Call 999 or go to A&E if someone’s life is at risk, they have seriously harmed themselves or taken an overdose, or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe.
Adults’ mental health
Start with what you need today.
Clear routes for stress, anxiety, low mood, trauma and crisis—including walk-in support in communities across Plymouth.
If you need help now
Choose the safest next step.
Choose by need
What would be most helpful now?
For many non-urgent concerns, a community drop-in is an excellent first step. You can also use more than one route.
Urgent helpI need help now
Use NHS 111 and select the mental-health option if you need urgent support but there is no immediate danger.
See urgent-help options → Recommended community routeWalk in and talk to someone face to facePlymouth Mental Health & Recovery Drop-ins offer a real conversation with a Recovery Practitioner, practical help and routes into further support.
Why try a drop-in? → Self-referralAnxiety, low mood or PTSDPlymouth NHS Talking Therapies offers free support for common mental-health difficulties and accepts self-referrals.
Explore talking therapies → Practical wellbeing supportLife feels difficult in several different waysA social-prescribing link worker can help with isolation, community activities, money, housing, work, caring and living well with a health condition.
How social prescribing helps → Self-help guidesPoor sleep is affecting how I feelPractical guidance to understand sleep, improve the conditions for rest and use medication safely.
Explore help with sleep → Clinical adviceI need clinical or medication adviceContact Pathfields when symptoms are persistent or worsening, physical health may be involved, or you need advice about medication.
See how Pathfields can help → Separate pathwayCould this be ADHD or autism?Read Pathfields’ approved guidance on support, assessment routes, Right to Choose and ADHD prescribing responsibilities.
Adult ADHD and autism →A main route for non-urgent support
Walk in and have a real conversation—without waiting for an appointment.
Mental-health support is moving closer to where people live. Plymouth’s free Mental Health & Recovery Drop-ins bring Recovery Practitioners and community organisations together in welcoming local spaces across the city.
This is more than being handed a leaflet. You can talk one-to-one about how you are feeling, get practical advice and leave with a clearer idea of what might help next.
Find a Plymouth drop-in →Choose the place and day that works for you. You do not have to wait for a referral before taking a useful first step.
Where and when
A Plymouth drop-in every weekday.
Attend whichever location and day suits you. Always check the live timetable before travelling in case of a temporary closure.
Timetable checked 29 October 2026Monday1.30pm–4.30pm
WhitleighFour Greens Community Trust15 Whitleigh Green, Plymouth PL5 4DD
Excluding bank holidaysTuesday1pm–4pm
Central ParkCentral Park HubMayflower Drive, Plymouth PL2 3DG
Wednesday1pm–4pm
PlymptonRees Family & Wellbeing HubMudge Way, Plymouth PL7 2PS
Thursday1pm–4pm
City CentreSherwell United ChurchNorth Hill, Plymouth PL4 8ER
Friday10am–1pm
EffordEfford Christian Fellowship20 Torridge Way, Plymouth PL3 6JG
Closed Friday 30 October 2026What to expect
You can simply turn up.
You do not need to prepare a formal history or know which service you need. Start by telling someone what has been difficult recently and what kind of help would feel useful.
- ✓A friendly, non-clinical space
Come for support for yourself, because you are supporting someone else, or because you feel isolated and would value connection.
- ✓A private conversation if helpful
Trained Recovery Practitioners are available for one-to-one chats about how you are feeling and what is happening in your life.
- ✓Practical and emotional support
Explore useful next steps, local activities, community help and ways to support your wellbeing—not only medical options.
- ✓Help finding other services
Staff can explain local mental-health support and help connect you with other services or organisations where appropriate.
Other support in Plymouth
A few trusted places we often signpost to.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with a Mental Health & Recovery Drop-in. The organisations below may be especially helpful when you already know the kind of support you are looking for.
Search the complete resource directory →
Groups, courses and emotional supportDevon Mind
Plymouth-based support including groups, workshops, one-to-one emotional support, wellbeing activities and low-cost counselling.
See Devon Mind support →When you feel you may be approaching crisisHead SpaceOut-of-hours, non-clinical peer support in a calm and safe setting. Check the current opening and booking arrangements before attending.
