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This is a mental health chat room. It is not one big chatroom, but is a bunch of subcategories. Chatrooms range from alcohol and drugs, fitness, gender, men's health and many more. There are over 50 different subcategories and over 200 people per chat room last time I looked at it. If you want to speak with a specific person you just click on their name, or you can just stay in the large chat room.

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Health Chat Rooms - Mental Health Chat Rooms - HealthfulChat

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This online tool is an email template. There is a quiz that you are asked to take so it is personalized to your needs. It focuses on mental health at work so it is also possible to send this template out to your coworkers if they give consent. The summary on their website says, "These email templates help you communicate to staff who interact with other employees to assign each of the video modules and set up times to discuss what they have learned. You can use the templates as is or easily modify to meet your needs."

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Workplace Strategies for Mental Health - Managing Mental Health Matters Email Series

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How to subscribe to a free series of Managing Mental Health email templates.

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SPARX is a serious game that helps coping with mental health issues like anxiety and depression.  I got this source from www.ebgd.be and they mention the following, "The developers of the program, inducted several CBT skill methods in the computer program SPARX. The CBT focuses on the links between how people think, their ‘cognitions’, what they do, their ‘behavior’, and how they feel. CBT teaches skills about how to cope with negative thoughts and feelings by helping people to think in a more balanced and helpful way and getting them to do things they enjoy or that give them a sense of achievement."
Unfortunately, I was not able to try the game because it is only available in New Zealand, but is looking to expand into other countries.

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SPARX is not currently available outside of New Zealand. However we are working to get SPARX available in other countries soon.

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Smiling mind (an app that I have used before!) is an online, or an app, exercise that works on mindfulness and mental health. The idea of smiling mind is that it only takes 10 minutes off the couch to improve your mental health. Also, the website says, "assists with the management of pain and stress, helps build resilience and compassion, improves focus at work and in the classroom, helps with creativity and collaboration."

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The slogan of "Woebot", the therapeutical robot is "I'm ready to listen, 24/7. No couches, no meds, no childhood stuff. Just strategies to improve your mood. And the occasional dorky joke." It is similar to texting anyone in your phone. You can track your mood, he will give you insight and advice and will teach you things. Also, and possibly the most important part is that he is available 24/7.

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Woebot - Your charming robot friend who is here for you, 24/7

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I'm here for you, 24/7. No couches, no meds, no childhood stuff. Just strategies to improve your mood. And the occasional dorky joke.

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On the right side of this website there is a self test. It is only 18 questions and asks very simple questions on a scale of how many days you felt a certain way. Once you complete the quiz, it gives feedback on the most important topics. If you want to go even further, it gives more resources to use that are specific to your results under "useful links".

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Am I depressed? How can I feel less stressed? Why am I so anxious?

Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or just the normal emotional ups and downs of life, the NHS Choices Moodzone is here to help.

It offers practical advice, interactive tools, videos and audio guides to help you feel mentally and emotionally better.

Tips and advice to boost mental health

Not sure how you're feeling? Try this mood assessment quiz.

Self-help and treatments

If you're considering trying self-help techniques or seeking treatment for mental health problems, these can help you weigh up your options:

You may also be interested in our selection of mental health apps and tools in the Digital Apps Library.

Other people's stories

If you're feeling sad, anxious, angry or stressed, remember you're not alone.

Read real-life stories from other people who have felt the same way, and see how they found help.

Do you need urgent mental health help now?

See your GP if:

you've been feeling depressed for more than a few weeks

your anxiety is affecting your daily life

If you want to talk to someone right away, the mental health helpline page has a list of organisations you can call for immediate help.

The Samaritans helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for people who want to talk in confidence. Call 116 123 (free).

If you've had thoughts of self-harming or are feeling suicidal, contact someone you can trust immediately, such as your GP, or a friend or relative.

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Stress, anxiety and depression - Moodzone - NHS Choices

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Am I depressed? How can I feel less stressed? Why am I so anxious? Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or just the normal emotional ups and downs of life, the NHS Choices Moodzone is here to help.

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This online help tool is sponsored by the Kim Foundation. The page that is linked i scull of frequently asked questions and gives very detailed responses all in one place. Not only are the answers thorough, but also there are linked words that you can click on to reveal even more about that specific topic. The questions are mostly about mental health, but there are also some on meditation which is a proven solution for some mental health issues.

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FAQs - mental illness & mental health: The Kim Foundation

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Common questions asked about mental illness, warning signs, treatment, and more. Have a question about mental health not answered here? Contact The Kim Foundation.

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This is an online advice column. You can choose specifically what topic you want advice on and then there are plenty of different people giving advice. Some users advise a professional's name, or maybe another technique, or maybe give personal experience. It is passive help because there is no interaction, just one user reading what someone else posted from his or her own experience.

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Welcome to Marriage Corner, Even though most people choose marriage and plan to stay married the end result is often different. We now have a rate of divorce that exceeds 50%.

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Tumblr was suggested as a way to cope with mental health issues by free blogging. Doing so can be done anonymously and does not cost money. And can bring people with similar thoughts and emotions together and able to talk freely about whatever they choose.

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This is a treatment online that does have a fee of $25 to talk to a certified therapist. You can receive treatment 24/7. You start by taking a quiz to match perfectly with a therapist that fits your needs.

