TRIGGER WARNING!
This website contains poetry and true stories about trauma, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, depression and other significant mental health issues, as well as personal stories of emotional neglect and physical and sexual abuse, which some people might find disturbing.
Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people with mental health challenges by motivating and inspiring them to write poetry.
"Poetry for Mental Health has supported thousands of people around the world through words and poetry!"
~
ROBIN BARRATT - Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
"Now in my early 60s, I have had a number of significant mental health challenges throughout my life, and have often found it almost impossible to cope. As a Mental Health First Aider, with extensive mental health support training, I supply private one-to-one mental health support across the UK county of Norfolk. At the outbreak of COVID, I also formed
Poetry for Mental Health as a way of helping people cope mentally through lockdown and the pandemic by inspiring them to write poetry. Five years, seven books, hundreds of poets, and thousands of pieces of poetry later,
Poetry for Mental Health
is still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! And with around 1400 visitors each and every month, it
is now probably the largest and most visited website of its kind on the net!"
~
"No matter what your age, background and experience, culture or identity; whether an established writer with many published titles to your credit, or an aspiring poet who has never written a word of poetry in your life, our philosophy here is to embrace, welcome and support everyone, everywhere suffering from mental health challenges, and help you cope through words and poetry ... Get writing!"
NEW - This Weekend's Featured Poetry
Saturday 11th / Sunday 12th October, 2025.
PTSD
By Nick Jones
I'm on ops in Iraq, at the HQ out the back.
Boom a rocket hits the ground, I cower in fear at the sound.
The next is closer and the third, louder each sound that I heard.
OH NO! they always fire four, after this I’ll be no more.
Close my eyes and start to pray, but I’ve forgotten what to say.
Two more seconds and I’ll be dead, racing thoughts going through my head.
Precious silence - a duff fuse - it’s not the time for my life to lose.
I tell the story to brothers in arms and make it funny so there’s no alarms.
But then, after fourteen years, there’s a bomb between my ears.
“Get the terrorists” the voices say, and I’m creating havoc through the day.
Policemen come to stop the fuss, but no way I’ll get on their bus.
They escort me back into our flat and for them that is that.
I disappear inside my head and by the voices I am led.
The urges get dark and deep: they want me to take a leap.
On the balcony ready to fall, but then the sound of my wife’s call.
Then the ambo turns up here, green uniforms so no need to fear.
Time in Section is what I need, then a calmer life for me to lead.
Pills and talking make me steady, and for the world I’m then ready.
But something’s still not quite right, as sometimes I’m back in the fight.
Finally I’m treated for PTSD, and from the nightmares I am now free.
ABOUT THE POEM: "This piece is about an incident in Iraq and the impact it had many years later. Finishing on a message of hope as the PTSD is treated successfully."
Lots more Featured Poetry ...
On the themes of mental health, from hundreds of poets around the world.
"Why is poetry so very good for people with mental health challenges? Because it helps them see the world in their own way, and in a way that makes sense to them ..."
Robin Barratt
Our Books
Click on the covers for further details of all our titles. With thousands of contributions from hundreds of writers and poets around the world, our anthologies are probably some of the largest collections on mental health ever published. Please buy a copy -
ALL
profits from the sales of our titles go towards promoting and publishing poetry for positive mental health.
"People can benefit from writing poetry because it can take the images and the talk in your head and transfer it to paper. It’s like getting the words out
of your head so that they don’t linger there."
Nadine Dunseith
Personal Journeys
In their own words, SIXTEEN incredible writers and poets write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Poetry for Mental Health chats to eight amazing writers and poets about their journey with mental health.
Featured Poets
Featuring SEVENTY-FIVE poets around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
NEW - Featured Books
A NEW service promoting books and publications on the themes of mental health. MORE TITLES ONLINE SHORTLY ...
Articles
Articles about poetry and positive mental health.
COMING SOON ...
Writing Poetry for Mental Health Course
Our new online Writing Poetry for Mental Health course will be available again soon!
We are established internationally as one of the leading resources for poetry and mental health and, over the past five years, have supported hundreds people across the world and showcased thousands of pieces of poetry! If you already write poetry, but would like to further develop your skills and style, or have not written a word of poetry in your life, but would like to start, then this course will be perfect for you.
Other ...
NEW - Classified Adverts
Advertise your mental health and related products and services and reach thousands of people around the world.
Directory of Support Services
Charities, groups and organisations worldwide offering mental health help and support to people in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid
Identifying warning signs of common mental health crisis, and how to guide a person towards safety and appropriate help. More info ...
Self-Publishing Services
We publish books for other people too! Poetry for Mental Health also helps writers and poets self-publish their own titles via Amazon's global publishing platforms.
Mental Health Awareness
Safer Minds believes everyone, everywhere should have some awareness of basic mental health.
Merchandise ...
Poetry for Mental Health mugs
AVAILABLE SHORTLY ... Our Poetry for Mental Health mugs, ideal for a brew while you are concentrating on your words! Con post internationally*.
Contact us for further details and prices.
*To selected countries only.
Newletter
Be kept updated with our news and calls for submissions. We'll never send you more than one email a month!
“No matter how bad something may seem at that moment in time when you feel all is lost, it can get better if you can only give it more time."
Lynda Tavakoli
NOTE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: We publish mental health poetry from around the world, and for a number contributors to this website, English is not their first language. Unlike some other platforms, we don't heavily edit a poet's own work (if we did, it would then not be their own work!), so please focus on a poet's messages and meanings, and not necessarily on any grammatical mistakes or translated imperfections that may arise within their contribution.