Check Head Space →Recovery and practical goalsRethink PlymouthOne-to-one and group support for adults affected by severe mental illness, including independence, housing, community links, learning, volunteering and work.
See Rethink Plymouth →Women who want a safe, trauma-informed spaceSunflower Women’s CentreFree women-only support in Plymouth, with one-to-one help, groups and practical advice around wellbeing, trauma, relationships, housing, money and confidence.
Visit Sunflower →Men who would value peer supportAndy’s Man ClubFree, confidential, peer-led groups where men can talk—or simply listen—without pressure or judgement. Groups meet Mondays at 7pm, except bank holidays.
Find the Plymouth group →Free NHS support in Plymouth
You can refer yourself for talking therapies.
Plymouth NHS Talking Therapies supports people aged 16 and over who are registered with a Plymouth GP and experiencing common difficulties such as anxiety, depression or PTSD.
You do not need to speak to a GP first. The service will ask about what you are experiencing and whether it is the right level of support for you.
Open the self-referral page →Pathfields support
Contact the practice when clinical input may be needed.
For listening, practical support or help finding the right service, begin with a Mental Health & Recovery Drop-in. Contact Pathfields when there may be a clinical question about your symptoms, physical health or medication.
Help with medication →- Symptoms are lasting or worseningParticularly when sleep, appetite, work, relationships or day-to-day functioning are being affected.
- You need a medication reviewFor questions about starting, stopping, side effects or whether current treatment is helping.
- Physical health may be involvedSome physical conditions, medicines, alcohol or drug use can affect mood, anxiety, sleep and concentration.
- Several health issues need considering togetherA clinician may need to look at physical health, medicines, alcohol or drug use and mental health as part of the same picture.
Community support is often the most useful first step
The Plymouth drop-ins offer time, listening, practical support and help navigating services without a GP appointment. When clinical input is needed—for example for medication, physical-health questions or a complex picture—Pathfields can arrange the appropriate clinical route.
Help with medication
Clear antidepressant information, without judgement.
Antidepressants can be helpful, but medication is one option within a wider plan. These guides explain the decision, commonly used medicines, what to expect and the support that can sit alongside treatment.
Before startingThinking about starting antidepressants?
A balanced guide to whether medication may help, other options and preparing for a shared decision.
Read guide →Choosing a medicineWhich antidepressant?A practical comparison of commonly used medicines, their differences and the side effects that may matter to you.
Read guide →The first few weeksStarting antidepressants: what to expectEarly effects, side effects, reviews, safety and how improvement may begin to appear.
Read guide →Alongside medicationSupporting your recoverySleep, movement, stress, nourishment, talking therapy, practical help and human connection.
Read guide →Help with sleep
Poor sleep can affect how everything else feels.
Start with practical, evidence-informed guidance you can use yourself. These guides explain how sleep works, what supports rest and why sleeping tablets are usually only a short-term tool.
Understand sleepSleep: create the right conditions
A clear guide to sleep pressure, body clocks, common insomnia habits and practical ways to improve sleep.
Read guide →MedicationWhy don’t doctors usually recommend sleeping tablets?Why sleeping tablets are usually short-term tools and what can help address insomnia more effectively.
Read guide →Rest and recoveryFind your calm: the science of rest and repairBreathing, movement, connection, nature and other realistic ways to support recovery.
Read guide →Before an appointment or referral
A few notes can make the conversation easier.
You do not need to write an essay or find the perfect words. Short examples are enough.
Explore NHS Every Mind Matters →- what has changed, when it began and whether anything triggered it
- the effect on sleep, appetite, work, relationships and everyday tasks
- medicines, alcohol or drug use, and any physical symptoms
- what you have already tried and what has helped, even a little
- any thoughts of self-harm, suicide or feeling unable to keep yourself safe
Adult ADHD and autism
View adult neurodiversity guidance →A related pathway, with clear practice guidance.
Explore support without a diagnosis, local NHS and Right to Choose assessment routes, private care and Pathfields’ ADHD prescribing policy.
A social prescriber can help when health is only part of the picture.
A link worker has time to listen to what matters to you and help turn it into manageable next steps. They know local groups and services and can support you to make the first connection—not simply hand you a list.