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An online organization that focuses on hosting immediately available chatrooms for anyone "who is depressed, despairing, going through a hard time [or] just needs to talk." Available from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., it connects users with trained specialists. It does ask for a bit of personal information, such as your name (which you can make up) and age (so the organization can know the age range of visitors). It may also request your phone number, which won't be shared, but is needed if you lose your chat connection or your life appears to be in imminent danger.

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At CrisisChat.org, people who are lonely, overwhelmed, or considering suicide can chat online with a trained specialist at an accredited crisis center.

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This web site gives personal testimonials. It is almost like a blog where anyone can post about their personal situations relating to anything about mental health. It is anonymous. A person who wants to submit anything just needs to enter a name (can be a fake name if they really want to be anonomus.

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Like many, the pandemic has negatively impacted my mental health. The isolation, along with the gravity of the situation, brought on a sense of panic and helplessness. I've felt stuck, living in a world where time no longer seems to exist.

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This website gives many links in many different topics of help. The 4 topics are: hotlines, chat rooms, online communities and apps. Under each of these topics, the website provides 3-6 links that lead you to online mental health help. The only down side to this website is that there are not very many topics. But an advantage is that there are many resources under the topics.

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Image: Flickr, Kirsty Andrews

Sometimes there's comfort in anonymity. Despite living in an era where people readily broadcast their innermost thoughts, not everyone finds it easy to speak up, and that can especially be the case for some people who live with mental health issues.

While it's important to actively seek professional help, you can take baby steps by reaching out to confidential resources. Though no one should ever feel ashamed to take care of their mental health, seeking totally anonymous help can be an easy start for those who prefer to keep things private.

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, take some time to learn about these four different types of sites, apps and hotlines to get you the anonymous help you, or a friend, may need.

1. Hotlines

There are a vast number of anonymous hotlines that cater to various types of calls, from suicidal thoughts to dealing with abuse. Women's Health, an organization run by the U.S. government, has aggregated a number of them on its site, such as:

2. Chat rooms

If you don't like the idea of going to meetings in person, head to them online. Members of organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous conduct e-meetings, so help is always one click away.

Lifeline Crisis Chat is an online organization that focuses on hosting immediately available chatrooms for anyone "who is depressed, despairing, going through a hard time [or] just needs to talk." Available from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., it connects users with trained specialists. It does ask for a bit of personal information, such as your name (which you can make up) and age (so the organization can know the age range of visitors). It may also request your phone number, which won't be shared, but is needed if you lose your chat connection or your life appears to be in imminent danger.

Healthful Chat hosts a variety of topical chat rooms, such as eating disorders, various addictions, bereavement and grief, and more. It promotes interaction with others who have had similar experiences, rather than pairing you up with a professional. It also makes book suggestions based on the chat room you select.

Blah Therapy has multiple offers. You can chat anonymously with strangers who just want to listen - there's a choice on the chat to either be a "venter" or a "listener." You can chat anonymously with a professional therapist for $25. Then there's an interactive community, where users create forums and posts, and encourage others to pose questions and seek answers.

3. Online communities

All over the web you can find groups of people connecting and anonymously sharing their stories via sites such as Reddit and Tumblr. These sites offer anonymity and a free blogging atmosphere, where you can share your thoughts with like-minded folks.

Subreddits include threads for Alcoholics Anonymous, eating disorders, depression and more. An added benefit of these communities is that people constantly share their own stories and links to resources that could help you in your own personal journey. In addition, each thread has a moderator, so if you're in serious need of professional guidance, there will be someone to point you in the right direction.

Tumblr accounts like Here We Will Hope, which helps users combat depression, and Establishing a New Normal are comprised of motivational posts and personal stories. These blogs also have "Ask" features, where you can anonymously ask questions and reach out to users who may be able to help.

To find the one that fits your need, search for hashtags #mentalhealthmatters, which will pull up numerous blogs about mental health.

4. Apps

If you have a burden weighing you down and just need a quick way to dispel it to the universe, consider downloading an app. However, most of them are for simply sharing secrets, rather than seeking professional help, so keep that in mind (though sometimes, after exchanging secrets for so long, users of these apps hatch plans to meet up with people in real life).

Secret: This app connects you to people in your phone's contacts who also use Secret. You post your "secret," which can be liked and shared by other anonymous users. The app doesn't share out your secret until you have at least three friends, so people can't easily figure out your identity.

Whisper: Like the name suggests, Whisper is for those little secrets you almost want to keep to yourself. You can share what's on your mind in a quick post on the app, which anonymously connects you to its millions of users. It's a social network for the antisocial, and can be a cathartic means to express yourself (but remember, it's not to be substituted for professional help).

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4 Ways to Reach Out for Mental Health Help Anonymously

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Sometimes there's comfort in anonymity. Despite living in an era where people readily broadcast their innermost thoughts, not everyone finds it easy to speak up, and that can especially be the case for some people who live with mental health issues.

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This website demonstrates the online tool of statistic information. This page gives a lot of details about what their service provides and specifically what mental health issues can be resolved and how. Using four main areas of: information, clinical assessment, publicly available treatment programs and research trials.