Category: Mental Health Conditions

Artificial intelligence is already being widely consulted for mental health support in the UK, with more than one in three adults (37%) [1] saying they’ve used an AI chatbot to support their mental health or wellbeing. The surprising rapid pace of adoption has prompted experts to call for safeguards to ensure people receive accurate, safe and appropriate information.

Pundits often describe an overdiagnosis of mental disorders, but they fail to see that these disorders have always existed in our youth; they were simply ignored, untreated and left to fester. 

Heemali shares her story of living with body dysmorphia, a number of anxiety-inducing experiences, and going through burnout in her corporate job. Reflecting on how she found her passion as a trauma-informed yoga practitioner, supporting others.

After experiencing anxiety and depression for many years, Tyson attempted suicide and hit crisis point. With support from his family and the Army’s mental health service, he is now in a much better place.

Claire had always struggled with poor mental health, but it wasn’t until she was in her late 30s that she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She tells us how receiving a diagnosis came as a huge relief and enabled her to learn more about her mental health and receive appropriate treatment such as psychotherapy and medication.

After finding a series of losses and grief was impacting her mental health, causing anxiety, low mood, and a reliance on alcohol, Cindy talks to us about how she found respite in podcasts to learn the importance of self-care and talking to others about how we’re feeling. 

Jay, 47, was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder amongst other diagnosis including a Personality Disorder, in his thirties. For World Bipolar Day, he speaks to us about how his diagnosis allowed him to not only access medication to make daily life functional, but also meant he was emotionally able to accept his illness and build a positive life around it.

With January upon us, many of us look to make New Year’s Resolutions and changes to our lives in the hopes of reaping the rewards. Whilst it can be great for our wellbeing to set goals, some of us might find resolutions surrounding diet and exercise damaging to our mental health. Tierney talks us through how she used the power of movement to positively impact her mood and dissociated the concept of exercising purely to change your body or look a certain way.

When we hear the term ‘bullying’ we might initially think of children or young people. Bullying can affect anyone at any age, and bullying in adolescence can continue to affect someone into adulthood. We hear from Alexander about his experience with bullying.

It can feel daunting reaching out for support when we’re struggling, and we might not know what help is available. We spoke to Wayne about how he accessed mental health support and how he tried different options until he found something that he felt empowered him and provided him with techniques that he still uses to this day.

Men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women, yet many men feel they can’t talk to other people about how they are feeling. We spoke to Lewis about why he feels young men might struggle to open up, and how it was a men’s talking group that supported him when he was at his lowest.

Summer is typically a time for looser, more revealing clothing, but for someone who struggles with their body image — the way they think and feel about their appearance — summer may be a difficult time. For people who self-harm or who have scars from self-harm, it can be even more distressing.

Self-harm is the intentional act of harming or injuring our body. Anyone of any age or background can experience the urge to self-injure, and it is often related to experiencing other mental health conditions. Darren spoke to us about his experience with self-harm, and how he copes with the scars on his body.

Anxiety and stress at work are sharply on the rise, and worryingly only a quarter of workplaces are estimated to actually have plans in place to support people should they experience chronic stress. What are the common themes at work that people find anxiety inducing? Tackling these could reduce chances of chronic stress or burnout. We’ve broken down common workplace anxieties and what you can do to support people experiencing them.

My name is Damien and I’ve been working with ISG as a Design Manager for 2.5 years. I have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety for several years now, and I manage my symptoms both through personal methods and also thanks to the support I received from my workplace, which I originally didn’t know existed.

Anxiety can present itself in many different ways for us all, and we have different ways of coping with symptoms and managing our mental health. We spoke to Josh and Mellissa, who told us their unique experiences with anxiety and poor mental health, and how exercise and cycling helped them both to improve their mood and ease feelings of anxiety.

Anxiety is not linear, nor one dimensional and it affects people in different ways. My experience with anxiety started when I was a child. I would not go to sleepovers as I was anxious that I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I was also anxious in school and didn’t really mix with other kids particularly. I was bullied my whole school life. When I was a teenager I suffered very badly with anxiety, I would avoid situations I didn’t feel safe in and hide in my room a lot.

Money worries are leading to suicidal thoughts and panic attacks in people living with severe mental illness amid the cost-of-living crisis, new data from Mental Health UK has revealed, with significant numbers of people experiencing a relapse and having to increase their medication dosage.

Health anxiety is a lesser spoken about condition that can have a severe impact on someone’s life. The anxiety that you’re going to get unwell or that you are unwell can cause daily life to consist of panic and fear. We spoke to Lillian about her experience with health anxiety and how she reached out for support.

Christian was born with facial differences known as severe craniofacial anomalies. Growing up, he had over fifty reconstructive surgeries to transform his appearance and improve his confidence and life outcomes. Opening up to the people he loved is what helped Christian change how he thinks and feels about himself physically, which in turn eased his mental health difficulties.

Fundraiser, Luke Hamer tells us why putting his mental health first made him stronger – as part of our World Mental Health Day campaign encouraging people to make their mental health a priority.

Ramses Oliva is a valued former colleague at Mental Health UK, as well as a transgender inclusion specialist and writer. One of his biggest struggles growing up was not having the words to describe his identity. Not only did this not stop him from being gay and transgender, but it also made it extremely difficult to ask for and receive help. Here’s his story.

Living with a mental illness can have a profound effect on your own life but also on family members’ lives, because they often take on a vital role in ensuring their relative has a good quality life. We spoke to Rich and his dad about what it was like living in a house where OCD dictated their day-to-day life.

Sophie is a 26-year-old mental health advocate who has lived with OCD for 11 years. She won a Bill Pringle Award with Rethink Mental Illness for her poem on managing OCD in 2019 and has spoken publicly about her experience on radio and on social media. She is open and vocal about mental health and mental illness because she knows first-hand how isolating and scary it can be in the beginning.