Student mental health

When a person becomes a student they are often subject to a vast number of life changes in a short amount of time. For many people this will be their first time living away from home (possibly a substantial distance from their home and family). Unsurprisingly, this can put a number of students at risk of suffering poor mental health. This leaflet will briefly discuss how much of a problem students are having with mental health conditions, why they may be suffering, what they may be suffering from, and what to do to help them. It is important to remember that many conditions that students may present with are common life problems, and as such, don’t fall under the category of mental health conditions. However, there are many conditions seen in students that will
be discussed here.

(We appreciate that ‘university’ in the UK is called ‘college’ in the USA. For the purposes of this leaflet we will use ‘university’ to refer to both. Whilst university education is open to all ages and many people take time out before attending, we are largely referring to people aged between 17 and 25 years old when we refer to undergraduates.)

To find out more, download our student mental health guide:

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Long-term health conditions

Research is beginning to recognise the relationship between long-term health conditions and mental health.

Many individuals living with long-term health conditions struggle with comorbid mental health problems. Facing a long-term health condition or mental health condition can be difficult alone, so understandably experiencing both together can increase the distress that an individual experiences.

To find out more, download our long-term health conditions and mental health guide:

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Mental health in later life

This information sheet will look at some of the commonly occurring mental health conditions that occur in later life, as well as providing some tips to improve your quality of life in your retirement years.

We have decided to include a section on dementia as, whilst there is debate about whether this is a mental or physical condition, it does affect mental faculties, so we think it’s important to include it here.

To find out more, download our mental health in later life guide:

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Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding Disorder is a relatively new diagnosis in its own right, having only been recognised as a standalone disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V which was released in 2013. Due to this there is unfortunately a limited amount of information on the condition and how many people it affects. However, hoarding is not a new behaviour and was instead previously thought to only occur as a symptom of other conditions. These conditions include Schizophrenia, Dementia and Depression, as well as physical conditions that limit one’s ability to throw things away. However, the primary condition in which those with hoarding behaviours were thought to fit was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Whilst there are clear situations when hoarding is an OCD symptom, there is also a growing body of research and literature that highlight that not everyone with hoarding behaviours has OCD, which has led to the new disorder classification developing.

Throughout this brochure we will use the term hoarding to refer to Hoarding Disorder, as well as other instances of hoarding. Where we are using research that was based on old definitions of hoarding we shall highlight this to the reader. We hope this brief brochure will be of use to sufferers of hoarding, as well as their families and those who want to learn more. We will touch on what hoarding entails, as well as discussing the causes of hoarding, how common a condition hoarding is, and how hoarding is treated.

To find out more, download our Hoarding Disorder guide:

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Eating Disorders

“Eating disorders” is the term used to describe a category of mental illnesses involving disordered eating and weight problems. This category can then generally be separated into four main disorders Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED).

Some clinicians argue that separating eating disorders into smaller classifications can, in some cases, hinder treatment when new diagnosis labels are needed. Currently the consensus is that these four disorder classifications will be kept in place, while others may be added in the future.

These are serious and often complex disorders that can have significant and long-lasting impacts on a person’s life. Whilst most consequences of eating disorders can be reversed with effective treatment, there are some problems such as osteoporosis that will stay with a sufferer for the rest of his or her life. In other cases, eating disorders can unfortunately be fatal, with Anorexia Nervosa currently having the highest mortality rate for any psychiatric disorder. We therefore encourage anybody reading this leaflet who may be suffering, or suspect someone they know is suffering, to seek professional help as soon as possible.

This brochure will aim to highlight some of the basics of the eating disorder category, but as this is such a complex area we will only be scratching the surface. We therefore encourage sufferers, or those with an interest in the subject, to seek out further additional materials.

To find out more, download our eating disorders guide:

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Crime and mental health

Whether it’s due to the influence of the media, or the stigma surrounding mental health, there is an unfounded belief that people who suffer from mental health problems are inherently dangerous; that they are monsters who need to be locked up for everyone’s safety. But as you may have guessed from this introduction, that belief is nonsense. The majority of people who suffer from mental illness are in no way violent. In fact, many people suffering from severe mental health problems are actually more susceptible to becoming victims of violent crime themselves.

