Today marks the last day of Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, and the final day of our dedicated coverage around the event. Speaking about issues of mental health can be a complex and complicated thing, but having and encouraging continuous con𝕴versations, dialogues and positive discourse around sensitive subject matter can help 🎀us open our mouths, minds and hearts.
We hope you've enjoyed our spotlights and showcases on just some of the most interesting and important games that tackle mental health in a myriad of ways, and, if you can relate to any of our stories, we hope that you find yourself in a💛 position to speak about how you're feeling, if you weren't already. Below is a recap of our coverage this week, followed by some helpful websites and phone numbersꦕ for relevant services, should you, or anyone else in your life, ever need them.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 recap
It's Mental Health Awareness Week – here's m💙y video games and mental health story
Actual Sunlight, 🧔a game aꩲbout an everyman struggling with depression, changed my life
Getting help is hard – these 💙games helped me make first contact with mental health professionals
This terrifying horror game about OCD he♔lped me understand conditions different to my o🐼wn
Horror games can terrify without tropes, and this ga♛me about ☂historical cruelty proves it
From grand retreats 🐻to Grand Theft Auto, walking (and talking) simulators can help offset anxiety
Useful numbers and website information
US
New 988 Mental Health Emergency Hotline
In July 2022༒, a universal mental health crisis line launched nationwide. Calling 988 will connect you to a crisis counselor regardless of where you are in the United States
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI; or text "HELPLINE" to 62640
(🅠Both services available between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET, Monday–Friday)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Phone: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Website:
Suicide Prevention, Awareness, and Support
UK
Samaritans
Phone: 116 123 (free from any phone)
Email: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:jo@samaritans.org
SANEline
0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day)
National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK
Supportive listening service: 0800 689 5652 (6pm to midnig🧔ht every day)
GLOBAL
Check out these 10 games to help kickstart conversations about mental health
Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at GamesRadar+. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His🃏 book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.
