Common mental health problems



This section gives brief information about the two most common forms of mental illness: depression and anxiety. We have also provided some notes about recognising stress. If you think you might be experiencing a mental health problem contact your GP or one of the mental health charities listed in the ‘organisations’ section of this resource. These provide information about a range of mental health problems including psychoses and eating disorders.

Depression

Everyone feels sad, fed up or miserable sometimes. But for some people, depression goes on for longer, and becomes so severe that they find it hard to carry on with their normal lives.

People with diagnosable, ‘clinical’ depression may have symptoms like loss of interest and motivation, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. There can also be physical symptoms like insomnia and reduced or increased appetite. People feel bleak, helpless and sometimes suicidal.

Depression is common. Between 7 and 12% of men will experience diagnosable depression at some point in their lives; for women the figure is as high as 20 to 25%. But depression is treatable. People use a whole range of self-help techniques and supportive networks, as well as professional help or medication, to successfully manage depression.


"It's an art rather than a science spotting the warning signs."

"Nevertheless, the workplace needs systems and procedures to minimise the risk that pressure will lead to stress and mental ill health. Managers and employees have to know what precautions can help. Fortunately, there are clear practical steps that can be taken."

Steve Walter, Health, Safety and Environmental Adviser, Engineering Employers' Federation

Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression)

This is a condition where people have extreme swings in mood – from very high (manic) to very low (depressed).

People can experience this condition in different cycles. For some, the manic symptoms are followed by symptoms of depression in a recurring pattern. For others, the period of mania is interspersed with severely depressive thoughts. Someone experiencing a manic episode may be excited or elated, they may not think clearly and may feel paranoid and become reckless or have very grand ideas.

About one in a hundred people will develop manic depression. With the right support, people can monitor and manage this condition, and there is a range of help available from professionals, including community mental health teams.

Postnatal depression

It’s fairly common for women to be anxious or fearful for a few days after giving birth. But for about one in ten women, these feelings can last a lot longer and be more severe: this is called postnatal depression, and it’s one of the most common complications of childbirth.

The most frequent symptoms are depression (feeling low and unhappy), intense feelings of tiredness or irritation, and loss of appetite, as well as a feeling of not being able to cope, or to meet the new baby’s needs. Once people have recognised what’s going on (often with help from their GP) there is a lot that can be done to help both the woman and her partner.

Anxiety

At times, we all feel anxious or stressed, but for some people anxiety becomes overwhelming and continues for a long time, and can seriously affect their quality of life.

Sometimes anxiety can take the form of panic attacks. During a panic attack, the heart starts pounding and the person can feel shaky, sick or unable to breathe properly. Serious panic attacks can make people avoid going out or going to work.

When people have an over-intense fear of a situation or object, it’s called a phobia. People can be afraid of going outside, or of being in a crowded place, or of particular animals or insects.

Another anxiety disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is when people try to control their feelings of anxiety by performing certain actions over and over again, such as washing their hands or checking they have locked the door.

It’s estimated that more than one in ten people are likely to have a ‘disabling anxiety disorder’ at some stage in their life. But the good news is that there are some very effective ‘talking treatments’ for anxiety disorders, where therapists teach people techniques to control their anxiety. Most of these treatments take a practical, step-by-step approach to coming to terms with the problem.

Stress

Stress is only one factor that may contribute to a mental health problem. The International Stress Management Association defines stress as:

“An umbrella term referring to the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them, where those pressures are subjectively felt to have importance, and to exceed the person’s current perceived resources and coping ability. Prolonged exposure to this reaction may result in unhealthy physical, emotional, mental and behavioural symptoms.”


When stress becomes unhealthy then a number of common features may appear
  • Loss of control and self-determination
  • Insecurity, poor self-esteem and shame
  • Wide variety of physical effects and symptoms usually unexplainable in any simple medical way e.g profound tiredness, disturbed sleep, poor appetite, headaches, aching limbs, abdominal pains etc etc.
  • Psychological distress e.g panic, irritability, poor concentration, mood swings etc
  • Behaviours which are ‘out of character’ e.g poor work performance, emotional outbursts, disputes with work colleagues and family, self-medicating with alcohol (or other substances) to block out stress
  • Poor insight: denial of a problem, avoiding issues, ‘bottling-up’ feelings, reluctance to seek help"

A person experiencing stress may feel:
  • Aggressive
  • Depressed
  • Scared of disease
  • Bad or ugly
  • There’s no one to confide in
  • Lack of interest in other people
  • Irritable
  • Dread of the future
  • Fear of failure
  • Neglected
  • Lack of interest in life
  • Loss of sense of humour
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Increase in physical problems eg. back and heart pain, irritable bowel syndrome and headaches.

One in six people report ‘very high’ or ‘extremely high’ stress at work. However, stress can often be easily reduced by making adjustments in work or at home. At work, these adjustments often involve good management practice.

A person experiencing stress may behave in one or more of the following ways:
  • Have difficulty making decisions
  • Have difficulty concentrating
  • Deny there’s a problem
  • Be unable to show true feelings
  • Avoid difficult situations.

However, these issues are important at work and it is important that a person discusses these and any other symptoms that could influence their work, with their employer.