Mental health terms explained

Anxiety ranges from feeling a little bit anxious and noticing you feel stressed to full blown panic attacks where your heart races, breathing is difficult or it feels as if your head might explode. 

Anger an ongoing level of irritation, a deep sense of frustration or full rage which you act on by lashing out with words or physically. 

Bereavement a sense of loss and grief when someone dies or moves away, when a relationship, job, or role ends. You may feel angry, deny it or cry. 

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is a way of linking thinking and behaving to essentially learn new ways to change our thinking. In turn this changes what and how we do things, that influences how we feel. 

Child abuse being neglected, physically or emotionally hurt or used in a sexual way. 

Chronic pain ongoing illness or physical pain can make you feel in a low mood, anxious and sad. 

Depression ranges from a feeling of ongoing low mood to not wanting to be alive. Everything might feel a huge effort. Depression affects everyone differently including difficulty sleeping to over-sleeping. 

Developmental theory informs counselling with the understanding that you develop throughout your life depending on the age and stage you are in.  

Dissociation describes a way of coping when things get too much, e.g. excessive daydreaming, zoning out or even losing time. 

Domestic abuse emotional, physical or sexual abuse by a partner, child, parent or sibling 

Eating issues or eating disorders affects everyone differently and includes eating to comfort or distract yourself, or not eating at all. 

Grief a natural and normal reaction to loss. You may need someone outside your friends and family to talk to and help you through. 

Health anxiety overwhelming worry about your health or the health of someone close to you. 

Neuroscience the study of how the brain is affected by and affects our thinking. feelings and physical body. 

Person-centred is a specific type of counselling in which you are seen as the expert in yourself and the counsellor’s role is to help you uncover the best solutions and ways forward for you. 

Psychodynamic counselling focuses on how our adult behaviour is often affected by our childhood and adolescence.  

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) a consequence of a situation that was frightening. The fear doesn’t seem to go away – you re-live it in nightmares or even daytime flashbacks. 

Transpersonal this approach to counselling takes into account your spirituality, faith, belief or connection with something other than you.