Mental Health Service Teams

Distress Brief Interventions are a means of providing connected and compassionate responses to people who are experiencing distress.

What is a Distress Brief Intervention? 

The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) service aims to reach people in our communities who are experiencing distress for a variety of different reasons.

These could include social difficulties such as:

• relationship problems
• anxiety
• low mood
• thoughts of self harm
• thoughts of suicide
• housing worries
• money worries
• employment issues to name a few!

There is no formal diagnosis required to refer to the DBI service, as it is recognises that anyone can experience distress at any point in their lives, as a response to a multitude of factors.
 

Who provides the Distress Brief Intervention service?

DBI is a two-tiered service: 

• Level 1:  Provided by frontline DBI Partners in Primary Care, Police Scotland, Emergency Departments and the Scottish Ambulance Service. The intervention provides a compassionate response to distress, signposting and the offer of a referral to DBI Level 2. 
   
• Level 2:  Responding within 24 hours, Penumbra are the designated DBI provider in East Lothian. Penumbra offer supportive intervention focusing on self-management of distress, community-based problem solving, developing distress management tools and signposting to community assets and relevant agencies. 
   

How can I access Distress Brief Intervention services?

The Penumbra DBI team support people aged 18-65 in East Lothian.

Appointments are available by referral from the NHS, social work, and other voluntary organisations.

How to access or request mental health support in East Lothian

Contact the East Lothian Mental Health Support Telephone Line and talk to trained professionals for information and advice.  After an initial discussion, you will be provided with options for how you can be best supported. 

The East Lothian Mental Health Support Line is open Monday - Friday 9am - 4pm. 

Call: 0300 790 6292