Mental Health Stigma

Good mental health is an overall state of wellbeing that allows you to grow and thrive. Although almost 10 million people in the world suffer from a mental health condition severe enough to affect their day-to-day functioning, only 40 percent of adults and 20 percent of adolescents with mental illness receive treatment.

One of the main reasons for poor mental health experiences lies in mental health stigma. The stigma attached to mental illness can aggravate mental health problems, prevent a person from seeking treatment, and hinder their recovery.

Stereotypes about mental illness and how it affects people are present in almost every society. Almost nine out of ten people with mental illness say that stigma has a negative effect on their lives. The stigma usually creates prejudices that cause discrimination. Consequently, discrimination and prejudices often lead to negative actions toward individuals with mental health problems.

Mental health stigma causes people with mental health disorders to have difficulties at school and work, be socially withdrawn, and prevent them from keeping up meaningful, long-term relationships.

Stigma and Masculinity/Masculine Norms

Studies show that men are less likely than women to seek professional mental health help due to masculinity norms and stereotypes that expect them to be tough and behave manly. It seems that men, in general, tend to bottle up their feelings instead of seeking support. Also, studies show that men often choose to seek relief in self-medicating or alcohol and drug abuse.

Fear of failure to meet the masculinity norms of a strong, brave, and assertive man seems to cause men to feel uncomfortable and unsupported by their family, community, and health care system. Therefore, males with mental illness frequently remain unidentified, undiagnosed, and untreated.

A great podcast discussing mental health and masculine norms is the Yorkshire Grit podcast (free on Apple Podcasts).

Mental Illness Stigma among Students

Recent studies show an increase in mental illness rates among the students in the UK, with suicidal thoughts and attempts as a major concern. From July 2016 to July 2017 the rate of suicide for students in England and Wales was 1 every 4 days. Many of these students didn’t seek support or speak out to anyone (this article from the Guardian looks into this further).

One way universities can aid in overcoming mental health stigma is to raise awareness and creating more discussion around different mental health issues. Priory did a survey that found that 90% of students questioned agreed that more could be done by universities to help students with a mental health condition.

How to Fight Mental Illness Stigma?

Western societies still struggle to openly address mental illness. However, removing the stigma from mental illness is a key in encouraging people to open up about their mental health issues and seek support. Personal contact with people who have a mental illness is the best way to overcome mental illness stigma. So, it is vital to encourage people to talk about their challenges. Also, promoting the awareness that no one is immune to psychological disorders is crucial in fighting mental health stigma.

There is a great number of services available to people with mental illness, from counsellors and therapists to online counselling platforms, support groups, and mental health organisations. These professionals and institutions work on reducing mental illness stigma and encouraging people to be more accepting of those who struggle with mental illness.

If you are a student who feels they may be suffering from mental health you may be entitled to the disabled students allowance.

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Important Changes To The DSA

There have been some important changes to the DSA – Disabled Students’ Allowance.

If you applied for the Disabled Students’ Allowance but still haven’t booked your study needs assessment, on the 18th of December the DSA-QAG website closed down for good.

This means you won’t be able to find and book your nearest assessment centre via the DSA-QAG website and some of the information on your eligibility letter is now outdated and incorrect.

Don’t worry though your DSA application is still valid.

If you are around London or Reading you can book on our website and be seen within 1-3 working days.

Book today to get your support in place for the new year.

If you haven’t yet applied then this change won’t effect you as all correspondence you receive from your funding body will have the new process on it.

All the best,

A2B

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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, is a type of depression with a recurring seasonal pattern. In most people with seasonal affective disorder, the symptoms come and go at the same time every year. SAD occurs with the season change, generally appearing in autumn or early winter and receding during sunny spring and summer days.

About 29 percent of the U.K population experiences symptoms of SAD each year, with women being 40 percent more likely to experience symptoms than men.

Symptoms

Seasonal affective disorder symptoms range from feeling lethargic (lacking energy) and losing interest in everyday activities to feelings of despair, worthlessness, and guilt. However, here are some other signs that you may experience if you suffer from the “winter blues”:

•       Low self-respect
•       A constant low mood and sadness
•       Disturbance in a sleep cycle, from oversleeping to insomnia
•       Feeling sleepy during the day
•       Irritability
•       Apathy
•       Anxiety and tension
•       Extreme fatigue
•       Craving for sweet foods, overeating and/or weight gain

Specific, autumn/winter-related SAD symptoms may include:

•       Having low energy
•       Sleeping for longer than normal
•       Appetite changes and weight gain
•       Social withdrawing

Alternatively, less common spring-summer depression may include the following symptoms:

•       Agitation, restlessness or anxiety
•       Insomnia
•       Poor appetite and weight loss

Seasonal depression symptoms typically appear between 20 and 30 years of age. However, SAD symptoms may sometimes develop at an earlier age.

