Self-help or Support Groups

Publication

Directory of UK Self Help Groups (9th edition published spring 02) details over 780 UK Self Help Groups. £12.50 including postage and packing from G-Text, 259 Squires Gate Lane, Blackpool, FY4 3RE, email: g.text@btinternet.com

Other web listings

• Self Help Connect UK Acts as a national as well as local resource.
• Self Help UK This works on a ‘search’ basis – they claim to have more than 1000 UK self-help and support groups on file. The front page was rather slow to load when we tried.
• TheSite Run by YouthNet, there are various advice pages with contact lists.
• Patient Lists UK self help and patient support groups, health and disease information providers.
• FindSupport National Directory.

Children/Youth

• ChildLine Factsheets and other info. Phone 0800 1111.
• CLIMB Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases.
• I Can For parents and professionals on speech and language development in children.
• Young Minds Mental health, for parents, young people, professionals.

Families

• Contact A Family Has well-presented support network for rare diseases.
• Gingerbread The organisation for lone parent families.
• Sibling Support. A new support group for siblings of the disabled. Web site link is via Tuberous Sclerosis.

General

• Befriending Network (Scotland). Volunteers supporting people with life-threatening illness at home.
• Dyslexia British Dyslexia Association.
• Phobics Society – now Anxiety UK.
• Samaritans.

Mental Health

• Depression Alliance.
• Rethink.
• Scottish Recovery Network.
• Bipolar self-help groups

Medical conditions

• Alzheimers.
• Diabetes.
• DEBRA – Epidermolysis Bullosa.
• Epilepsy Action British Epilepsy Association site. Includes BEA-Connect, seeking to build a web community of the 40 million people world-wide suffering from this. Also see National Society for Epilepsy for information, message boards etc.
• Action for ME.
• Prostate Cancer UK.
• STARS Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures. Fainting and related.

Physical Disabilities

• The Association for Children with Hand or Arm Deficiency – REACH.
• Children with Lower Limb Abnormalities – STEPS.
• Limbless Association.
• Spinal Injuries.