1 Min In In-depth
Follow this topic
Bookmark
Record learning outcomes
More than 300 million people struggle with anxiety disorders across the globe, and the same number live with depression, according to World Health Organization (WHO) mental health statistics. However, many people still don’t feel comfortable having conversations about
mental wellbeing.
Data from NHS England (NHSE) suggests that people with severe and prolonged mental health problems are at risk of dying on average 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population.
This highlights the need for all members of the pharmacy team to be confident in having open dialogue around mental health.
Indeed, NHSE has called on pharmacy professionals to “recognise signs of mental distress and support children, young people, parents and adults appropriately”.
It has also urged them to help people get the most from their mental health medicines, “so that when they choose to use a medicine, they use it safely and get the outcomes that they want”.
However, supporting people with mental health issues can often feel like a daunting prospect, overlaid with concerns like “What if I say the wrong thing?”
With all this in mind, what are the best ways to approach customers about their mental wellbeing?
Conversation style
Every person struggling with their mental health has their own individual story to tell, so the advice from The Mental Health Foundation is always to ask people whether they want to talk about it and, if so, how they would like to discuss their experiences.
At the same time, it is important to be direct and compassionate, and not to let fear about saying the wrong thing stop conversations about mental health or asking someone how they are.
Pharmacy staff who know or suspect that a customer wants to talk about their mental health could suggest a private chat in the consultation room with themselves or the pharmacist – whichever the customer would prefer.
Give the person your full attention, make sure you won’t be interrupted, and ask questions to clarify and show you’re listening, while remembering that not everyone will want to go
into detail.
Body language is also important. Try to make eye contact, unless the customer is uncomfortable with it, and try to stay relaxed, as this helps you come across as genuine and engaged with what the person is saying.
“Asking someone directly about suicidal thoughts does not increase their risk, and can actually help”
Suicidal thoughts
Anyone can experience suicidal thoughts – also known as ‘suicidal ideation’. Suicidal thoughts can mean:
- Having abstract thoughts about ending your life
- Feeling that people would be better off without you
- Thinking about methods of suicide
- Making clear plans to take your own life.
Suicidal thoughts might build up gradually or happen very suddenly. They can be triggered by a specific event, or might appear without any obvious reason. They can be more or less severe at different times, change quickly, and disappear as fast as they arrived.
According to mental wellbeing charity Mind, some common causes of suicidal thoughts are:
- Mental health problems
- Physical health problems, including chronic pain
- Problems with work, money or relationships
- Abuse
- Experiences of discrimination, stigma or hate
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Trauma, including trauma from experiences in childhood
- Loneliness
- Bereavement, including losing a loved one to suicide
- Lack of access to mental health support.
In addition, some medications can cause some people to experience suicidal thoughts, or make suicidal thoughts worse. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), benzodiazepines and some antipsychotics can have this effect.
Pharmacy teams can help customers who are worried about or expressing suicidal thoughts by encouraging them to talk to their GP as soon as possible, or asking the pharmacist to refer them. Patients can also report medicines side-effects to the Yellow Card scheme.
Concerns about mentioning suicide
If you’re worried that someone may be suicidal, mental health professionals say you should ask them about it, even if you don’t know for sure.
According to Mind, asking someone directly about suicidal thoughts does not increase their risk, and can actually help. It also does not put the idea in someone’s head.
Mind says that asking simple, direct questions can encourage people to be honest about how they are feeling, and many people feel relieved and less isolated when they are asked.
If someone tells you they are not suicidal, but you are still worried about their wellbeing, remind them that someone in the pharmacy team is always there if they need to talk, or to help them find further support if they need it later on.
“Every person struggling with their mental health has their own individual story to tell”
Choose words carefully
When it comes to talking about mental health, the Mental Health Foundation advises that there are some helpful terms to use, while others can reinforce stigma or cause upset. For example:
- Don’t describe a person as a diagnosis or behaviour. Say ‘someone who self-harms’ rather than ‘a self-harmer’
- Don’t use ‘suffers from’ or ‘is a victim of’. Instead say ‘lives with’ or ‘has’
- Instead of using the phrase ‘mentally ill’, say ‘someone with mental ill-health’ or ‘someone who experiences mental health problems’
- Don’t say someone ‘committed suicide’. Instead say they ‘died by suicide’, ‘took their own life’ or ‘attempted suicide’. The word ‘commit’ suggests suicide is a crime or a sin.
If you’re concerned that someone is behaving unusually, ask them how they’re doing in a sensitive way, and ask how you can help, rather than telling them what to do next. For example, they might want support with making a GP appointment, or they might want to talk to the pharmacist about different medicines that can help with mental health issues.
Know your limits
As the front door to the NHS, pharmacy teams can be on the receiving end of all kinds of queries every day, and be expected to take everything in their stride, but you will have your own limits when it comes to the support you can provide, It is therefore important to take care of yourself too.
Give yourself time to rest and process what’s happened in your day. Talk to your manager or colleagues if something stressful or upsetting has happened.
Don’t try to handle everything on your own, and make sure there is always someone you know you can ask for help from if you are feeling unsure about what to do, or if things are starting to feel overwhelming.
Take care of your own mental wellbeing
Community pharmacies across England are facing intense and unsustainable pressure, with morale at breaking point due to worsening staff shortages, unmanageable workloads, recruitment difficulties, and financial strain, according to findings from Community Pharmacy England’s 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey: Staffing and Morale.
With over 4,300 pharmacy premises and 1,600 staff responding, the survey showed these pressures have resulted in nearly seven in 10 pharmacy staff reporting negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, with a quarter of teams saying they are barely coping or not coping at all.
Talking is good for your mental health, but starting a conversation isn’t always easy – especially if you are looked upon as a healthcare professional who is supposed to ‘have it all together’.
If you begin to recognise that you would like to talk to someone about how you are feeling, The Mental Health Foundation has the following advice:
- Choose someone you trust to talk to. This might be a friend, family member or a colleague, or you might be more comfortable talking to someone you don’t know – for example, via a support helpline. It can help to do a ‘pros and cons’ list about talking to someone.
- Think about the best place to talk. Choose a place where you feel comfortable enough to open up. You might prefer somewhere private or you may want to talk while you do an activity together, like walking.
- Don’t forget to be kind to yourself and practice self-care. Eat healthily, exercise if you are able, and try to get good quality sleep.
Ultimately, think about the compassion and advice you would give to a customer asking for your help, and show that same kindness and knowledge to yourself.
Further information and training
● In the TM video module series Counter Conversations, we cover things like listening, handling sensitive topics and body language in detail.
● Mind runs a free online Conversations in the Community course for anyone who wants to know how to support people with mental health issues but is unsure what to say. Scan the QR code for details.
Share:
In In-depth