Issues
Mental health conditions are conditions that unhelpfully or negatively impact on a person’s daily functioning, mood, behaviour and thoughts. We use diagnostic labels to help make sense of a set of symptoms people experience so that we are able to tailor treatment interventions to manage the presenting symptoms. Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. For some conditions if you are given a diagnosis it does not necessarily mean you have this for life as if you receive treatment and the symptoms are in remittance then you may no longer meet criteria for some conditions.
Common approaches to treatment
At Psychology Hut we always start therapy with an assessment session. The purpose is to introduce you to the process of therapy, to understand your reasons for seeking therapy and to discuss a treatment plan, including length, type of therapy, and goals. This session is your opportunity to tell us about you and the objectives you have for therapy.
Mood
Anxiety
Personality disorder
Mood issues
Mood issues can occur in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. The core feature of a mood disorder is either depressed or elated mood that is persistent. Sometimes these issues are referred to as ‘affective’ disorders. But mood disorders commonly impact on more than just mood – thinking, energy, sleep, and appetite are common areas where you might notice changes in someone with a mood disorder. Read on below to learn more about the specific types of mood issues.
Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterised by low mood, decreased energy, motivation and pleasure lasting longer than a month.
Dysthymia
Dysthymia is a mood disorder, which is a milder, yet more long-lasting form of major depression. It is also referred to as persistent depressive disorder.
Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes people to experience noticeable, sometimes extreme, changes in mood and behaviour.
Anxiety issues
Anxiety disorders are characterised by an unpleasant feeling of tension or apprehension accompanied by physiological changes, worries, or fears. These can become maladaptive if excessive or developmentally inappropriate. If they are associated with significant functional impairment, it can be considered an anxiety disorder. It is estimated that 1 in every 5 people experience significantly anxiety at some point in their life. Anxiety can affect any kind of person at any stage of their life, whether they are an introvert or an extrovert, socially active or shy, youthful or elderly, male or female, or a huge range of other personal characteristics.
Generalised anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry or being afraid, which impacts on all aspects of a person’s wellbeing.
Phobia
A phobia is an overwhelming persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal.
Personality disorders
A person with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from the average person. There are several different types of personality disorder, all with separate criteria and levels of severity, intensity, and functional impairment. Some people with personality disorder may engage in self-harm and self-damaging behaviour, as well as behaviours that harm other people. Treatment for a personality disorder usually involves long term psychotherapy, and for some people, group therapy or medications can also be helpful.
Borderline
Symptoms of borderline personality include emotional instability, difficult relationships, and acting without thinking.
Narcissistic
Narcissistic personality is characterised by an inflated sense of importance, need for attention, and difficult relationships.
Avoidant
Avoidant personality is characterised by chronic feelings of inadequacy and being sensitive to negative feedback.
Prevalence of common issues
Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. In the UK at any one time, the prevalence of mental health issues is as follows:
Personality issue
4%
Generalised anxiety
6%
Depression with anxiety
8%
Addiction
12%
Trauma and stress issues
Trauma and stress issues are characterised by emotional and behavioural changes in response to some type of traumatic or stressful event. This category of disorders exists within the spectrum of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a trauma-specific mental health difficulty. It may occur following an experience of trauma.
Acute stress
Acute stress disorder symptoms include intense and unpleasant reactions soon after an overwhelming event.
Adjustment
An adjustment disorder is a reaction to a stressful event or significant life change. The reaction is seen as unhealthy or excessive.
Eating issues
Eating disorder refer to a group of psychiatric issues related to abnormal eating behaviours, including restriction of food, binging of food, purging or a combination of these presentations. Importantly, there is often a disturbed body image. There are three main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bullimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders are diagnosed over a period of time where those experiencing the above symptoms at a level such that physical, emotional, and psychological health and daily functioning are impaired.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by extreme weight loss, difficulty maintaining body weight, and often a distorted body image.
Bullimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by frequent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in one sitting (binging).
Binge-eating
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder which involved in frequent episodes of eating excessive quantities of food over a short period of time with little ability to control or stop.
Sexual and gender issues
Sexual and gender issues can impact on sexual function, identity, mood, anxiety, and a host of other aspects of emotions and behaviours. There are different classifications of issues depending on the age of the person.
Gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria occurs when there is a sense of unease about a mismatch between a person’s gender identity and biological sex.
Sexual desire
Sexual desire disorder is a long-standing and consistent lack of sexual activity or interest.
Erectile dysfunction
The main symptom of erectile dysfunction is not being able to get or keep an erection.
