Mental Health Problems We Can Help With
Here you will find a list of common problems that our Psychologists & Psychotherapists can help you with. Don’t worry if your circumstances don’t quite fit an individual category as everyone is different and your symptoms could cover a range of the problems listed below. CBT and talking therapies can help with many different mental health problems so just because a condition isn’t listed here doesn’t mean we can’t help.
We offer Face to Face Counselling, Online/Skype Counselling and Telephone Counselling.
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Chronic Migraines
A migraine is a moderate to severe headache that is accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound and lasts for between 2 and 72 hours. In addition, some sufferers report experiencing a disturbance to vision, hearing, speech and/or physical movement prior to the onset of a migraine. Migraines are classed as chronic if the sufferers experiencing symptoms for more than 15 days of the month. Women are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men.
Panic Attacks
A Panic Attack is a distinct episode of anxiety, the onset of which is sudden, and the duration relatively short. During a panic attack symptoms of anxiety are severe, intense and overwhelming, so much so that many people end up in A&E fearing that they are having a heart attack. Repeated Panic Attacks, where an individual’s biggest fear is having another Panic Attack and where this fear is interfering with their ability to do everyday things, is called Panic Disorder.
Carers
Caring for someone, especially someone that you love, can be both physically and emotionally challenging. It is therefore often the case that carers need support themselves, often in the form of counselling in order to continue to provide care to their loved one without that care having a detrimental impact on their own physical and mental health.
Depression & Low Mood
By 2020 depression will be the second most disabling condition in the World after heart disease. A significant number of sufferers will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated.
Eating Disorders
An Eating Disorder is a way of coping with uncomfortable emotions triggered by, amongst other things, difficult or distressing experiences, overwhelming pressure/expectations and low self-esteem. A focus on controlling eating and weight gives the sufferer a goal that takes them away from problems in life, or within themselves that feel unmanageable and inescapable, and provides them with a sense of control and potential achievement in the face of fear or failure and negative evaluation by others (and themselves).
Types of Eating Disorders Include:
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Eating Disorder Not Otherwise
- Specified (EDNOS)
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How to Beat the Winter Blues
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. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that starts during the autumn period, worsens during the winter months, particularly between December and February, and typically improves again in the spring. Symptoms typically can include: A persistent low mood Feeling lethargic or persistent low energy Loss of interest or pleasure in everyday things Sleep difficulties, disturbed sleep, difficulty waking Irritability Depression and/or anxiety, sometimes for no apparent reason Craving carbohydrates and weight gain What causes SAD? The seasonal nature of SAD symptoms are thought to be caused by the changes in exposure to natural sunlight during the winter months, within the higher latitudes of the Northern hemisphere. Like many other animals in the natural world, our bodies have evolved to rely on exposure to natural light in order to maintain our circadian rhythms, that is to regulate bodily functions such as appetite, digestion, energy levels, sleep and mood. Whereas for most of our evolutionary history we lived and worked outdoors and our working day was limited by the availability of natural light, in the modern world most people spend the majority of the day working indoors. Furthermore, the working day has been artificially extended by the invention of the electric light bulb, meaning that we no longer work – and wake – in harmony with our natural biological rhythm. What’s the science behind it? The homeostatic control centre of the brain, the hypothalamus, responsible for regulating our basic physiological processes, is thought to function less effectively in response to reduced exposure to sunlight. Consequently, the production of certain hormones is affected, specifically: Melatonin: People suffering from SAD produce higher levels of the sleep hormone melatonin during the winter months, accounting for an increase in sleepiness and lack of energy. Serotonin: People suffering from SAD usually produce lower levels of serotonin, which affects mood, appetite and sleep. In addition, there is some evidence that SAD may have a genetic component as some cases appear to run in families. How can psychology help? Whilst there
Cancer
A diagnosis of cancer presents us with a multitude of emotional challenges that are sometimes easy to overlook when we are faced with such devastating physical ones. However, addressing the emotional and psychological challenges that accompany a diagnosis of cancer will make a significant difference to how you are able to manage the physical ones.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There is no blood test or brain scan that can be used to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) so diagnosis is based on the presence of persistent mental and physical fatigue that is not due to ongoing exertion or another medical condition and is not relieved by rest.
Chronic Migraines
A migraine is a moderate to severe headache that is accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound and lasts for between 2 and 72 hours. In addition, some sufferers report experiencing a disturbance to vision, hearing, speech and/or physical movement prior to the onset of a migraine. Migraines are classed as chronic if the sufferers experiencing symptoms for more than 15 days of the month. Women are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men.
Doctors & Healthcare Professionals
The professional responsibility of caring for others presents both intellectual and emotional challenges and these are sometimes hard to balance with the demands of a personal life.
Physical Pain
The experience of chronic or persistent physical pain is not simply the result of the underlying physiological cause but a combination of the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that accompany it. This explains why it if often not sufficient to treat only the physical aspects of pain (e.g. via analgesics).
Stress
Stress is a pressure that we cannot cope with or that is overwhelming us. Stress has an impact on every aspect of our lives; it disrupts our thinking patterns making it harder for us to consider things in a calm, clear and measured way, it effects how we feel leaving us physically tense and emotionally volatile, intolerant and exhausted and it interferes with normal patterns of behaviours including sleeping, eating and sex drive.
