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| Psychological Wellbeing |
| Our emotions, moods, behaviours, beliefs, stressful life events, worrying and the common mental health problems (anxiety, depression), adversely affect our wellbeing so much in the mad world of the 21st Century. |
| Common mental health problems |
The term 'mental health problem' covers a very wide spectrum, from the worries and grief we all experience as part of everyday life, to the most bleak, suicidal depression or complete loss of touch with everyday reality. 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem during the course of a year and 1 in 6 of us at any given time. View Statistics
A mental health problem only becomes a serious problem when it interferes with your ability to cope or function on a day to day basis or when your behaviour becomes a concern for others. The more extreme forms of mental distress can be very disturbing both for the person experiencing the mental health problem and for those around them However, while mental distress can lead to considerable disruption and difficulty in people's lives, many people find ways of managing their problems and are able to lead fulfilling and active lives. The mental health foundation is a recognised charity for mental health More Information
The Royal College of psychiatrists also provide useful information |
| Depression |
| Depression is a common illness. At some point in their life, around 1 in every 5 women and 1 in every 10 men will suffer from depression. At any given time, 1 in every 20 adults is experiencing a serious 'major' depression. More Information |
| Anxiety |
Most people feel anxious at some time in their lives; however, about five per cent of people experience severe anxiety but rarely seek professional help.
More Information Understanding anxiety factsheet |
| Panic attacks Panic attacks factsheet: |
| Bipolar depression (manic) stats |
About one per cent of people will develop bipolar disorder in their lifetime. If you have relatives with bipolar disorder, then your chance of developing it is higher - about 12 per cent of people with a brother or sister with bipolar disorder will develop the condition themselves.
Bipolar disorder is relatively common. Around 1 person in 100 are diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. Often, the depressive phase comes first. You may be diagnosed with clinical depression to begin with, only to have a mania experience some time later (in some cases, years later) and the diagnosis might change.
More Information Manic depression factsheet |
| Schizophrenia |
| Schizophrenia is the most common major psychiatric disorder, with the prevalence (number cases in the country at any one time) of 3 per 1,000 in the UK. It happens differently for each person, but usually involves a dramatic disturbance in thoughts and feelings. The features common to many cases of schizophrenia are: |
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Delusions (abnormal beliefs not based in reality) |
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Hallucinations (the sensation of an experience that isn’t actually happening) |
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Disordered thought based on the delusions and hallucinations |
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Abnormal behaviour in response to the other three features. |
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| Schizophrenia often starts suddenly and catastrophically (acute schizophrenia), and may go on to produce a chronic (ongoing) illness. Nearly 80% of those who have a first episode will recover, but 70% will have a second episode within five to sevenyears. Read More
More Information Schizophrenia factsheet 1 |
| Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) |
OCD is listed amongst the top 10 most debilitating illnesses by the World Health Organisation in terms of lost income and decreased quality of life, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is thought to affect 2-3% of the UK population.
Sufferers are plagued by persistent, recurring and unwanted thoughts about feared situations (obsessions), which they often attempt to fight with mental or physical rituals, i.e. excessive repetition of actions, washing, checking or counting, or agonising ruminations (compulsions). More Information |
| Eating disorders |
Although anorexia is the illness that receives the most media attention, bulimia is in fact far more common. Both occur mainly - though not exclusively - in women. They are usually, but not always, middle class and white.
Bulimia is estimated to affect between one and two per cent of women aged 15 to 40. Anorexia is estimated to affect between one and five teenage women in every 100,000, and the age at which most cases develop is 16 to 17. For boys who develop the problem (about five to ten per cent of all cases), 12 is the peak age. More Information |
| Anorexia |
Anorexia nervosa often starts between the ages of 15 and 25. Although 90% of people with anorexia are women, anorexia nervosa is also found in men, all ages, in all social and almost all cultural groups.
It is difficult to estimate how widespread the disease is, but surveys suggest that 1% of young girls (age 15-25) have anorexia nervosa. NHS direct |
| Bulimia |
Over 85% of reported cases of bulimia occur in girls in their late teens and early twenties. On average, Bulimia occurs slightly later than Anorexia Nervosa. Approximately 10% of people with the condition are men.
Bulimia, medically known as bulimia nervosa, is marked by cycles of binge eating of excessive quantities of food, followed by purging using vomiting, laxatives or diuretics and/or excessive exercising.
It is difficult to find accurate statistics about bulimia nervosa as it so often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The incidence is usually put at 0.5-1% of young women but the true incidence may be higher.
More Information |
| The evidence - Stress statistic page |
| Workplace Stress |
| “Stress occurs when the perceived pressure on the individual
exceeds that individual’s perceived ability to cope.” |
Growth occurs when the individual is able to adapt to or
overcome the challenges or pressures in their life. |
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We need to increase our coping mechanisms , become resilient and reduce the sources of pressure |
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| Managing stress and pressure Strategy |
In order to manage stress we need to adopt a 3 phased approach. The HSE management standards addresses the need for risk assessment and preventative measures (Primary intervention) Training raising awareness and education are Secondary interventions and we also need to treat the cases (Tertiary interventions) by evidence based medicine.
More Information |
| PRIMARY Prevention - “Risk assessment” |
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| SECONDARY - Awareness Training and Education |
| Training in Stress management, wellbeing workshops, work life balance CBT |
| TERTIARY |
| Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) |
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Psicon ( www.psicon.co.uk) the preferred provider of Psychological Wellbeing Services to Health and WellbeingUK provide case management services using qualified Psychologists and trained CBT therapists.
They also provide training in CBT for health professionals http://www.cbtfirst.co.uk/ (PDF OH Magazine)
Contact admin@hwbuk for information. |
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Employee Assistance Programme EAP)
FirstAssist are our preferred EAP provider Please contact admin@hwbuk for more information
Physical Activity and the Virtual health Club |
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