In many cases, a person who suffers with a mental health condition is also more of a danger to themselves than they ever would be to the general public. Whilst we acknowledge that some people can commit crime and be violent when they are unwell, we want to stress that this is not the case for the majority of sufferers.

In this brochure, we’ll highlight some statistics relating to crime committed by those who are unwell, and we’ll look at the statistics relating to the way they are victimised. We will also briefly touch on the prison system and its relationship to mental health problems.

To find out more, download our crime and mental health guide:

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Holidays and mental health

The holiday period is a time for relaxation and happiness, where people catch up with family and friends and take a rest from work.

Unfortunately, for many people the holiday period is not all about positivity and can instead have a negative impact on their mental health. This can be for a number of reasons, with different people reacting differently to the same events. Here we will outline some of the reasons why people may find the holiday period tough and what problems may arise. We will also suggest some tips that may help to reduce the impact the holidays have on your mental health.

The term holiday period can be subjective. In the UK you may see this term as referring to the days prior to Christmas until New Year’s Day, whereas in the USA you may see this period as starting as early as Thanksgiving week. It also varies based on cultural and religious beliefs. Whilst for the most part we are referring to the first definition, the contents of this brochure are likely to apply to most holiday and religious celebrations throughout the year.

To find out more, download our holidays and mental health guide:

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Childhood trauma and PTSD

Unfortunately many people worldwide are subjected to childhood trauma, both intentionally and unintentionally, each year. Whilst for some people this trauma is a bad memory that they have moved past, for others the effects of this trauma can stay with them for an extended period of time, often into adulthood. This can lead to conditions such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that can greatly limit a person’s life.

This brochure will briefly look at childhood trauma and PTSD, discussing the symptoms that may be seen in children and adults, as well as discussing some treatment options. If you do read this brochure and feel that your experiences and current symptoms match those of PTSD then we encourage you to seek help from a medical professional as soon as possible. Please also consider that certain aspects discussed in this brochure may act as a trigger for those already experiencing PTSD or PTSD like symptoms. Please be aware of this and stop reading if you feel the brochure is upsetting you.

To find out more, download our childhood trauma and PTSD guide:

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Bullying

Bullying can be described as the intentional hurting of a person or people by another person or group on a regular basis, resulting in the creation of a one-sided power relationship. Bullying can take many forms, including physical violence, verbal abuse and psychological abuse. Bullying can be done in-person, or via other means, e.g. on social media or the internet (known as cyberbullying). Cyberbullying takes bullying out of the classroom or the school playground and follows the victim home, resulting in 24-hour-a-day abuse.

Although a lot of research focuses on school children, it is important to remember that bullying is not unique to children. Adults can be bullied and bullies to adults or children. In some cases, a person may not realise they are being a bully, e.g. a teacher singling out a student in class may be considered a bully, and may inspire further bullying from others. Whilst we will tend to focus on research into younger adults and children in this brochure, we have also included a section showing statistics on adult bullying in the workplace.

To find out more, download our bullying guide:

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Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that can cause a sufferer to experience bouts of deep depression interspersed with periods of mania or hypomania. Changes between the two extreme moods can be greatly distressing to the sufferer and can interfere with daily life.

There is a misconception that every person with bipolar disorder experiences rapidly changing moods each day, but this is not always the case. In fact, only certain kinds of the illness (such as rapid cycling bipolar), involve quick and regular mood changes. Instead, most people with bipolar disorder are likely to suffer an elevated or depressed mood for weeks to months at a time. In some cases, a sufferer may go from one extreme mood state to the other, without experiencing any relative normalcy in between. In other cases people may maintain a ‘normal’ mood for a good while before swinging over to depression or mania. Mood patterns vary greatly from sufferer to sufferer.

Bipolar disorder is a serious and often dangerous condition that should be treated professionally and medically. Unfortunately, when a person is in a stage of mania they may not believe they are unwell. It is therefore important for both the sufferer and those around them to be aware of some of the basic aspects of bipolar disorder. This brochure will provide information for those wishing to learn more about it and will outline some of the symptoms. It will also highlight potential causes, current statistics and available treatments. If you do suspect that you have bipolar disorder then we would encourage you to speak to your GP or other medical professional as soon as possible.

To find out more, download our Bipolar Disorder guide:

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