There is a range of voluntary organisations in Ireland that promote positive attitudes to mental health and provide services to people suffering from mental illness. The following organisations are the major ones; most of whom have local branches.
Mental Health Ireland (MHI) is a national voluntary organisation that aims to help those who are mentally ill and to promote positive attitudes to mental health.
Mensana House
6 Adelaide Street
Dun Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin.
Tel: 01 284 1166
Fax: 01 284 1736
E-mail: information@mentalhealthireland.ie
AWARE is a voluntary organisation that aims to provide support group meetings for people with depression and manic depression and their families.
72 Lower Leeson Street,
Dublin 2.
Lo-Call: 1890 303 302 (helpline only)
Tel: (01) 661 7211
Fax: (01) 661 7217
E-mail: aware@iol.ie
The primary aim of Samaritans is to be available at any hour of the day or night to listen to and befriend those experiencing personal crises and those in imminent danger of taking their own lives. All contact is in complete confidence. Samaritans have 20 branches throughout Ireland. You can make contact by telephone, email and in some branches by calling in personally to speak with someone in confidence.
Samaritans
4-5 Usher's Court
7 Usher's Quay
Dublin 8.
Tel: (01) 671 0071
Callers can phone the local number or use 1850 60 90 90.
E-mail:jo@samaritans.org
GROW aims to help the individual grow towards personal maturity by using their own personal resources, through mutual help groups in a caring and sharing community.
GROW National Office
Grow Centre
11 Liberty Street
Cork.
Lo-call: 1890 474 474 or Tel: (021) 427 7520,
E-mail: info@grow.ie
Shine is the national organisation dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs of all those affected by enduring mental illness including, but not exclusively, schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder and bi-polar disorder, through the promotion and provision of high-quality services and working to ensure the continual enhancement of the quality of life of the people it serves. Shine has offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Tullamore and Dundalk. It was formerly known as Schizophrenia Ireland (SI). They have a separate resource, Recover.ie, which provides information about schizophrenia.
38 Blessington Street
Dublin 7.
Tel: (01) 860 1620
Fax: (01) 860 1602
Helpline: 1890 621 631 (Mon-Fri 9-4, local call charge)
E-mail: info@shineonline.ie
Recovery International are a community mental health organisation that offer a self-help method of will training.
Recovery International
Bridge House
Cherry Orchard Hospital
Ballyfemot
Dublin 13.
Phone: (01) 626 0775
Email: info@recovery-inc-ireland.ie
Out and About (OANDA) is the national organisation for sufferers of agoraphobia.
Out and About
140 St Lawrence's Road
Clontarf
Dublin 3.
Tel: (01) 833 8252.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other in order to overcome their alcoholism and help others to recover from alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous is an international organisation and has branches throughout Ireland. Find information on meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in your area here.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Unit 2, Block C
Santry Business Park
Swords Road
Dublin 9.
Tel: (01) 842 0700
Fax: (01) 842 0703
E-mail: gso@alcoholicsanonymous.ie
Bodywhys is an organisation that provides help, support and understanding for people with eating disorders, their families and friends.
Central Office
PO Box 105
Blackrock
Lo-call: 1890 200 444
Tel/Fax: (01) 283 4963
E-mail: info@bodywhys.ie
'A Vision for Change', the Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy, has advocated the setting up of a National Service Users Executive with the following mandate;
National Service Users Executive
Tel: 085 121 2386
Email: info@nsue.ie