SANE

SANEline (0845 767 8000) is the national, out-of-hours telephone helpline for anyone affected by mental health problems, including carers, friends and family. It is open from 1pm - 11pm everyday, including bank holidays.

SANEmail (sanemail@sane.org.uk), which is fully funded by The Vodafone UK Foundation, runs alongside SANE's helpline, SANEline, to provide an additional channel of support to those affected by mental health issues.  In particular, the service aims to support young people who are affected by mental health problems and may feel more comfortable using this support medium than the helpline.  SANEmail also aims to support those who cannot get through to SANEline and those with a physical disability or mental illness that prevents them from using the helpline.

Emails received by the service are responded to within five working days during the hours of 9.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.  Emailers are able to send emails to the service twenty-four hours every day of the year.

SANE is a UK-wide charity established in 1986 to improve the quality of life for people affected by mental illness, SANE works in three ways:

Changing attitudes

SANE campaigns to raise awareness of mental illness, combat prejudice, stigma and ignorance and to improve mental health service provision.  Examples of campaigns include:

• The links between cannabis and mental illness
• Day centre closures
• Welfare Reform - ensuring that the needs of those with severe and enduring mental illness are taken into account
• Mental Health Bill - working as part of the Mental Health Alliance, SANE has campaigned to secure safeguards for people treated under compulsion outside hospital and those with severe anti-social personality disorders now included in mental health law. Along with other members of the Alliance, SANE has argued that compulsion should be used only as a last resort.

Seeking causes

SANE is unique amongst UK mental health charities in investigating the causes of serious mental illness at The Prince of Wales International Centre for SANE Research in Oxford. The Centre aims to establish the causes of and better treatments for schizophrenia and manic depression, and to disseminate education, awareness and information to scientists and the public.

Providing care

SANE was the first organisation to pioneer a national mental health helpline, SANEline, in 1992, offering emotional support and crisis care. Supervised volunteers who have undertaken extensive training endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists respond to callers. In addition to providing emotional support, volunteers have access to the SANEline Information Database containing over 10,000 records on local and national mental health services and information on illnesses and symptoms, medications, therapies, treatments and mental health law. SANE's call-back service Caller Care provides support to callers at times of crisis or further need, operating during office hours, evenings, nights and weekends.

Similarly, trained volunteers, supported and managed on shift by paid co-ordinators, answer all SANEmail emails.  SANEmail training aims to prepare volunteers for the types of emails they will receive and help them develop the skills necessary to offer emailers emotional support, exploration of their options, information provision and signposting to specialist organisations and bodies.