Mental health

Some people think that depression is not a condition and that it will simply go away. This is not true; it is an illness with recognised symptoms but it is treatable. Most people experience feelings of sadness or being down; however living with depression is different. An individual experiencing depression will feel emotions such as hopelessness and negativity that don’t go away.

Symptoms of depression can last for a couple of weeks, a number of months or longer. Living with depression can affect how an individual sees themselves. This can lead to them not engaging in a social life, with family or their work.

There are treatments available to support people with depression. In some cases, having the opportunity to talk and share how they feel can help.

Feeling worried or anxious is normal, many people experience things in life that create these feelings. However, those living with anxiety find it difficult to control their worries. As a result they may feel that things are worse than they are.

Symptoms of anxiety include:

• Physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, difficulty breathing and dizziness ­­

• Psychological symptoms such as feeling a loss of control, thinking that they might die or have a heart attack, and feelings of wanting to escape or run away ­­

• Cognitive symptoms such as changes to your thought processes or thinking negative thoughts repeatedly ­­

• Behavioural symptoms like not wanting to leave the house, abusing substances such as alcohol or drugs, or behaving in ways that affect relationships

• Social symptoms such as individuals may stop going out with friends, or to places such as the supermarket, as they are worried about how they might feel when they are there

Psychosis is a symptom of conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. NHS Choices say that around 3 in 100 people will have at least one experience of psychosis.

The two significant signs of psychosis are hallucinations and delusions. These experiences can be frightening and lead to behaving in ways that others find strange.

One way of supporting someone who is experiencing hallucinations or delusions is to recognise what they are saying or doing is real to them. Rather than telling them that you can’t see or hear what they are seeing or hearing, let them know that you are there to help and that they are safe. This could avoid them feeling you don’t believe them and could help ease their stress. Although you do not share in their hallucination or delusion, you do know that it is a real experience for them.

Most symptoms of psychosis will get better with treatment. However, in some cases people may have to be admitted to hospital for treatment and support to recover. If your organisation provides care for people with psychosis, speak to your manager about how individuals’ needs are assessed.

The term ‘dementia’ is used to cover many different conditions that affect the brain. 

Dementia causes a decline or reduction in abilities, including; memory, thinking, reasoning and communicating. Someone who experiences problems with these abilities may feel confused, frustrated and frightened.

Although the symptoms of each type of dementia are different, all types of dementia are progressive. This means that individuals experience a gradual decline in their thinking, processing and remembering skills. How gradual and how serious this is varies in each individual, and will be affected by the care and support they have.

Dementia is often thought to be a condition that only affects older people; however dementia can affect anyone at any age. In particular, individuals with learning disabilities are more likely to experience dementia at an early age. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that there are more than 40 000 people under the age of 65 living with dementia.

If people view living with dementia as a constant loss of abilities and there is nothing that can be done to support the person then the person living with dementia will most likely experience feelings of ill-being that can then contribute to a negative experience of living with the condition.

Learning disability is a result of brain development being affected before birth, during birth or in a person’s childhood. 

The experience of living with a learning disability varies depending on whether it is mild, moderate or severe.

People with a mild learning disability may only need a little support to be independent while someone with a severe learning disability may not be able to communicate verbally and may need constant specialist support.

Individuals may have other physical and sensory conditions alongside their learning disability, and may have difficulty responding to feelings and emotions.

They may express themselves in ways that others find difficult to understand which can in turn affect how others see and respond to them.