If December is the ‘season to be jolly’, January is the season to be depressed. Hot on the heels of the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ is the most emotionally and psychologically challenging. At The British CBT & Counselling Service requests for therapy triple in January with people feeling more depressed and anxious than at any other time. So why is this time of the year so difficult?
How to Beat the Winter Blues It’s that time of year again: the clocks are changing back, the days get shorter and many of us can begin to notice a dip in mood. Whether you simply suffer from a touch of autumnal apathy or veer towards Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s good to plan ahead in order to beat the winter blues.
Back to Work Blues The majority of the working population has started going back to work at some stage this week. And if you were amongst that group of people, you most likely felt a little bit sad and miserable about it… Feeling blue when going back to work after holidays is a recognised phenomenon and has been variously named
If you are struggling with a mental health problem, particularly depression, the answer to this question is likely to be ‘not very well’. The way that we treat ourselves has a big impact on how we feel. It can be the difference between good mental health and bad mental health. From the things that we do or neglect to do
Here is a quick tip to help you in the battle against low self-esteem and depression. To a certain extent rules help us to live our lives, they keep us safe both physically and emotionally and they guide us in a productive direction. The most powerful rules are the rules we make for ourselves. However, past a certain point these
Perfectionism is when trying to do your best tips over into a desire to perform at the highest possible level in most things. Clinical Perfectionism is when this desire becomes something that you NEED to do in order to feel ok about yourself and when you fall short of this unrelenting standard you harshly criticise yourself. Do you suffer from
In recent weeks Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle has seen a return of the distressing voices that we first saw her experiencing back in 2014. But what causes someone to hear voices in the first place? In this blog I explain what is meant by voice hearing and what you can do if it affects you or someone you know. Our thoughts
It is estimated by the World Health Organisation that if current trends continue, by 2020 Depression will be the second most disabling condition in the world, after heart disease. There are however some very effective strategies that can help you to cope with Depression, in this blog I am going to share 4 of the best. 1. Activity Scheduling
This week on Coronation Street Aidan Connor committed suicide, but could his death have been prevented? The short answer is ‘yes’, but unfortunately, although suicide is very preventable, it is the single biggest killer of men under 45. 50% of all those who die by suicide have been diagnosed with Depression and by 2020 it is estimated that Depression will
Why “13 Reasons Why” Has Sparked Controversy Mental health organisations have criticised Netflix for their latest original series 13 Reasons Why. The shows protagonist takes her own life, leaving behind a set of pre-recorded tapes to various recipients with the intent to enlighten how that person contributed to her act. Viewers learn that her suicide was performed as a ‘revenge
Are Thinking Errors Making you Depressed Our thoughts are the result of a filtering process whereby the information that we receive from the outside word is ordered and restructured to fit in with our existing beliefs about ourselves, the world and other people. This means that our thoughts are not an objective representation of what we see but literally our
The symptoms of low mood or depression can bring about some drastic changes in a person’s life, daily routines, and their behaviour. Often it is these changes that makes mood worse and prevents the person from getting better. For example, a lack of motivation or energy can result in a person cutting back on their activities, neglecting their daily tasks
When it comes to this question there can be confusion with regard to what constitutes workplace bullying and, what to do about it. What is workplace bullying? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) highlight there is no legal definition for workplace bullying, however they describe it as “negative behaviour being targeted at an individual, or individuals, repeatedly and persistently over time”.
We all avoid things from time to time, unfamiliar or anxiety provoking things or just things that we would rather not deal with. Avoidance is an evolutionary response to perceived danger, it is one of the things we are preprogrammed to do if we feel uneasy or anxious; in the face of danger we run to the back of the
In the first part of this blog we look at how our thoughts are key in protecting ourselves against depression and low mood. It is not what happens to us that makes us depressed, situations in and of themselves do not have the power to influence our mood. It is the way that we think about the things that happen
Sometimes when we are struggling with something, we become so consumed by it that we are unaware of the impact it is having on us and the people around us and we need someone else to raise our awareness of this and our need for help. This scenario is a common one for people suffering with depression. Below are a
1. The Underlying Theory is flawed. Anti depressants (e.g. Citalopram, Sertraline, Paroxetine, Fluoxetine) assume a physiological basis to depression, which as yet, has not proven. Some studies have found differences between the brains of individual with and without depression but these differences can be just as easily explained as being due to depression as well as being a cause of
The risk of you suffering from depression does increase if a member of your family also suffers from depression, however, this is not for the reasons that you may think. Depression is not a physiological problem; there is no indisputable evidence to show that depression is caused by a defect of deficit in the organic structure of the brain. Research
4 Tips for Dealing with Negative Thoughts Negative thoughts are the main cause of many common mental health problems including anxiety, panic attacks, stress, depression, eating disorders (inc. anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, eating disorders not otherwise specified {EDNOs}), obsessive compulsive disorder {OCD}, post traumatic stress disorder {PTSD} and relationship problems. Negative thoughts are in essence beliefs about
How to Cope with Depression Depression results from a combination of negative and/or self critical thoughts and self defeating or self destructive behaviours. Successfully resolving depression therefore involves resolving at least one of these issues. Often the first step in a person’s battle to overcome depression is to address the self defeating behaviours that are fuelling their low mood. This
Dear Dr Gray, I am not sure what is wrong with me, I feel terrible, I have no energy, I’m miserable, I struggle to get out of bed in the morning and feel completely worthless. I have also started to feel anxious if I have to leave the house. Please help. Simon (Clapham) Dr Gray Replies…….. Dear Simon, Your lack
A Nation of Pill Poppers? We’d Rather Walk or Talk! A recently published study by Nuffield Health has raised headlines across the national press claiming that GPs are turning Great Britain into “a nation of pill poppers” as GPs are turning to prescription medication to treat individuals suffering from mental health concerns, such as anxiety, whilst ignoring other valuable options
It has long been recognised that vigorous exercise such as going to the gym, running, swimming and cycling can alleviate the symptoms of Depression. New research, published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity , has shown that walking also has a ”large effect” on depression and an individuals mental health. As simple a task as taking a brisk
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