We all feel at times we cannot cope, we may feel down in the dumps, stressed, anxious or scared.
Most of the times these feelings are entirely normal and natural and we know these times will pass and we will feel ok again, however, when we are no longer coping and these feelings don’t go away they can develop into a much more serious issue.
Anybody can suffer with their mental health, a mental health illness does not discriminate, it affects rich, poor, people who live in a place of safety and security, physically healthy, successful people, ANYBODY!
Mental Health is fluid, it doesn’t stay the same, it can change a little or a lot, fast or slowly and circumstances may have an impact on your mental health.
Despite all the education and coverage of Mental Health, unfortunately there is still a stigma.
There shouldn’t be a stigma, but the reality is there is, and some people still don’t feel comfortable being open about their mental health.
By talking about our Mental Health and being open about our feelings, we can empower others to open up, if you are feeling overwhelmed, want to talk or need further information about Mental Health, reach out to services like ours for support. Don’t suffer alone.
Anxiety is very common and affects both children and adults
Anxiety is used to describe feelings of worry and fear. It includes both emotional and physical sensations that you might experience when you get worried or nervous about something.
Anxiety is very common and affects both children and adults. It is a normal human experience that everyone feels at some point in their lives, however it becomes a problem when the feelings become very strong and last for a long time.
It is not always possible to say exactly what causes anxiety. Anxiety disorders may be caused by environmental factors, medical factors, genetics, brain chemistry, substance abuse, or a combination of these. It is most commonly triggered by the stress in our lives and can affect your every day life. Examples of stress and worry that can be linked to anxiety listed below can affect some people however everyone is different.
pressure of school or work
bereavement
being abused
being diagnosed or living with a serious illness
intoxication from drug or alcohol abuse
having a phobia (see phobia section for further information)
having a brain disorder such as autism or ADHD
In some cases there may appear to be no apparent cause of anxiety.
The word bipolar (also known as manic depressive) meaning 2 opposite poles, the 2 poles of bipolar are depression and mania. If you have bipolar affective disorder you will have periods of elation and seem to have endless energy and also periods of depression where you have no energy and barely able to complete simple tasks.
You can have a number of episodes of highs and lows throughout your life and in between them there may be gaps of weeks, months or years when your mood is normal. However, some people swing from highs to lows quite quickly without a period of normal mood in between. This is called rapid cycling. (If you have the rapid cycling form of the condition you have at least four mood swings per year.)
The exact cause is not known. However, your genetic ‘makeup’ seems to play a part, as your chance of developing this condition is higher than average if other members of your family are affected. Stressful situations may trigger an episode of mania or depression in people prone to this condition. It is thought that an imbalance of some chemicals in the brain may also be present in people with bipolar disorder.
Depression is a mood disorder characterised by low mood and a wide range of other possible symptoms, which vary from person to person. Depression can develop very quickly or gradually over a period of time and can be brought on by things that happen in our lives and/or changes in our body.
Depression is much more than just feeling down, it is a serious illness caused by a change in brain chemistry although there are other factors that contribute to the onset of depression including:
genetic characteristics
changes in hormone levels
redundancy
separation or divorce
being bullied at school, work or online
bereavement
In some cases there may seem to be no apparent reason for the onset of depression.
An eating disorder is a psychological disorder that causes serious disturbance to your everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amounts of food or severely overeating. Eating disorders aren’t about the intake of food and contrary to what people believe its more about control. Some people (mostly young teenagers) have so much going on in their lives that eating is one thing they can take control of.
Eating disorders describe illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disorders may include inadequate or excessive food intake which can ultimately damage an individual’s well-being. The most common forms of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder and affect both men and women.
The most common forms of eating disorders include:
A person suffering from anorexia nervosa will typically have an obsessive fear of gaining weight, refuse to maintain a healthy body weight, and have an unrealistic perception of body image. Many people with Anorexia Nervosa will fiercely limit the quantity of food they consume and view themselves as overweight, even when they are clearly underweight. Anorexia Nervosa can have damaging health effects, such as brain damage, multi-organ failure, bone loss, heart difficulties, infertility and even death.
This eating disorder is characterised by repeated binge eating followed by behaviours that compensate for the overeating, such as forced vomiting, excessive exercise, or extreme use of laxatives. Men and women who suffer with Bulimia may fear weight gain and feel severely unhappy with their body size and shape. The binge-eating and purging cycle is typically done in secret, creating feelings of shame, guilt, and lack of control. Bulimia Nervosa can have injuring effects, such as gastrointestinal problems, severe hydration, and heart difficulties resulting from an electrolyte imbalance.
