May 15, 2016

Know your mental health

Mental health. It’s always been there, but it’s only now that conversations about it are beginning and the importance of talking about it is being recognised. Unfortunately this has happened, in part, due to suffers of mental health illnesses being in the limelight. Actor Robin Williams and former ELLE Editor and writer Sally Brampton, for example, with Brampton’s book, Shoot the Damn Dog, continuing to inspire many.

Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs this week, is another step in the right direction – opening up conversations and understanding what it is and what help is out there. In order to play our part in spreading the word, here at Girls Talk London we’ll be talking about a different aspect of mental health everyday this week, starting with mental health in brief…

Anxiety

What is it?

Feeling anxious is normal, we’ve all felt the nervousness that comes with exams, a health diagnosis, a job interview or big life decision such as getting married or starting a family, but it’s when this feeling becomes strong and or persistent that it can turn into a mental health illness. As the charity Mind state on their website:

“for example you might find that you’re worrying all the time, perhaps about things that are a regular part of everyday life, or about things that aren’t likely to happen – or even worrying about worrying. You might regularly experience unpleasant physical and psychological effects of anxiety, and maybe panic attacks. Depending on the kind of problems you experience, you might be given a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder”.

What can you do?

If you find that your feelings of anxiety aren’t just limited to house moves and job interviews and it’s affecting your everyday life, there are several things you can do to help, from breathing exercises to joining a support group. Visit this page on Mind.org for more advice.

Obsessive Complusive Disorder

What is it?

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder and covers both obsessions (unwelcome thoughts, images etc) and compulsions (repetitive activities that you feel you must carry out). Either or both cause feelings of anxiety and can seriously impact everyday life.

What can you do?

Avoiding certain situations can help in the short-term, but for longer-term help, see what Mind recommend.

Depression

What is it?

Depressed used to be a word often-used term to describe feelings of sadness but now we recognise that depression is actually something quite serious and such feelings should be acknowledged with more sensitivity and understanding.

As with anxiety, feelings of sadness and misery can disappear “but, if the feelings are interfering with your life and don’t go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back, over and over again, for a few days at a time, it could be a sign that you’re depressed in the medical sense of the term,” according to Mind.

What can you do?

There are so many methods available to help you cope with depression. Check out what Mind recommend.

Mental health illnesses cover more than what we’ve included in this piece. If you think you’re experiencing an illness, don’t keep quiet – talk to someone. You aren’t alone. Mind, Samaritans and Anxiety UK are just some of the sites out there that can help you.

Stephanie Bolton

@StephanieBolton