It seems that our greatest fears and worries and the mental health problems that arise from them are underpinned in the most part by one of two key concerns, either a belief in our own worthlessness or a belief that we will be abandoned by those that we love. The extend to which we all hold these core beliefs depends on our early experiences and their influence on us on an on going basis will be determined by whether or not these beliefs have been triggered by our current experience. These beliefs can be broken down into the following specific concerns:

For a Core Belief of Worthlessness –
No man/woman I desire could love me once he/she saw my defects.
No one I desire would want to stay close to me if he/she knew the real me.
I’m unworthy of the love, attention, and respect of others.
I feel that I’m not lovable.
I am too unacceptable in very basic ways to reveal myself to people.

For a Core Belief of Abandonment –
I find myself clinging to people I’m close to because I am afraid they’ll leave me.
I need other people so much that I worry about losing them.
I worry that people I feel close to will leave me or abandon me.
When I feel someone I care for pulling away from me, I get desperate.
Sometimes I am so worried about people leaving me that I drive them away. (Young & Brown 2003)

If you are suffering with any of the issues discussed in this article and would like to seek professional help then you may find our page about Mental Health problems useful.