News > Get on top of it with SANEmail

Created: 2007-03-01 12:38:23

On 1 March 2007 SANE launched a new email service, SANEmail, to provide much needed online support to people affected by mental health problems. The service aims to reach out to young people and those who find using the phone or talking about their mental health problems difficult.

The creation of SANEmail has been made possible thanks to full support and funding for a two year period from the Vodafone UK Foundation. This support meant SANE was able to employ a full-time SANEmail co-ordinator, Rochelle Batten to oversee the set-up, development and day-to-day running of the service.

"Email has the advantage of being more discreet and anonymous than verbal communication," says Rochelle. "Emailers have a record of our response to refer back to and we are able to send detailed information to them in the form of weblinks."

In particular the need to offer emotional support and information to young people affected by mental health problems via a medium they can relate to has been highlighted by SANE's partnership with the young persons' charity YouthNet UK. The mental health content of YouthNet's site, much of which was written by SANE, is currently accessed by over a million users a year reflecting the importance of the issues within young people's lives.

In order to engage with the people accessing the service SANE set up the SANEmail Young Persons' Panel. The panel comprises a group of core members who meet three times a year at SANE's office in London and a number of email members who corresponde regularly online. Panel members are actively involved in the development of the new service, ensuring that SANEmail provides appropriate support to this key target audience.

SANE ran a competition for a young person to design an image for a poster promoting the service. The winning image, by Jo Peach (shown left) successfully depicts how SANEmail can help those looking for support to get on top of their mental health problems.

Click here for more information about SANEmail and the Young Persons' Panel, or email Rochelle Batten.