Mental health support

Hi,

I'm seeking advice on behalf of a friend who is suffering with his mental health. He struggles with anxiety, depression, panic attacks and OCD.
He is currently claiming UC and has recently been sanctioned for leaving a job he was struggling to cope with. The job centre has placed a fair bit of pressure on him in terms of finding work which is mostly factory/warehouse positions. He struggles to cope with the pressure that these jobs put on workers, as well as the long hours and he eventually ends up having to leave due to stress.

He has tried to speak to his GP but has mostly been advised to take anti depressants (which he doesn't want), he has tried counselling but this hasn't helped him and is only signed off for a short time period but is then expected to go back into work. He is also somewhat reluctant to find out what other avenues of support there are, in terms of claiming, as he doesn't recognise that his mental health should be taken into consideration and/or that there is any support for someone like him with the issues he has.

He has experienced a lot of previous and long standing trauma and I believe, is likely to continue to experience ongoing mental health issues. It is heart breaking to see him struggle so much and for him to feel as though there is no other option but to keep going through the same cycle of trying to find work but then not coping and then facing penalties as a result. He also tries very hard to get well and to find work and work hard, so would like to know what options would be open to him with his current situation. I think he feels he would cope better with a part time job, with a more reasonable amount of stress to be able to manage, so want to find out how can he navigate the system to facilitate this better. Any advice you could give would be greatly welcome. Thank you.