The You Are Not Alone (YANA) charity has announced that it will launch its new live mental health helpline this month.
The helpline will be become active on Monday, March 18, 2024. From then, it will be active every Monday to Friday from 10:00a.m to 1:00p.m.
The rural mental health and suicide prevention charity is based in East Anglia and said that the helpline aims to provide immediate support to individuals and remove the barrier of leaving a message.
During these hours, callers will have the opportunity to speak directly to YANA’s trained and experienced helpline team.
Additionally, the charity said it recognises the importance of accessibility and ensuring the helpline is available outside of these hours.
To achieve this, the helpline will continue to provide support through its callback system.
Chair of YANA trustees, Henry Kilver, said: “The aim for the YANA Helpline is to reach as many people as possible.
“By making it more accessible we believe more people will contact us to receive the support we provide.”
Over the last three years, YANA said it has witnessed a “significant increase” of 216% in the number of requests for help through its helpline.
The charity said this highlights the importance of providing a neutral space for individuals to talk about their struggles and seek professional help where it is needed.
“YANA remains committed to improving the quality of life and, at times, even saving lives through their mental health and suicide prevention support and training efforts,” the charity said.
