As many as one in four of us will have some sort of mental health problem in our lives, yet it’s still a taboo subject. It’s important to make sure you keep your emotional and mental health in check and recognise if there’s a problem.
Mental health
Your emotional health
Most of us manage our physical health far better than our emotional health, leaving issues and problems to cause real harm.
- Phobias: what to do if you're struggling with a phobia
- Understanding stress: spot when stress is becoming unmanageable
- Depression in young people: adjusting to the emotional changes of adolescence
- Nervous breakdown: the old fashioned term to describe a variety of disorders
- Overeating: what makes us overeat?
- Self-harm: self-harm is a way of dealing with strong emotions
- Suicidal feelings: if you're feeling suicidal, there are people who can help you through
- Suicidal feelings in children and teenagers: how you can help
- Vaginismus: a psychological condition that manifests itself in a powerful physical response
- Sectioning: explaining the process of compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act
- Stigma and mental health: many people can be affected, particularly in the workplace
Mental health disorders
Read the facts on a range of common mental health conditions and disorders with summaries of their symptoms and treatments.
- Alzheimer's disease
- Agoraphobia
- Anxiety, panic and phobias
- Bipolar disorder
- Body dysmorphia
- Dementia
- Depression in adults
- Depression in children
- Depression in the elderly
- Drug abuse
- Eating disorders
- Gender identity disorder
- Insomnia
- Munchausen's syndrome
- OCD
- Personality disorder
- Postnatal depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Selective mutism
- SAD
- Schizophrenia
- Shock
- Stress
- Suicide
- Suicidal feelings in children and teenagers
Coping techniques
The skills and techniques you can use to help you cope and get you through.
- Happiness: can we make ourselves happy?
- Coping skills: keys skills to help you cope
- Bereavement: a look at a variety of changing emotions during bereavement
- Low self-esteem: associated with many mental health problems
- Negative thoughts: sometimes the way you feel is dictated by the way you think
- Thought diaries: identifying the feelings and thoughts that may be making you depressed or anxious
- Anger management: techniques if you feel your anger outbursts can get out of control
- Managing stress: coping with stress and responding to it positively
- Relaxation techniques: how to relax and switch off from day-to-day worries
- Meditation: how to achieve a state of calm
Therapy
There may be a time when your family and friends don't have the expertise to help - and you might wonder where to turn next. There's a wealth of professionals available to help with your problems or issues.
- Talking therapy: an introduction to some of the different therapies available
- Mental health professionals: who they are and what they can do to help you
- Psychotherapy: talking to a trained psychotherapist can help you realise your problems or worries
- Group psychotherapy: learning from others with similar experiences
- Counselling: impoving your sense of wellbeing by talking to someone
- Psychoanalysis and other therapies: some of the other common therapies explained
Understanding prescription drugs
At times, medication may be necessary to reduce the symptoms of a particular condition. To make informed choices, it's very important to be aware of their usefulness and what side effects may occur.
- Medicine and mental illness: the important role they play in reducing your symptoms
- Antidepressants: when they may be of use to improve your mental health
Mental health - useful contacts
Find details of organisations who can provide further information or support.
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