect their physical capabilities. When the person in chronic pain says that they need to lie down, sit down, or take medication immediately, listen to them without judgment. Also, understand that just because the individual with chronic pain was able to walk around to see a friend yesterday does not mean they can do it again today.
Don’t ever give up on someone with chronic pain. Even if they have canceled the last three times you invited them to an event or social engagement, invite them again. They may feel up to going next time. Chronic pain can be very isolating, and sometimes just being asked or invited is the most important thing.
Chronic pain is often accompanied by secondary depression. Depression can lead to the individual hiding their pain, masking their emotions, and isolating themselves. Be sure to discuss any depression symptoms you notice and offer love, support, and understanding. Gently suggest that they bring it up to their doctor, or if you are going to the next appointment, ask for permission to bring it up on their behalf.
Chronic pain is very difficult to deal with for the one going through it and for the ones who love that person. While most people mean well, being smart about how you help and how you provide support is very important. Sometimes listening well, providing encouragement, and never giving up can make all the difference in the world.
Local support
See what local support is available for Pain Management.
Some links will direct you to other online resources, including websites. This is to help us to provide you with the most up-to-date and relevant information.
Sarah Beaumont, Lived Experience Champion in Doncaster, explains how the Pain Management section of Donny Dot can provide useful information and advice to those living with chronic pain, and their loved ones. Take a look at Sarah’s video here
Keeping physically active is important for managing pain, including everyday activities like walking, swimming, gardening and dancing. There’s a range of opportunities and support available across Doncaster to help you choose activities you enjoy.
It’s best to start with small changes and pace yourself, particularly if you have a health condition. If needed, your GP or health professional can recommend the best type and amount of activity for you.
Let’s Get Doncaster Moving!
Get Doncaster Moving is a local partnership of people, groups, organisations and businesses who work together to support Doncaster communities to be active.
Community-Led Walks
Doncaster has many community-led walking groups, where local people regularly meet up to walk together. There’s more information on the Get Doncaster Moving website.
Parks and Outdoor Spaces
Doncaster has a wide variety of parks and outdoor spaces, each with their own things to see and do.
Well Doncaster
Well Doncaster offers a range of support and guidance to help you look after your health, improve your local community, or simply share your views on the issues that matter to you.
darts – including ‘Dance On’
Dance On is fun, local and social, and is aimed at raising activity levels and reducing isolation in older adults across the City of Doncaster. The accommodate anyone attending, with any condition. Their Strength & Balance classes are at a slower pace, which may be more beneficial to some people. You can find out more about the Dance on programme here: https://wearedarts.org.uk/dance-on/
Creative Directions Moves is suitable for all abilities and mobilities but is particularly aimed at those who feel they want to gently increase their activity levels, feel fitter and boost their wellbeing. Anyone over 18 is welcome at any session. You can find out more about Creative Directions Move here: https://thepoint.org.uk/creative-directions-moves/
Doncaster Culture & Leisure Trust (DCLT)
DCLT offers a diverse range of health and leisure activities, including swimming, gym and cycling with venues spread across Doncaster. Askern Leisure Centre has a new wellbeing suite with a low-intensity power-assisted exercise circuit.
Club Doncaster Foundation
The health and wellbeing team at Club Doncaster provides inclusive opportunities to improve physical and mental health, including low to moderate intensity activities like walking football and ‘walk and talk’. Please complete the Enquiry Form to enable the team to tailor their support to your needs.
Community Directory
The Your Life Doncaster community directory has a list of the groups and organisations in your area that can support you to meet new people, try new activities, or get back into something that you used to love.
Staying Active at Home
The Get Doncaster Moving website has links to some great resources to help you stay active at home.
NHS Talking Therapies – Doncaster
Low mood or feeling down? Worrying often? Feeling sad or tearful? Feeling helpless or hopeless?
NHS Talking Therapies can help.
You can self-refer into the service by completing this online form: https://talkingtherapies.rdash.nhs.uk/about-nhs-doncaster-talking-therapies/self-referral-form/ or calling them on 03000 211 556.
Phone lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday but outside of these times you can leave them a voicemail and they will get back to you.
