Join our mission to provide mental health support to those in need. There are many ways you can contribute to our community and make a real difference in people's lives.
There are several different ways for you to help support us and keep the site running if you would like. We accept donations, which will aid us in continuing to provide a free service to all of our visitors.
We also have volunteer positions available, which is another way you can contribute to the site by donating your time, such as being a forum or chat room volunteer, keeping the site safe and guiding our users in how to give and receive help.
You could do one, or both of these things to support us. Any support we receive is gratefully appreciated.
Please read on below for more information on donating and volunteering.
Depression Understood is a free peer health support website. We are indebted to all those that help support the costs that we incur. We are particularly grateful to HealthfulChat for providing us with this chat room.
To put it simply, the reason we do ask for donations is that Depression Understood is entirely a free site. We do not have advertisements everywhere to colour your viewing experience, nor would we want to have dozens of pop up ads to upset people who come here looking for help.
Donating, if you can, helps to run the site and keep it free. No pesky ads. Our volunteers do not get paid to maintain the site, or to look after the chat, they do this of their own free will, to help make a difference to those that come here, searching for help and/or a friendly ear.
Any donation, for any amount, is gratefully received and goes straight towards the upkeep of the site and improving the experience for our visitors and regular users alike. It keeps the lights on, because without donations, Depression Understood and HealthfulChat cannot run.
To those of you that have donated in the past, we thank you, as without your help we would never have made it this far. The assistance you have provided has been invaluable and we can only hope that if you are in a position to donate again in future that you please consider us.
To donate any amount to our site and running costs, please follow this link.
And thank you again, for helping us be the light in the dark for you and many others.
We have a moderated chat room and forum that runs 24/7, 365 days a year. This site is run completely for free for the world to use, and as such, none of our volunteers are paid. We welcome anyone that would like to volunteer to help the site to apply via our contact us page.
Depression Understood thrives because of our amazing community of volunteers and supporters. Whether you have five minutes or five hours to spare, whether you're a tech expert or just someone who cares, there's a way for you to help.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and bring diverse skills and experiences to our community. What unites us is our commitment to providing support, understanding, and hope to those struggling with mental health challenges.
Many of our volunteers started as community members who received support and wanted to give back or simply compassionate individuals who believe in our mission.
Help maintain a safe, supportive environment in our chat rooms by moderating conversations and supporting members.
4+ hours per month, flexible
Oversee forum discussions, review posts, and help maintain community standards in our support forums.
2-4 hours per week, flexible
Create educational content, blog posts, social media content, and resources that inspire, inform and empower our community.
1-6 hours per week, flexible
Join our chat rooms and forums as an active, supportive community member. Your empathy, encouragement, and shared experiences can be incredibly valuable to others.
Help others discover our community by sharing our resources with people who might benefit from mental health support.
Make a financial contribution to help us maintain our servers, develop new features, and keep our services free for everyone.
Chat Moderator, 3 years
"When I first came to this chatroom, I was really struggling. The kindness shown by both chatters and moderators reminded me that there are still caring people in the world. I wanted to become a moderator to give something back and help others feel supported, safe, and listened to."
Forum Moderator, 8 years
"The chat and forum has seen me through a lot of ups and downs since I first discovered it. Whether it's modding the forum or the chat room I'm thankful for the opportunity to give back. I'd like to think that my being a moderator has maybe helped someone as much as this place continues to help me"
Content Creator, 2 year
"Being a content creator allows me to share skills and experience battling depression to give other people ways to help themselves when they're struggling. To be able to use my own experiences to help others is the greatest thing I could possibly do for someone else. My goal is to show that even though we may feel alone we're not and together we can overcome this obstacle."
Join our team of dedicated volunteers and help us continue providing vital mental health support to those who need it most.
Whether you have professional experience or just a caring heart, there's a place for you in our community. Every volunteer makes a difference, and we'd love to have you join our mission.
