March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects women and those assigned female at birth, whereby tissue similar to that which lines the uterus grows outside it, causing pain and inflammation.
The condition is widely misunderstood, and Endometriosis Awareness Month aims to help shine the spotlight on endometriosis and some of the misconceptions surrounding it.
We’re partnered with Endo Buddies, a registered charity that supports the wellbeing of people with endometriosis. In this blog they explain how our Shout text service is helping to ensure they are there to support people with their mental wellbeing 24/7.
Can you tell us a bit about your organisation?
We’re Endo Buddies CIO, a registered charity who support the wellbeing of people with endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere around the body causing debilitating symptoms.
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support to people with endometriosis; fostering hope, resilience, and connection. We want to empower individuals with Endometriosis to lead lives of vitality, resilience, and community.
Why did you choose to commission the Shout service from Mental Health Innovations?
Endometriosis is an incredibly difficult condition to live with, which can lead to isolation, depression and anxiety. We conducted a survey at the end of 2023 which showed that 54% of people with endometriosis had considered ending their lives because of it. So we wanted to ensure that there was a service available 24/7 to support people with endometriosis with their mental wellbeing.
Our founder, Katy, previously volunteered for Shout, so there was no question about who we should partner with.
What was your objective when you commissioned this service?
We wanted to ensure that people with endometriosis had access to mental health support 24/7. It’s a free, confidential and non-judgemental service, which is very important to us and the people we support. When you have a condition like endometriosis, you might look ok on the outside but you can be living with really horrific symptoms. This can lead to a lot of gas lighting, a lack of support and empathy from others and just generally not being listened to, which can lead to feelings of isolation. As an organisation, one of our core values is kindness, and we wanted to ensure that we partnered with an organisation which has the same values as us.
What features of the service were appealing and answered your goals?
We wanted to ensure that there was a service that was available at every hour of every day. Many people with endometriosis suffer with what we call ‘Painsomnia’ – when you can’t sleep because of the pain you’re in. It’s during this time that you can feel really isolated and vulnerable with no one to support you.
The training that the volunteers receive is incredible and there are always fully trained clinicians on hand to support them. With Katy’s experience of being a Shout Volunteer, she knew just how supportive they are as an organisation.
The volunteers have access to a library of resources, including our own, which means that they can support people with a variety of issues.
When and how did you launch your keyword? Can you talk to us about any successful initiatives or campaigns?
We launched on 28 August 2024 with a post on social media and a live chat with Amy, our partnerships manager at Mental Health Innovations. The social media post was incredibly well received, reaching over 21,000 accounts and the feedback we received was phenomenal.
What impact have you seen to date? How have you used the insights and analysis from your keyword reports to change or enhance the mental health support you provide?
The response to the partnership has been incredible, we’ve had a lot of positive feedback with many people saying just how needed the service is. The keyword reports have been really positive and show that the service really is needed in the Endometriosis community.
What are the benefits of working with MHI?
The whole team at MHI have been incredible to work with, nothing ever seems like it’s too much trouble for them, they’re supportive, compassionate and genuinely care about people and their mental health.
What would you say to other people looking to implement a mental health support service such as Shout?
We say ‘DO IT!!’ We managed to get funding to cover the costs of our partnership and it has been worth every penny. We would definitely recommend partnering with Mental Health Innovations to run Shout to anyone who wants to implement a mental health support service.
You can find out more about Endo Buddies and the support they offer on their website.
