About Us
Mayo Mental Health Association was founded in 1970 at a time when St. Mary’s hospital in Castlebar was home to some 1,000 in-patients. Much of the public perception of the mentally-ill at that time was of persons’ to be feared and mistrusted.
The doors of our Information Centre in the centre of Castlebar are always open, as we engage with the public through our Social Housing, Health Promotion initiatives and our Schools Educational programmes.
Thankfully there now seems to be a great appreciation of the need for all of us to focus on the importance of maintaining a mentally healthy lifestyle; and we are delighted to say that Mayo Mental Health Association is the vital link that facilitates this!
At Mayo Mental Health Association, our aim is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for all individuals and communities and to support people with lived experience of mental health challenges in their recovery, bringing practical expression to national policy objectives. To follow through on these objectives we run a number of initiatives each year to support the Mayo community, some of which are listed below.
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Mission The mission of Mayo Mental Health Association is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing to all individuals and communities throughout Mayo and further a field. We support people who experience mental health difficulties on their journey to recovery. |
Vision Mayo Mental Health Association is for a county where mental health is valued as being an essential part of personal wellbeing and the health of the nation. Mental Health Ireland will lead the way in informing Irish society’s understanding of mental health and fostering a culture where people with mental health difficulties are respected and supported. |
Values We believe that everyone is entitled to inclusion in society and opportunity for personal fulfilment; We believe in the right of everyone to be treated with dignity, respect and equality; We believe in the right of those experiencing mental health difficulties to be supported in their recovery; We are committed to transparency in our work and compliance with the highest ethical standards. |
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The first step is to visit your GP who will be able to guide you on a range of helpful options available. If in distress or outside of office hours you can contact your local A & E department.
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Call 999 or 112 if you or someone you know is about to harm themselves or someone else. Samaritans Free 24 hour listening service for anyone in distress. FreePhone: 116 123 Email - jo@samaritans.org |
Accident and Emergency Go to your nearest A & E department if you are in immediate danger https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/maps/ If you need to talk to someone, here are a number of helplines you can contact for confidential non-judgemental support. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, you should make contact immediately with one of the following: Phone or go to your local doctor Go to the Accident & Emergency department of the nearest hospitalCall 999 Most helplines will provide a listening service, give information and advice, provide emotional support and point you in the direction of other services. They are often free-phone services which are staffed by trained volunteers or employees. |
Where to go if you have a Mental Health Difficulty in Mayo?
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Your family doctor is usually the first person to approach in relation to mental health concerns. Many people attend their General Practitioner (GP) when they feel they need more support for their mental health. In an emergency situation, and outside of GP hours, it is advised to attend your local accident and emergency department in your local hospital.
The HSE Mental Health Services team in County Mayo includes a Consultant Psychiatrist, Junior Doctors, Community Nursing Staff, Addiction Counsellors, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists and a range of support staff. There are five sector teams, each serving a population of approximately 20,000 and providing locally based community services through a network of Outpatient Clinics, Day Centres, Day Hospitals and Treatment Centres. Please click on the following link to see a list of existing services in Mayo which is broken out by west, north, east and south for your benefit. |
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