We are concerned to see this report published by the University of Birmingham about parent carer mental health and thoughts of suicide.
As an organisation we want to support parent carers as best we can to prevent people feeling like this is the only option.
We offer a range of services for people who have Down’s syndrome as well as direct to parent carers.
Our helpline is open Monday to Friday 10 – 4pm with experienced information officers on hand to talk through any issues related to your son or daughter who has Down’s syndrome and to offer advocacy when appropriate.
We offer services to support parent carer well-being including our weekly Well-being Wednesday sessions and the Listening Service which is there for people to talk about whatever they want. Our downloadable Parent and Carer well-being resource can be found here.
We also have several support groups and closed Facebook groups which offer the opportunity to be with other parents who understand.
On a practical note, particularly at this time of year, our free, online DSEngage programme provides weekday activities and a thriving, friendly and supportive community for people who have Down’s syndrome.
If you feel you need urgent support with your mental health please contact your GP or national support organisations such as Mind or Samaritans who are trained to talk with people at time of severe distress.