Emotional Health

Mental Health & Relaxation

Dealing with Depression

We all have moments when we feel unhappy; it's a normal response to unpleasant events. Clinical depression tends to be more severe than simple unhappiness, and it lasts longer. People with depression can feel hopelessly sad. Sometimes it is even possible to be depressed without having the usual 'miserable' feelings. You may notice a change in the way you are responding or feeling about things.

The following points can be indications that it could be depression:

• persistent sadness, lasting two weeks or more;
• loss of interest in your favourite things;
• finding no fun or enjoyment in life;
• loss of self-confidence;
• feeling guilty, bad, unlikeable, or not good enough;
• feeling empty inside;
• feeling useless or unable to cope with life;
• feeling bored all the time;
• increased feelings of anxiety;
• can't see a future for yourself;
• thinking everything is pointless;
• thinking life is not worth living;
• thoughts of death or suicide;
• wanting to go to sleep and never wake up again;
• especially low mood in the mornings;
• feeling more irritable, frustrated, or aggressive than usual
• trouble concentrating on things, poor memory;
• Loss of enery, tired all the time;
• changed sleep pattern - difficulty getting to sleep, bad nightmares, waking in the night, waking up too early, or sleeping much more than usual;
• spending less time socialising with friends or family;
• loss of sexual desire;
• changed eating pattern - loss of appetite and weight loss or comofort eating;
• getting lower grades than usual at school/college/work, or becoming disruptive;
• becoming a hypochondriac, worrying lots about illness;
• more headaches, backaches or stomach aches than you normally get;
• turning to alcohol or drugs to try to make yourself feel better;

Depression is a treatable condition. Many people make a full recovery without treatment, but treatment makes recovery happen more quickly.

Therpaies have to be tailored to the individual patient. If you are feeling depressed, the best thing to do is contact your doctor.

If you want information or support about your emotional/mental health you can also contact:

Youth Enquiry Service (free & confidential counselling) ~ Tel: 0800 735 0121

Health Promotion Department ~ Tel: (01534) 443900

Jersey Focus for Mental Health ~ Tel: (01534) 789404 / Helpline: 0800 735 9404

MIND info line ~ Tel: 0845 766 0163

If you need to talk to someone......

Low self-esteem 

If you never quite feel that you're good enough and put yourself down all the time you could be suffering from low self-esteem.

This means that you think you are a lesser person than others. It can often be traced back to early childhood experiences, such as heavy criticism, being abandoned, feeling unloved, or being ridiculed or abused. It can also be a sypmtom of depression.

Signs

• feeling that you're not good enough - even if you are
• decreased confidence
• putting yourself down all the time
• being too scared to try new things
• unsure of your good qualities
• making no effort because you expect to mess things up
• being timid, not asserting yourself
• losing your temper
• picking fights
• worrying about getting even
• blaming others for your problems
• constantly bickering about petty issues

Counselling is very helpful for most people. it allows someone to clear out the cobwebs and realise their inhibitions step by step.

Raising self-esteem allows them to feel better about themselves and recognise their good qualities. Their relationships improve and they get positive feedback.

Phobias 

A phobia is a strong irrational fear of anything, and is a very common problem.

We all feel fear occasionally, but in a phobia this fear is all out of proportion to the danger.

Common Phobias

Agoraphobia: fear of open spaces. Agoraphobia covers many different scenarios, from a fear of stepping outside to a need to stay in one familiar place, such as your home. In many cases, it can be defined as a sense of dread that kciks in when no avaialble exit is apparent.

Claustrophobia: fear of confined spaces. Often confused with agoraphobia, this well-known terror tends to strike at anyone who has had an early experience of feeling trapped in a small or closed off space i.e. stuck in a lift or locked in a cupboard as a child.

Acrophobia: fear of heights. Being scared of heights i believed to be a natural instinct, and not a learned response to a stressful situation which gives rise to fears such a claustrophobia and agoraphobia. Most of us are nervous when faced with a hundred foot drop, but it's defined as a phobia if you can't reach the second floor of the shopping centre without freaking out.

