Health
If you are worried about your health, it is important to speak
to a doctor, nurse or trained specialists who will be able to help
you.
1. General health
A good place to start is NHS Direct, which has lots
of useful information in different languages. It will tell you
where your nearest doctor, pharmacy, dentist or support group is
and you can call them 24/7 on 0845 4647.
Other useful sites are Directgov and the BBC.
2. Alcohol and drugs
If you need help with alcohol or drug addiction, or if you want
some information on the effects they can have on your health, these
sites are a good starting point:
- FRANK (0800 77 66 00)
- Addaction
- Alcoholics
Anonymous (0845 769 7555)
If you are sexually active, it is essential that you look after
your sexual health and protect yourself by having safe sex. You
should not feel under any pressure to have unsafe sex. Having
unsafe sex can lead to a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that
can affect your long-term health.
3. Sexual health
- Brook (0808 802 1234) and the FPA (0845 122 8690) offer
useful information on STIs and sexual health
- bpas (08457 30
40 30) offers advice on pregnancy and contraception
- Terence Higgins
Trust (0845 1221 200) has particularly helpful advice for gay
and lesbian young people
4. Feeling down
If you are depressed, don't suffer alone. There are places you
can get help and people you can talk to:
- Samaritans (08457 90 90 90) provide 24/7
confidential, non-judgmental support
- Childline (0800 1111) and Papyrus (HOPELineUK 0800 068 4141) offer advice
for young people who feel suicidal
- Mind (0300 123 3393) helps people take control of
their mental health
- TheSite.org offers good
advice on a range of issues, particularly self-harm
- beat has information on eating
disorders like anorexia and bulimia