Types of Concerns
The concerns listed below are just some responses to stress that may benefit from intervention from a professional.
DEPRESSION
Depression not only affects how you feel but also how you think and behave. Untreated depression can go on to cause a variety of physical, social, occupational and relationship problems.
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Depression affects nearly 1 in 6 adults in the UK. It can be triggered by a variety of things such as life changes, physical illness, loss etc – this is referred to as ‘reactive depression'.
Sometimes, however, there is no obvious cause – this is referred to an ‘endogenous depression’ and is thought to be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling that we all experience at times. It is a word often used to describe when we feel ‘uptight’, ‘irritable’, ‘nervous’, ‘tense’, or ‘wound up’. Symptoms may cause us to withdraw from social contact to avoid feelings of worry and dread. We may also find going to work difficult and stressful and feel unable to cope with it leading to absence. When we are anxious we normally experience a variety of uncomfortable physical sensations.
As well as this, anxiety affects us mentally too. For example, when anxious, we often worry for large periods of time, so much so that our worry can feel out of control. These worries are often about a variety of issues and commonly our mind jumps quickly from one worry to another.
OCD
A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that someone feels they need to carry out to try to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought.​
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Compulsions arise as a way of trying to reduce or prevent the harm of the obsessive thought. However, this behaviour is either excessive or not realistically connected at all.
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The problem persists because the compulsive behaviour maintains and perpetuates the problem so CBT for OCD addresses all parts of the problems by helping people to react differently to their thoughts and to eliminate compulsive behaviours.​​
EATING PROBLEMS & DISORDERS
An eating problem is any relationship with food that you find difficult, whereas an eating disorder is a medical diagnosis based on your eating patterns.
But eating problems and disorders are not just about food. They can be about painful feelings that you may find hard to express, face or resolve. Focusing on food can be a way of hiding these feelings and problems, including from yourself.
Anyone can experience eating problems - whatever their age, gender, weight or background.
PSYCHOSEXUAL DISORDERS
Sexual dysfunctions can bring about conflicts within a relationship – feelings of frustration, misunderstanding, fear, guilt, shame and anxiety may materialise resulting in communication breakdown, loss of intimacy and disconnection.
In men, sexual dysfunctions may manifest as reduced sexual desire, premature or delayed ejaculation, impotence or painful intercourse. In women, sexual dysfunctions may manifest as reduced sexual desire, inadequate lubrication, difficulty or inability to achieve orgasm or experiencing painful intercourse.
The essential aim of therapy is to identify the root cause and then treat it appropriately following an initial comprehensive assessment.​​
PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD for short) is the name given to the psychological and physical problems that can sometimes follow particular threatening or distressing events.
These events might include a major disaster, war, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, a serious accident, traumatic childbirth or other situations in which a person was very afraid, horrified, helpless or felt that his or her life was in danger.
One of the most common symptoms of PTSD is having repeated and intrusive distressing memories of the event.
ANGER
Anger is a normal, healthy emotion that we all experience. However, it becomes a problem when it becomes out of control, clouding your ability to think clearly, and making you act impulsively, or aggressive and violent towards people.
As some people may have not developed healthy ways to express anger, this can have a negative impact on mental and physical health. People may also turn their anger inwards causing a lot of stress, leading to isolation, physical health issues or even self-harm. It could also increase the likelihood of destructive and risk-taking behaviour.
Understand more about anger here.
RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS
Relationships are a key part of our lives, and when we encounter problems, it can be difficult to know where to turn.
Sometimes our most meaningful relationships can break down, and this can be due to a number of reasons. But the loss of this connection can be difficult, leaving you feeling lonely, disappointed, or even confused as to what may have gone wrong. And in some cases, our relationships may not be meeting our expectations, which can impact our happiness and life satisfaction.
Whatever the relationship issue, there is help available.
STRESS / BURNOUT
Stress is a natural reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure, it produces feelings of being overwhelmed and not being able to cope as things feel ‘too much’. We all deal with stress differently and everyone has different tolerances and abilities to cope.
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It can make you feel emotionally drained and as though you have nothing more to give, and can lead to low self-esteem, chronic tiredness, and turning to food, drugs or alcohol to cope.
INSOMNIA
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), can effectively treat long-term sleep problems like insomnia. Generally, it's the first treatment recommended.
CBT helps you find out which thoughts and behaviours cause sleep problems or make them worse. You learn how to replace these thoughts and behaviours with habits that support sound sleep. Unlike sleeping pills, CBT helps you overcome the causes of your sleep problems.
LOW
SELF-ESTEEM / CONFIDENCE
Low self-esteem is when we place little value on ourselves. This can be impacted by lots of different things: life experiences, our childhood, our family, our relationships. Sometimes there are particular people who make us feel inadequate.
We may spend a lot of time comparing ourselves to others, thinking that others are much better than ourselves, taking on these negative beliefs affects our confidence and sense of worth.
PHOBIAS
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is an extreme form of fear or anxiety, triggered by a particular situation or object. A fear becomes a phobia if the fear is out of proportion to the danger, it lasts for more than six months, or it has a significant impact on how you live your day-to-day life.
You may want to consider treatment for your phobia if it is keeping you from doing things you normally enjoy, if it affects your everyday life, causes you great distress, or stops you from getting support for other health problems.
Phobias are split into 2 categories, ‘specific phobias’ and ‘complex phobias’. Learn more here.