Mysophobia: fear of germs or dirt. The technical term for being a clean-freak. Nobody really enjoys getting grubby, of course, unless it's glastonbury and the press photographers have trained their lens on you, but for some the prospect of a little muck under the fingernails can be deeply alarming. It's less about needing to be clean, and more to do with a profound fear of picking up germs, which can have a restrictive impact on your life if you're too scared to shake hands with people.

REDUCING STRESS

Anxiety and stress

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension.

Normally anxiety can be useful, helping us to avoid dangerous situations, making us alert and giving us the motivation to deal with problems.

However, if the feelings become too strong or go on for too long, they can stop us from doing the things we want to, making our lives miserable.

If we are put under a lot of pressure, we may feel anxiuos and fearful for much of the time.

We usually cope with these feelings because we know what is causing them and we know when the situation will end, for example if you have an exam coming up...you know once the exam is over the feeling will pass.

It is quite normal to feel anxious when you are facing something dangerous or difficult, but it is not usual to feel anxious all the time or to feel that anxiety is ruining your life.

When anxiety starts to affect all aspects of your life and prevents you from doing things you used to enjoy, it's time to take action and get help.

Sometimes people avoid asking for help because they worry others might think they are needy or paranoid. This is rarely the case, and it's always better to seek help than to keep quiet and bottle things up.

Your doctor is a good place to start and can help you find the right type of help. This may include medication, or a referral to another agency for other forms of treatment.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) 

 SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Although most people feel a little down when winter hits....SAD sufferers have symptoms that are severe enough to disrupt their lives.

Signs

• problems sleeping: oversleeping but not feeling refreshed, unable to get out of bed, needing a nap in the afternoon
• overeating: carbohydrate craving leading to weight gain
• depression: despair, misery, guilt, anxiety, normal tasks become frustratingly difficult, hopelessness
• family problems: avoiding your family and friends, irritability, loss of libido, feeling emotionally numb
• lethargy: too tired to cope, everything becomes an effort
• physical symptoms: often joint pain or stomach problems and a lowered resistance to infection
• behavioural problems: especially in younger people

The symptoms tend to start in Septemeber and last until April.

They are at their worst in the darkest months as apparently it stems from the lack of bright light in winter. Exposure to bright light every day by using a light box or a similar bright light therapy device might help. Some sufferers also need treatment with prescribed medication from their doctor.

Self Harm 

People who self harm deliberately injure themsleves, mostly as a way of coping with painful and difficult feelings.

People who harm themselves are not 'mad' or 'bad'. They are in toruble and coping with it the only way they know how.

Most self harm takes place in private and is kept secret from others. Instead of expressing their feelings openly, people who self harm take things out on their bodies, and often say it makes them feel more in control of certain situations and feelings.

Self inflicted injuries include:

• cutting
• burning
• small overdoses
• picking skin
• bruising
• tearing out hair

People who deliberately injure themsleves need help and understanding.

They should not be told that they are stupid, selfish, insane or attention-seekers.

They could have been self harming for years before they seek help.

People who self harm can get great benefits from counselling where they can start talking about all their painful feelings in a safe environment.

If you or someone you know needs support with this then contact us at YES where counsellors are avaialble for appointments.

You could also contact:

Samaritans ~ Tel: (01534) 725555 or 08457 909090

www.nshn.co.uk  

SUICIDE

Feeling suicidal...if you have hit crisis point, no matter how bad you feel, remember that there is always help available any time of day or night.

Wanting to harm yourself or having lots of suicidal thoughts is more common than most people think, and there are many agencies that can give you help and support:

Samaritans ~ Tel: (01534) 725555 or 08457 909090 (24 hours a day)

YES: ~ Tel: 0800 735 0121 (Mon & Fri 12 - 6pm or Wed 3 - 6pm)

If someone you know tells you that they are thinking of harming themselves, take it seriously. Don't laugh or tell them to shut up, stop acting stupid or snap out of it.

Let them talk about the problem and try not to judge them. Be kind, stay calm and get them medical attention as soon as you can.

Sometimes offering to go with them to a doctor's appointment will help them pluck up the courage to do so.

It might be a false alarm, but it's better to be on the safe side.