Citizen’s Advice Doncaster
Providing local benefits advice; universal credit support; PIP/JSA/ESA support; housing benefit support; child/working tax credits; financial advice (debt issues); and signposting to other agencies in local communities. Website: https://www.cadoncasterborough.org/get-advice/community-locations/
North Locality:
Askern: The White Wings Centre
Carcroft: Bullcroft Memorial Hall (Chestnut Avenue)
South Locality:
Denaby Main: The Old Library
Edlington: The Helping Hands Centre
Mexborough: Citizen’s Advice Bureau office (Adwick Road); and Foodbank Drop-in Session
Rossington: Doncaster Foodbank (Trussell Trust) Drop-in Session – Holmescarr Community Centre
Warmsworth: Stapleton Centre (Stapleton Road)
East Locality:
Armthorpe: Community Centre (Church Street)
Stainforth: Citizen’s Advice Bureau office – The Hope Centre (Church Road)
Thorne: The Bridge Centre (Bridge Street)
Central Locality:
Balby: Flourish – Woodfield Park
Cantley: Community Library (Goodison Blvd.)
City Centre: Doncaster Foodbank (Trussell Trust) Drop-in Session – St James’ Church (St Sepulchre Gate West); City of Doncaster Council – Civic Office (Waterdale); and Yorkshire Building Society (Printing Office St.)
Intake: People Focused Group (Montrose Ave.)
Wheatley Park: Doncaster Foodbank (Trussell Trust) Drop-in Session – St Paul’s Church (Durham Road)
Peer support is when people use their own experiences and knowledge to help one another. The support comes from other people in similar circumstances, rather than a healthcare professional, so it is a less formal way to manage your chronic pain.
Sarah Beaumont Inspires – Wellness C.I.C
A 12 week, 12 module program for people living with chronic pain conditions, written and delivered by someone with a chronic pain condition. Learning the tools to reduce pain levels, anxiety & depression and social isolation, whilst improving mental health, overall wellbeing & quality of life.
Email: enquiries@sarahbeaumontinspires.com
Website: https://www.sarahbeaumontinspires.com
Be Well Peer Support Groups for Chronic Pain in Doncaster
There are monthly Peer Support Groups for Chronic Pain in each of the four localities in Doncaster (North, South, East and Central). You can find a Peer Support Group near you on the Be Well website: https://welldoncaster.uk/for-me/peer-support/chronic-pain-peer-groups
Community Directory
The Your Life Doncaster community directory has a list of the groups and organisations in your area that can support you to meet new people, try new activities, or get back into something that you used to love.
Jackdaw Wood CIC Counselling
Jackdaw Wood provides a wide range of activities that you as a client can work on. These include planting trees, to self-development projects. You can meet a wide range of people that attend their workshops and group activities.
You can contact Jackdaw Wood Counselling via their online form here: https://jackdawwood.co.uk/
Shared Reading – The Reader
This is a programme funded by Public Health Doncaster. Shared Reading groups are open to all and free to attend. A group of people, one of them a trained Reader Leader, reads a great novel, short story or poem aloud. The group stops and talks about what they have read. There is no need for group members to read aloud or speak – it’s fine just to listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.
The Reader are already well established in Doncaster and have multiple groups running. The groups can support people to manage their pain. You kind find out more about this in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MgHHz__n2Y
You can find out where the groups are in Doncaster here: https://www.thereader.org.uk/get-involved/find-a-group/?user-address=doncaster&user-lng=-1.128462&user-lat=53.52282#location-top
City of Doncaster Council information and support
Caring for someone close to you – if you support a partner, family member, friend or neighbour who relies on you for help to live their life, you are a carer. You might not see yourself as being a carer; you might just feel you are doing what anyone else would do in the same situation.
You can find information to help you understand whether you are a carer, your rights as a carer, and support for carers in Doncaster here: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care/carersoffer
Information for carers, family and friends of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities – this page on the City of Doncaster Council’s website provides information about local and national services that can support you: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/local-offer-info-for-carers
Young carers – a young carer is a child or young person who provides regular and ongoing care and emotional support to a family member with physical and/or mental health problems, has a disability, or misuses drugs or alcohol. This page on the City of Doncaster Council’s website provides information about how young carers can be supported: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/young-carers
Making Space: Doncaster Carers’ Wellbeing Service
This is a local service for anyone who is a carer for someone else, to support them in their caring role and help them to stay connected in their community. Please note that this isn’t a dedicated service for carers of someone with chronic pain, it is to support all carers in Doncaster.
