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Common Mental Health Issues

Addiction 

Anxiety 

Depression 

Eating disorders 

Grief 

Relationship difficulties 

Sleep problems 

Stress

Addiction

Info and signs 

According to the charity Action, 1 in 3 people are addicted to something. It is possible to be addicted to almost anything, including things such as drugs, alcohol, work, the internet or shopping. 


Being addicted to something means that not having that certain thing causes withdrawal symptoms or a “come down”. This experience can be unpleasant, so it’s easier to carry on having or doing what you crave which continues the cycle. 


Tips and coping 

Addiction is a treatable condition, so you can seek advice from your GP for help or go to organisations which specialise in helping people with addictions. Some useful tips for recovering from your addiction are: 

  • Have a schedule. The busier you are, the less likely your mind is to wander and consider using. 

  • Make sure your environment is safe from anything related to your issue. 

  • Ask for help. 

  • Pay attention to your diet, sleep and exercise. 

  • Identify what may trigger you to be likely to use. 

  • Take it step by step. 

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More information 

All information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on addiction. 

Article from Mental Health First Aid. on tips for talking about addiction: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2018/06/10-tips-for-talking-about-addiction/

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Anxiety

Info and signs 

Anxiety is a response that occurs when we feel under threat and tends to set off our “flight or fight” response. It affects our physical system in a number of ways:

  • Elevated heart rate.

  • Cold, number fingers and toes.

  • Increase in rate and depth of breathing.

  • Sweating.

  • Muscle Tension.


It also affects our behavioural system:

  • Desire to escape.

  • Focus turns to our surroundings and looking for danger.

  • Feeling tense, nervous or on edge.

  • Sense of dread.

Anxiety is an important emotion that protects us from harm, but is sometimes activated when there is no real danger. An anxiety disorder is present when a person cannot function adequately in their day to day life due to the frequency and severity of their symptoms. 


Try this link for an anxiety self-assessment (disclaimer: this test in no way substitutes a real diagnosis but it may give you a better measure of whether you should seek treatment and help for your symptoms).


Tips and coping 

Here are some general tips to deal with anxiety:

  • Talk to people.

  • Look after your physical health.

  • Keep a diary.

  • Try breathing exercises.


Anxiety can build up to panic attacks which are a type of fear response - they may result in a pounding heartbeat, feeling nauseous, struggling to breathe, etc. They generally last for 5-20 minutes and can be quite scary so here are some tips for what to do during an attack:

  • Focus on your breathing.

  • Focus on your senses.

  • Try grounding yourself.



More information  

All information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on anxiety. 

Depression

Info and signs 

Feeling depressed can be simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a certain period of time.  However, this is a very different thing from diagnosed depression. To get an understanding of whether you may have depression, try this online self-assessment (disclaimer: this test in no way substitutes a real diagnosis - but it may give you a better understanding of whether depression might be an issue you are struggling with). 


Depression affects all people differently but some impacts can be: 

  • Unhappiness.

  • Hopelessness.

  • Losing interest in things you used to enjoy.

  • Feeling tearful.

  • Often people with depression also have feelings of anxiety. 

  • Decreased energy.

  • Difficulty sleeping.

  • Thoughts of suicide (NOTE: if you are thinking of suicide please consider calling 0900-0113). 


Tips and coping  

If you think you might have depression - consider seeking help from your GP as soon as possible. The sooner you see someone, the sooner you can begin to recover. 


As depression is a serious mental health illness most treatments involve therapy or possibly antidepressants which you need to get from a licenced professional.


Some ideas for living with depression could be: 

  • Exercise regularly. 

  • Cut down on harmful substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. 

  • Have a healthy diet. 

  • Use a support network for example from loved ones or an organised community support group. 

  • Prioritise a healthy sleeping pattern. 


More information 

SUICIDE PREVENTION - If you or anyone you know may be considering suicide please consider calling 113 Suicide Prevention on 0900-0113.

If you are not comfortable speaking on the phone then visit their website for their live chat option.


All information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on depression. 

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Eating disorders

Info and signs 

There are many different types of eating disorders that students may suffer with. Overall, they are all mental health conditions marked by an obsession with food or body shape. Some of the most common types of eating disorders are:

  • Anorexia Nervosa. This occurs when people are of low weight as a result of limiting their energy intake.

  • Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This is characterised by a person avoiding certain foods or types of food having restricted intake in terms of overall amount eaten or both.

  • Binge Eating Disorder. This is when you experience a loss of control and eat large quantities of food on a regular basis.

  • Bulimia Nervosa. This is when people get caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food and then try to compensate for this by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting or exercising excessively (purging). 

There are many other eating disorders, so for more information on the above eating disorders or other disorders, go to https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/.

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Tips and coping 

To help cope with and recover from eating disorders try some of the following tips:

  • Reach out for support and talk to someone you trust. 

  • Ask your GP for a referral to a therapist, psychologist or support group. 

  • Try alternative methods for coping with your pain than turning to food, for example: 

  • Call a friend.

  • Listen to music.

  • Play with a pet.

  • Write a journal.

  • Go outside.

  • Find out more about the body positivity movement. A good tip is the book “Body Positive Power” by Megan Jayne Crabbe. 


More information 

All the information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on eating disorders. 

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Grief

Info and signs 

Grief is something which will affect everyone at some point in their life. Despite this, grief is a very personal process, and therefore  it is very difficult to predict how people may react to grief. 


After a loss you may feel any of the following:

  • Sadness or depression.

  • Shock, denial or disbelief.

  • Numbness.

  • Panic.

  • Anger.

  • Feeling overwhelmed.

  • Relief, especially after a long illness. 


Tips and coping 

Here are some tips to deal with the grieving process: 

  • Acknowledge your pain.

  • Accept that grief can trigger many different and unexpected emotions. 

  • Seek support. 

  • Take care of yourself physically. 

  • Exercise. 


More information 

All information on this page comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on grief. 

Relationship Difficulties

Having good-quality relationships can help us to live longer and happier lives with fewer mental health problems. However, dealing with relationships is not always easy. Some common things that you might be dealing with are: 

  • Difficulties in building relationships

  • Breakups 

  • Toxic relationships

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Difficulties in building relationships

Info and signs  

Not everyone finds it easy to stay socially connected or to make friends. This might be due to being unable to leave the house, living a distance away from other people, or because social situations feel uncomfortable.

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Tips and coping 

Some tips for making friends:

  • Set reasonable friendship goals. Be patient and allow yourself some time to get to know people.

  • Learn how to put yourself into uncomfortable situations. 

  • Always be true to yourself, eventually you will find people who value your for who you are.

  • Make sure to strive for balance between focusing on your education and your social life. 

  • Keep it simple. Just be willing to put yourself out there and don’t overthink it.

  • Going online can be a great source to meet new people for individuals who feel isolated in real life or just don’t have that many social connections. 

If your social anxiety is more persistent and prevents you from participating in everyday life, there are also a number of support options available:

  • Your GP can help you find an approach that works for you. They may refer you to cognitive behavioral therapy, which is one of the most effective treatments for social anxiety disorder.

  • Peer-support groups can help you recover as well as increase your social support networks.

  • See the NHS Choices Social Anxiety Disorder page for more information on social anxiety.  

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Breakups

Info and signs  

Some signs that you may be better of breaking up:

  • You’re doing all the sacrificing.

  • You can’t trust them.

  • You’ve grown apart.

  • Your major values aren’t aligned.

  • You’ve stopped caring or putting in the effort. 

  • You’re experiencing physical or emotional abuse.

  • You don’t like yourself when you’re around your partner.

  • Your needs aren’t being met.

Tips and coping 

Aside from those related to abuse, the above signs don’t always mean you need to end things right away. Before breaking up, you can try some of these approaches in order to salvage things:

  • Have an honest conversation. Try to speak without being defensive and be open to listening to what your partner has to say.

  • Rekindle your connection. Remember what made you fall in love in the first place and make each other feel important. 

  • Seek professional help. A therapist can help you to understand and communicate with each other better.

  • Forgive one another. Letting go of old grudges is an important aspect for moving forward in your relationship.  

Ending a relationship for both parties is never easy. Here are some tips for healing and taking care of yourself when a relationship ends:

  • Give yourself time to grieve the loss. 

  • Try to resist the urge to isolate yourself. Reach out to people that care about you because their support will help you to come to terms with your feelings.

  • Try not to view the end of the relationship as a failure, but as a opportunity to learn and grow.

  • Try to let go of your anger. Hurting another person to exact revenge on them won’t lessen your own pain.