People who suffer from Binge Eating Disorder will frequently lose control over their eating. Different from Bulimia Nervosa however, episodes of binge-eating are not followed by compensatory behaviors, such as purging, fasting, or excessive exercise. Because of this, many people suffering with Binge Eating Disorder may be obese and at an increased risk of developing other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. Men and women who struggle with this disorder may also experience intense feelings of guilt, distress, and embarrassment related to their binge-eating, which could influence further progression of the eating disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is described as an anxiety disorder. The condition has two main parts: obsessions and compulsions. An obsession is an unwanted or unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease. These obsessions are often frightening or seem so horrible that you can’t share them with others
A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or an act that you feel you need to carry out. The aim of a compulsion is to try and deal with the distress caused by the obsessive thoughts and relieve the anxiety you are feeling. However, the process of repeating these compulsions is often distressing and any relief you feel is often short-lived.
There has been a range of theories and a considerable amount of research been carried out but so far scientists have not been able to identify the exact cause of OCD.
However, it is believed that OCD is most likely to be a result of a combination of factors including neurobiological, genetic, behavioural, cognitive, or environmental that can trigger OCD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder which can develop in some people that have witnessed or lived through a shocking, scary or dangerous event. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after a trauma but most people recover naturally, however, some people relive the experience over and over again. If your symptoms last for more than a month, or are very extreme, you may be given a diagnosis of PTSD. There is no time limit on distress, as some people may not develop post-traumatic symptoms until many years after the event and not everyone who has experienced a traumatic event develops PTSD.
The cause of PTSD is when someone experiences something traumatic, for example something very frightening, stressful or a distressing event or after a prolonged traumatic experience. These events can be anything from a car accident, sudden death of a loved one, military, terrorist attack, being a witness for something criminal such as a murder or sexual abuse.
A panic attack is an explosion of high anxiety (that you are unable to control) and is associated with a sense of losing control. Anxiety can be triggered mostly by fear but it can also be a thought or a memory. They can also happen when you are sleeping and you may never know why.
Many people may never find out why they have started having panic attacks. However it’s thought that panic attacks are probably caused by a combination of physical and psychological factors. Some of these factors are:
genetics, having a close family member with a panic disorder is thought to increase your risk of developing panic attacks
traumatic life experiences
money worries
heavy drinking
relationships
The term Personality Disorder is a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern of behaviour of a specific kind, typically apparent by the time of adolescence, causing long-term difficulties in personal relationships or in functioning in society.
People with a Personality disorder differ significantly from an average person, in terms of how they think, perceive, feel or relate to others.
If you have a Personality Disorder, you may find that your beliefs and attitudes are different from most other peoples. Other people may find it difficult to spent time with you due to your behaviour. This can make you feel very hurt and insecure; you may end up avoiding the company of others.
Personality disorders are incredibly complex mental health conditions and the cause is still not fully known. It is thought that they relate to incidents or traumas in childhood such as sexual or physical abuse, accidents, sudden bereavement or difficulties in parenting including neglect. 80% of people diagnosed with a personality disorder have had a childhood trauma.
Some of our personalities are inherited, some people are born with different temperaments for example, babies vary in how sociable they are, in the intensity of their reactions, and in the length of their attention span. Some experts believe that inheritance may play a relatively big part in the development of personality disorders.
People with personality disorders often experience other mental health problems, especially depression and substance abuse.
Schizophrenia is a long term severe mental health disorder. It involves a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion and behaviour, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion. This disorder generally appears in late adolescence or early adulthood, however it can emerge at any time in life including in young children.
Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, the symptoms can be very disabling. Contrary to belief people with schizophrenia are not violent instead they are more likely to withdraw, preferring to be alone.
Schizophrenia is an illness that can be caused by several factors including genetic, vulnerability, exposure to certain kind’s of prenatal or perinatal medical problems, stress, emotional development during childhood, teenage years and drug and alcohol misuse.
Schizophrenia can also be inherited, the risk is approximately 1 in 10 for those that have a close family member such as a mother, father, brother or sister who has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Self harm is when someone intentionally damages or injures their body; it is a way of dealing with, and expressing very deep distress. It can also be to punish themselves or to relieve unbearable tension. It can in some cases be a tool for survival as they feel on some level that they intend to die so they self harm to prevent themselves from suicide.
Most people who self harm are not trying to die by suicide, psychiatrists believe that people who self harm generally use it as a survival mechanism, as a way to express emotion they cannot speak about and to keep suicidal impulses at bay.
In many cases people feel unnoticed, unloved and numb. They decide that pain is a better alternative to their emptiness.
There can be many reasons that they take the step to self harm, it can be:
Self hate
Low self esteem
Overwhelming emotions
Loneliness
Tension or distress
A means of escape from their life
Punishment
Abuse or another trauma from their childhood
Mental illness such as depression or anxiety