You can find out more information about this service here: https://doncastercarers.makingspace.co.uk/
Tel: 01302 986900
Email: DoncasterCarers.WellbeingService@makingspace.co.uk
Address: Unit 4, Stone Cross House, Doncaster Road, Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, DN3 1QS
Working Win is a free service for people aged over 18 living in Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, or Sheffield. It aims to support you if you have a physical and/or mental health condition and would like to find meaningful employment or stay in your current role. We also provide you with ongoing in-work support in both your new or existing role.
View Working Win leaflet here.
You can find out more about how Working Win could help you or a loved one here:
Website: https://shawtrust.org.uk/working-win
Telephone: 0300 30 33 111
National support organisations
See what national support is available for Pain Management.
Some links will direct you to other online resources, including websites. This is to help us to provide you with the most up-to-date and relevant information
ESCAPE-pain
Enabling self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise. ESCAPE-Pain is a group rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain that integrates educational self-management and coping strategies with an exercise regimen individualised for each participant.
Tel: 020 7637 5789
Email: hello@escape-pain.org
Website: https://escape-pain.org/
Flexibility and sitting exercises
The NHS suggests trying these flexibility exercises and sitting exercises you can do at home as two of the ways to manage chronic pain.
Pilates and yoga exercise videos
The NHS online Fitness Studio has pilates and yoga videos, including to help with back pain and arthritis.
“We Are Undefeatable”
A national campaign that supports people with long-term health conditions to be active, recognising that how you feel can change from day-to-day, that everybody’s situation is unique, and that moving more when you can is just as important as accepting when you can’t.
Flippin’ Pain
Flippin’ Pain TM is a public health campaign with a clear goal: To change the way we think about, talk about and treat persistent pain. Flippin’ your understanding of pain could change the lives of you and your loved ones forever.
Email: info@flippinpain.co.uk
Website: https://escape-pain.org/
Podcasts
These BBC podcasts may be beneficial to your wellbeing:
Just One Thing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09by3yy/episodes/downloads
Mindful Mix: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p06mtsqy
Radio 1’s Deep Sleepscapes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09652n3
Wind Down: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dvyc35
RetrainPain
RetrainPain delivers high quality information about pain for patients and healthcare professionals.
Contact via the online form: https://www.retrainpain.org/contact
Website: https://www.retrainpain.org/
Arthritis Action
Arthritis Action is the UK charity giving hands-on, practical help to improve the quality of life of people affected by arthritis.
Tel: 020 3781 7120
Email: info@arthritisaction.org.uk
Website: https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/
FND Action
FND Action is a patient-led charity who offer a caring and supporting hand to people living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and their caregivers in the UK.
Email: contact@fndaction.org.uk
Website: https://www.fndaction.org.uk/
National Fibromyalgia Association
Providing assistance and education to people with Fibromyalgia and its overlapping conditions
Email: nfa@fmaware.org
Website: https://www.fmaware.org/
Pain Concern
Pain Concern offers telephone and email services to individuals in the UK through their helpline. We work to improve the lives of people living with pain and those who care for them.
Tel: 0300 123 0789
Email: help@painconcern.org.uk
Website: https://painconcern.org.uk/
Tame the Beast
We’re excited about learning and experiencing the most in life. Sharing our knowledge and field experience in aim at helping people reduce and manage their pain.
Find out more via their online form: https://www.tamethebeast.org/resources
Website: https://www.tamethebeast.org/
The British Pain Society
Together, we can do more to relieve pain.
Tel: 020 7269 7840
Email: info@britishpainsociety.org
Website: https://www.britishpainsociety.org/
The Ehlers-Danlos Society
Provides advice and information on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), support groups, and a helpline.
Tel: 020 3887 6132
Website: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/
Support and benefits for carers (NHS.UK)
You might not think of yourself as a carer, but you probably are if you’re looking after someone regularly, including your spouse or a family member, because they’re ill or disabled. As a carer, you may be entitled to one or more state benefits to help you with the costs.
You can find out more through the NHS.UK website here: Benefits for carers
Support Apps
HealthUnlocked is the world’s largest social network for health. Find and connect with people with a similar health condition.
Sleepstation is a 6-week online course for people who struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night.
Take control of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour with the My Possible Self mental health app.
