Educating, informing, and securing safe spaces – our Mental Health Awareness Week roundup

(Image credit: The Chinese Room)

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 conversations, 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 numbers 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 my video games and mental health story

Actual Sunlight, a game about 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 helped me understand conditions different to my own

Horror games can terrify without tropes, and this game 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

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: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Suicide Prevention, Awareness, and Support
www.suicide.org

Samaritans
Phone: 116 123 (free from any phone)
Email: 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 midnight every day)

GLOBAL

Global list of hotlines for mental health help via psycom.net

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.