Mental Health
and
Wellbeing

What is mental health?

 

The state of being mentally 'healthy' relates to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices, and this can seriously impact our ability to do the things we need to.

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There has in the past been some confusion about the terms ‘mental health’ and ‘mental health conditions’. Whereas the term 'mental health' refers to someone's subjective experience of wellbeing in their life, 'mental health conditions' refers to a group of clinical mental health illnesses.

It can be helpful to think of mental health as existing on a continuum. Mental wellbeing is at one end of the spectrum, and is characterised by feeling good and functioning well - while mental health conditions are at the opposite end, where symptoms of clinical illnesses can affect people's thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

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Mental health counselling

 

Mental health counselling is a specialist area. I have attained a high level of education and training, and have extensive experience working in this industry. Each individual's unique 'story' sees my approach tailored specifically to their hopes, needs and wants. I work collaboratively with clients - to help them gain an understanding of what they are experiencing, and to support them in achieving their goals for mental wellbeing.

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Mental Health conditions

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The following mental health conditions frequently occur together. Anxiety and depression can often go 'hand-in-hand'. 

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Depression

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Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life and previously enjoyed activities. It can negatively affect how you think, feel and behave, and lead to a number of mental, emotional and physical problems.

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While the exact cause of depression isn’t known, a number of things can be associated with its development. Generally, depression does not result from a single event, but from a combination of biological, psychological, social and lifestyle factors.

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Anxiety

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Anxiety is a natural human response to life stressors, and serves a functional and adaptive purpose to motivate action in our life when required. However, for some, anxiety is a persistent and pervasive feeling of fear and 'dread', which can result when someone perceives a threat they cannot control or avoid.

 

In severe cases, it can completely overwhelm someone's ability to engage functionally with the activities, responsibilities and relationships in their life. It can include mental, psychological, emotional and physical symptoms, and may lead to more acute experiences of 'anxiety and panic attacks'.

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