I’m a big believer in talking about stuff, particularly the stuff that traditionally we’ve been encouraged to keep to ourselves, like mental health concerns. Today I have an interview with Dr Mark Winwood, Director of Psychological Services, AXA PPP healthcare. (Find them on Twitter and Facebook.)
I hope you find it useful. Please do leave a comment and share your own experiences if you would like to.
How many people in the UK experience stress, anxiety or depression every year or at some point in their life?
Research has revealed that up to 5 million people suffer from anxiety disorders in the UK, and it was the second most prevalent mental illness reported amongst adults in 2014¹ – so we’re looking at a big problem here. It’s likely that you’ll know someone suffering from mental ill health at some point in your life. We know that one in four people experience a mental health problem in any year. Prevalence is different depending on gender – women are more likely than men (33% compared with 19%) to report ever having been diagnosed with a mental illness².
If people haven’t experienced mental ill health themselves, it can be difficult to understand, and you get a lot of ‘pull yourself together’ and ‘cheer up’ attitudes toward the illness. Is there any element of this that’s good advice? To what extent should we take responsibility for ‘pulling ourselves together’?
Taking responsibility for how you are feeling is a step in the right direction, but if you are experiencing the symptoms of anxiety or depression, don’t trivialise it – seek professional help, or begin by talking about your feelings with someone you trust. It can be very difficult to explain mental ill health to those that haven’t experienced it; and this is part of the stigma we are trying to tackle.
What’s the first thing someone should do if they are worried that they are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression?
I would recommend they talk to a medical professional. If that seems too daunting, or too big a step; take it slowly. Do some research first and talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling. From there you can slowly build up to seeking expert advice.
How helpful is medication?
Medication can be helpful for some people – in some cases, anti-depressants can help those experiencing anxiety and depression. For individuals who have panic attacks beta blockers can be prescribed to help. Talking therapies are also sometimes recommended for mental health issues and can be very successful when combined with medication.
Are mental health issues like depression and anxiety genetic in any way? Or do we learn certain behaviours if we have grown up with them?
We do not know for sure what causes someone to experience mental ill health, but it could be linked to a variety of factors including our genetics, family history, lifestyle and life events. Going through a stressful life event such as a divorce, bereavement or redundancy or having money worries can trigger mental health issues, as well as more traumatic experiences such as being in a car crash or a fire. A life event trigger may more significantly impact those with a family/genetic predisposition.