According to the mental health charity Mind (https://www.mind.org.uk), “Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year and in England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week”.
Most of us ensure that we look after our physical health – if we have a problem, we go and see our GP.
10 October is World Mental Health Day so this is a good reminder that we should look after our mental health too.
Some of the warning signs that you or someone you know could be living with mental health problems are:
- Eating or sleeping too much or too little
- Distancing yourself from your friends and family
- Arguing with family and friends
- Losing interest in regular activities
- Having little or no energy
- Feeling numb or like nothing matters
- Having unexplained aches and pains
- Feeling helpless or hopeless
- Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
- Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
- Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
- Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
- Thinking of harming yourself or others
- Struggling to perform daily tasks like taking care of your family or getting to work or school