This is when somebody suffers with an irrational fear of being in a situation where escape is difficult or impossible.
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Bi-polar is a mental illness that causes people to have severe high and low moods. People with this illness switch from feeling overly happy to feeling very sad. In between mood swings, the person’s mood may be normal.
Visit the following websites for further information:
- www.mdf.org.uk - manic depression website
- www.pendulum.org - support group for people with bipolar
A mental illness that causes a person to have distorted thinking, hallucinations and a reduced ability to feel normal emotions
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Is an illness that manifests itself in the person harming themselves in order to express their severe anxieties. It is a way of coping with severe stress and very difficult situations. Often this is an attempt to take away the distress they are feeling. It is not an attention seeking behaviour, or necessarily a suicide attempt.
Visit the following websites for further information:
- www.nshn.co.uk – is the national self harm network
- www.nch.org.uk/selfharm
- www.selfharm.org.uk
A clinical mood disorder associated with low mood or loss of interest and other symptoms that prevents a person from leading a normal life. Types of depression include: Major depression, bipolar depression, dysthymia and seasonal depression (seasonal affective disorder).
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These disorders occur when our sense of identity, memory and/or reality become unconnected causing distress and confusion. Some forms of dissociative disorders show themselves as amnesia, post-traumatic stress disorder and others including multiple personality disorders.
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Eating disorders are illnesses that cause a person to adopt harmful eating habits. They are most common among teenage girls and women, and frequently occur along wit other psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. The poor nutrition associated with eating disorders can harm organs in the body and, in severe cases, lead to death. The two most common types of eating disorder are anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
Visit the following websites for further information:
- www.oagb.org.uk – overeaters anonymous of great britain
- www.edauk.com - Eating Disorders Association
OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense, recurrent, unwanted thoughts and rituals that are beyond the person’s control.
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Phobia is not an illness but a learned condition. Phobics experience extreme forms of fear of something. People generally have healthy fears which keep them from things that might harm them, but a phobic will experience a panic attack and loose confidence in themselves and their environment. There are many kinds of phobias such as fear of open spaces (agoraphobia) or fear of being enclosed (claustrophobia).
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This is a complex mix of physical, emotional and behavioral changes that occur in a mother after giving birth. It is a serious condition, affecting about 10% of new mothers symptoms range from mild to severe depression and may appear within days of delivery or gradually, perhaps up to a year later. Symptoms may last from a few weeks to a year.
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An illness that prevents people from being able to distinguish between the real world and the imaginary world. Symptoms include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are really there), delusions (false beliefs), irrational thoughts and fears.
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An anxiety illness characterized by attacks of anxiety or terror, often occurring unexpectedly and without reason.
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This information does not constitute as medical advice, but is for information only. It is important to consult your GP if you are concerned or have any questions regarding your mental health.
The Fircroft Trust does not necessarily endorse any of these weblinks, but have provided them as a stepping stone to further information.