  • Take care of yourself. General acts of self-care that are helpful are a nutritious diet, regular exercise, a social support system, and strategies to cope with stress.

  • Look at the big picture: continue to nurture relationships with friends, family, and yourself.

  • Don’t get stuck in the past. You won’t be able to move on if you’re constantly being drawn back into the relationship and your ex’s life.

  • Don’t jump into a rebound relationship. Do try again when you’re ready.

  • Do forgive. Forgiving is sometimes not as much about the other person, but yourself, and it allows you to stop investing time and energy into something that is no longer healthy for you.

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Toxic relationships

Info and signs 

Relationships where you feel unsupported, misunderstood, overtly or subtly attacked, or in other ways demeaned can classify as toxic. On a basic level, any relationship that makes you feel worse rather than better can be toxic over time.

Some signs for assessing whether you are in a toxic relationship:

  • You don’t feel good enough and you constantly seek the other person’s validation.

  • You can’t be yourself. You’re afraid to bring things up because you’re not sure how the other person will react.

  • The other person puts you down.

  • You feel like the problem. The other person doesn’t take responsibility for their actions and instead blames you. 

  • You start to withdraw from participating in activities or seeing people in your life.

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Tips and coping 

Some negative relationships can be repaired, but both people have to commit to working on it. There are a number of self-help sources available, or you could seek additional support from a professional.

Some tips to deal with a toxic relationships:

  • Tell the person how you feel: some people are not aware of the impacts of their actions and this can be an effective way to change the relationship for the better. 

  • Set limits: be assertive and clear on how you need to be treated and any boundaries that you have.

  • Control your responses: even toxic relationships are a dynamic between two people. Sometimes the way that the two of you interact can bring out the worst in the both of you, or your responses may be continuing the toxicity unwittingly.

  • End the relationship: if the relationship holds an important place in your life, it makes sense that you would want to try to work on the relationship at first. However, sometimes the only option is to end the relationship.

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If you are worried about a harmful relationship, domestic violence or intimate partner violence, you can contact: Slachtofferhulp Nederland Hulplijn (Victim Support Netherlands Helpline) on 0900-0101.             

You can reach them from Monday until Friday between 08.00 and 20.00 and on Saturday between 10.00 and 17.00.

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More information 

All the information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please explore them if you want more information on relationships problems.

Sleep problems

Info and signs 

Living with mental health issues can affect how you sleep and poor sleep can impact your mental health. 


A lack of sleep can lead to things such as: 

  • Negative thoughts, feeling depressed or anxious

  • Feeling lonely or isolated

  • Experience of psychotic episodes


However, you could also have a sleep disorder. This list of questions to answer may give you a better idea of whether your sleep problems might constitute a disorder.

Do you...

  1. feel irritable or sleepy during the day?

  2. have difficulty staying awake when sitting still, watching television or reading?

  3. fall asleep or feel very tired while driving?

  4. have difficulty concentrating?

  5. often get told by others that you look tired?

  6. react slowly?

  7. have trouble controlling your emotions?

  8. feel like you have to take a nap almost every day?

  9. require caffeinated beverages to keep yourself going? 


Some common sleep problems include: 

  • Insomnia. This is the inability to get to sleep at night or sleep well.

  • Sleep apnea. This is when your breathing temporarily stops during sleep, waking you up frequently. 

  • Restless legs syndrome. This constitutes an irresistible urge to move your legs or arms at night.

  • Narcolepsy. This constitutes excessive and uncontrollable daytime sleepiness.


Tips and coping 

Here are some tips and strategies which might help you manage to sleep better:

  • Establish a routine by going to bed and waking up at around the same time. 

  • Relax before bed. Some of the things you can try out are: 

  • Breathing exercises such as this one, or for a video guide try this one. 

  • Yoga. 

  • Headspace. This meditation app has a whole section devoted to winding down and falling asleep. 

  • Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, tidy and make sure your bed is comfortable. 

  • Keep a sleep diary. Include information such as when you are going to bed and waking up, how long you slept for, whether you have nightmares, your overall quality of sleep, etc. This will give you a better idea of what is impacting your sleep and if you are getting treatment it gives your healthcare provider more information to help you with. For a good template of a sleep diary, click on this link: SleepFoundation official Sleep Diary 

  • Turn off electronics an hour or so before bed. 


More information

All the information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on sleep problems. 

Information from the NHS on how to get sleep:  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/

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