Mental health articles, blogs, news and stories
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Navigating Career Pressures: Tips for GCSE and A-Level Students
It’s okay not to have your career path figured out yet. The journey isn’t always linear—exploring interests, strengths, and different experiences can help. Try volunteering, apprenticeships, or gap years. Avoid comparison, seek guidance, and prioritise well-being.
Alcohol Use in Adolescents: The Hidden Impact on Mental Health
Alcohol affects memory, emotions, and sleep. In teens, it harms brain development, increases mental health risks, and lowers academic performance. Early drinking raises dependency risks and is influenced by peer pressure. Healthier social alternatives exist.
Navigating GCSEs with Confidence: Stress-Reducing Tips for Students
GCSEs can feel overwhelming, but managing stress is possible. Create a study schedule, balance revision with hobbies, and use study techniques like self-testing, interleaving, and spacing. Exercise, socialising, and apps like Forest can help. Stay calm, stay organised!
Anxiety and the Fight-or-Flight System
The fight-or-flight system, part of the sympathetic nervous system, prepares the body to respond to threats with adrenalin-fueled changes like a faster heart rate, nausea, and dizziness. Today, it often activates due to anxiety from modern stressors, worsening symptoms.
Breaking the vicious Cycle: How Poverty Impacts Mental Health
Poverty in the UK affects millions, worsened by rising living costs. It forces tough choices like food vs. essentials, increasing stress, mental illness, and generational trauma. Low-income groups face stigma, limited mental health care, and systemic barriers. Mindsum offers inclusive, affordable mental health support for all.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) helps individuals accept negative emotions instead of suppressing them, aligning actions with personal values to build a meaningful life. Its six principles—Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Present Moment Awareness, Observing Self, Values, and Committed Action—aid in managing anxiety, depression, substance use, and pain, often complementing CBT.
Revenge Bedtime Procrastination
Revenge bedtime procrastination occurs when individuals delay sleep to gain personal relaxation time due to busy days. Common among students and workers, it stems from lack of free time, stress, or a desire to delay the next day. It harms sleep, concentration, and mental health, creating a vicious cycle.
Digital Mental Health Therapeutics: How Technology is Shaping the Future Well-Being
Digital therapeutics (DTx) leverage technology, like apps and AI, to deliver evidence-based mental health care. Unlike fitness apps, DTx meets medical standards, enhances therapies like CBT, and offers personalised, cost-effective, and private treatment. Despite its benefits, challenges include data privacy risks and limited adoption.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety in children and young people is a common condition where social situations cause anxiety. It ranges from mild to severe and can lead to avoidance and isolation. Social anxiety often stems from self-beliefs or perceptions of others, and the COVID pandemic has heightened its prevalence due to reduced social interaction.
Health Anxiety
Health anxiety is the fear of being seriously ill despite benign symptoms, formerly called hypochondria. CBT helps manage this by breaking the cycle of anxious thoughts and behaviors. Support for youth with health anxiety includes empathy, engaging in their home practice, and practicing mindfulness together.
Breaking the Silence: Understanding the Impact of Racism on Mental Health
Racism disrupts social unity, leading to exclusion and limiting access to resources. It fuels economic inequality, affects education, worsens health disparities, and reduces political representation. Emotionally, racism causes stress, anxiety, and depression, with lasting effects that may impact future generations.
Mindful Listening: The Mental Health Benefits of Podcasts
Podcasts are audio shows available on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, offering both entertainment and mental health benefits. They help reduce stress, boost learning, and foster self-awareness. Topics range from fun facts to self-help, mindfulness, and celebrity interviews. Give them a try!
Cannabis Usage in Children and Young People
Cannabis, illegal in the UK, affects the brain and body, especially in young people. It can cause short-term cognitive and physical issues, and long-term use may lead to addiction, cognitive decline, and serious health risks. Support is crucial for young users, and early intervention can help prevent harm.
From Playground to Office: The Evolution of Bullying Across Lifetimes
Bullying is a widespread problem that affects people at all phases of life, from early infancy to maturity. It is crucial to comprehend its effects, manifestations, and solutions to foster an environment where people can flourish.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Psychotherapy: What is the Difference?
Psychotherapy, or "talk therapy," treats mental health issues through conversation, including methods like CBT, which focuses on changing negative thoughts and behaviors. CBT is effective for conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD, using techniques such as cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by episodes of uncontrollable overeating, where individuals continue eating even when uncomfortably full. This disorder can be triggered by genetics, emotional issues, or family habits, and is often hidden due to shame. Signs in children include secretive eating, fluctuating weight, and food disappearing or being stashed away.
Boost Your Mood: The Mental Health Benefits of Regular Exercise
Regular exercise boosts physical and mental health, improving mood and reducing stress. Despite benefits, many young people lack activity due to screen time. Overcoming exercise barriers can be done by starting small, using online resources, and setting goals.
From Darkness to Heights: Understanding and Managing Phobias
A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear disrupting daily life. Symptoms include panic attacks and sweating. Treatments include exposure therapy and relaxation techniques. Support from caregivers is crucial.
A Parent's Guide to Self-Care For Surviving Conduct Disorder
Our parent's guide to self-care while raising a child with Conduct Disorder offers support & strategies to manage challenges, build resilience & reduce stress.
Technology and Mental Health
Excessive screen time poses risks like procrastination, sedentarism, and instant gratification. It can lead to obsession, isolation, and a lack of real connections.