Health and wellbeing
There are many reasons why people may develop mental health conditions and may therapies have been presented to explain this. We like to think about the “bio-psycho-social model” to help explain how mental health conditions may develop in a person. This means that there is a interaction and influence from biological factors, such as genes; social environment, such as lifestyle; and psychological, such as personality and temperament.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness keeps us aware of our surroundings
Exercise
Exercise helps to improve mind fitness
Sleep
Adequate sleep maintains normal brain functioning
Healthy eating
Nutritious food intake facilitates a healthy mind
Addiction: alcohol, substance, gambling, and gaming
Clinically-relevant addiction can take the form of alcohol, substances, gambling, and gaming. There are other areas under current investigation, such as social media and internet use, that may be emerging as new areas of clinical addiction. Regardless of the form, addiction is known to cause serious impairment to a person’s normal functioning.
Alcohol misuse
Alcohol misuse is described as any harmful pattern of alcohol use, and can include alcohol dependence.
Opioid misuse
Opioid misuse is understood to be any problematic pattern of opioid use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.
Gambling
Gambling addiction works in a similar way to substance addiction, in that the same reward pathway is activated.
Autism, ADHD, and neurodevelopmental
Mental health conditions are conditions that unhelpfully or negatively impact on a person’s daily functioning, mood, behaviour and thoughts. We use diagnostic labels to help make sense of a set of symptoms people experience so that we are able to tailor treatment interventions to manage the presenting symptoms. Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. For some conditions if you are given a diagnosis it does not necessarily mean you have this for life as if you receive treatment and the symptoms are in remittance then you may no longer meet criteria for some conditions.
Autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental condition that causes difficulties in social life, communication, and behaviour.
ADHD
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterised by hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsiveness. Some have predominantly attention deficit, others hyperactivity, and some have a combination of both.
Communication
A person with a communication disorder can have an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts, verbal, and non-verbal information
Sleep issues
Mental health conditions are conditions that unhelpfully or negatively impact on a person’s daily functioning, mood, behaviour and thoughts. We use diagnostic labels to help make sense of a set of symptoms people experience so that we are able to tailor treatment interventions to manage the presenting symptoms. Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. For some conditions if you are given a diagnosis it does not necessarily mean you have this for life as if you receive treatment and the symptoms are in remittance then you may no longer meet criteria for some conditions.
Insomnia
The main feature of insomnia include struggling to fall asleep, waking multiple times overnight, and daytime tiredness.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a long term sleep disorder characterised by severe daytime drowsiness and sudden sleep attacks.
Restless leg
Restless legs syndrome is characterised by uncontrollable urges to move your legs in an effort to avoid an uncomfortable sensation.
Functional neurological and dissociative issues
Mental health conditions are conditions that unhelpfully or negatively impact on a person’s daily functioning, mood, behaviour and thoughts. We use diagnostic labels to help make sense of a set of symptoms people experience so that we are able to tailor treatment interventions to manage the presenting symptoms. Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. For some conditions if you are given a diagnosis it does not necessarily mean you have this for life as if you receive treatment and the symptoms are in remittance then you may no longer meet criteria for some conditions.
Functional neurological
Functional neurological disorder symptoms appear neurological in nature. They can include difficulties with movement or senses, such as the ability to walk, swallow, see or hear.
Depersonalisation and derealisation
Depersonalisation is a feeling of being outside of your own body and observing your own movements or thoughts. Derealisation is an experience of seeing the world around you as not real.
Somatic symptoms
Somatic symptom disorder occurs when a person’s normal functioning is impaired by an overwhelming focus on physical symptoms like pain or weakness.
Therapeutic approaches
Mental health conditions are conditions that unhelpfully or negatively impact on a person’s daily functioning, mood, behaviour and thoughts. We use diagnostic labels to help make sense of a set of symptoms people experience so that we are able to tailor treatment interventions to manage the presenting symptoms. Mental health conditions vary in presentation from person to person, severity and longevity. Some people may have more than one condition to help explain their full experience. For some conditions if you are given a diagnosis it does not necessarily mean you have this for life as if you receive treatment and the symptoms are in remittance then you may no longer meet criteria for some conditions.
CBT
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is recommended by NICE guidelines in the treatment for many presentations, including depression, anxiety, improving self-esteem, and changing behaviour.
DBT
Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) is another form of CBT. It is a therapy that works towards changing negative thinking patters and is useful for a range of mental health issues.
MBCT
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is recommended for prevention of recurrent depression and is helpful for those looking to reduce stress, improve mindfulness, and develop compassion.