SAD Causes

While the specific causes of SAD are still unknown, there are some risk factors that may lead to seasonal depression. These include having depression or bipolar disorder, circadian rhythm disruption caused by a decrease of sunlight during fall and winter, gender, family history of SAD, production of melatonin and serotonin in the body.

When to Seek Support

We all feel blue and lethargic from time to time. However, if you persistently experience a low mood that affects your ability to perform day-to-day activities, you may need to see your doctor.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment

The most effective treatment options for seasonal affective disorder include psychotherapy, medication therapy, and light therapy. Depending on the severity and type of symptoms, different methods of SAD treatment may be used alone or in combination.

•       Psychotherapy

Talking therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have proven to be effective in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder.

•       Medication Therapy

Antidepressant medications like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat seasonal affective disorder. However, talk to your health provider about the possible risks, as these antidepressants have certain side effects.

•       Light Therapy

Light therapy has been widely used as a SAD treatment since the 1980s. This therapy method uses special light boxes that produce bright, artificial light, simulating exposure to sunlight.

In addition, lifestyle measures such as regular exercise, getting as much natural light as possible, eating nutritious food, and practicing mindfulness meditation have been proven to alleviate SAD symptoms.

Book your DSA Assessment.

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Video Blog #7 – The Pomodoro Technique

In this video blog we will be look at with a hack that you can implement into your work plan to help increase your productivity, the great pomodoro technique.

For further information on the Disabled student allowance.

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MindView Mind Mapping Software

MindView is a mind mapping software that makes it easy to organise and brainstorm ideas with minimal hassle. Some of the features that make MindView unique are it’s collaboration options, project management features and MS Office integration. It’s designed to easily bring your ideas to life.

Professional MS Office integration

One of the top advantages of MindView is that you get immediate access to Excel, PowerPoint and Word templates. That means you can easily create a mind map within the app with templates, and then you can export it to Microsoft Office. It helps immensely if you want to plan out or write an essay in MindView as you can export it straight to a word document and hand it in with minimal editing.

Project Planning features

With MindView you also have the opportunity to create a project plan. You can split your plan into multiple phases if you want to. This is great for things like planning your revision schedule or a big task, such as your dissertation. MindView also allows you to transfer your plan into the prebuilt timeline or Gantt Chart.  

Colloborate with your peers

MindView also has a dedicated workspace where you can easily share your documents. This is great for group work for e.g. If you have to do a group presentation, you could plan it in MindView and then everyone could go away and complete their individual parts, resulting in a complete overview of the presentation all in one place.

Comprehensive mind mapping ideas

Another great benefit provided by MindView is the fact that you have all kinds of mind mapping features ready to go within the app. Aside from the regular notes and attachments, you also have legends, smart nav, pen mode, bookmarks, predictive text suggestions, high contrast, custom style design, automatic citation generation, relationship lines, visual customisation, access to the WorldCat Source Library and many others. It really helps a lot if you want to create complex mind maps, as everything is there for you and all you need is to test it out and give it a try yourself.

Calculation on maps

The MindView mind map software also has calculation-on-maps, if you need to work with statistics, math problems or algorithms. It helps display and calculate numbers on branches. MindView also has complete Excel integration

Visually Engaging

MindView has a catalog with 1500+ clipart illustrations. This helps make your mind maps more appealing by bringing that information to life. There are also multiple map styles you can pick from, based on what template you choose to work with. Having access to external resources like sounds, videos and pictures also comes in handy and it makes the entire experience a lot more interesting because of it.

Connecting multiple mind maps

MindView is one of the few software tools that allow you to create mind maps and also connect them between one another. The interesting thing here is that you can add hyperlinks that will guide you directly to the branch connection in another document. This allows you to have very complex mind maps that span multiple files.

Getting Started With MindView

Following the video below is a great way to get started with MindView…

Conclusion

MindView is one of the best mind mapping tools that you can find on the market at this time. It’s really easy to use, very professional and it offers you a huge range of mind mapping features. Overall, it’s an extraordinary tool to organise your ideas, plan and create your work.

Visit Matchware the creators of MindView

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What is Anxiety: An Overview

It is quite normal to feel nervous, tense, worried or afraid. Feeling such discomfort does not necessarily mean you suffer from an anxiety disorder as normal feelings of apprehension are not the same as anxiety. One of the major features of an anxiety disorder is the feeling of a nonspecific discomfort that can occur without a real reason.

How Common Is Anxiety?

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that anxiety disorders will become the second most common cause of disability worldwide by 2020. Around 275 million people suffered from anxiety disorders in 2016 globally.

NoPanic.org states that 7.8% of the British population suffer from some form of anxiety or depression.  That’s roughly 1 in every 13 people in the UK.

Females are twice as likely to experience generalised anxiety disorder than males.

Different Types Of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety refers to a spectrum of mental health disorders. The most common forms of anxiety include:

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Phobias
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What is anxiety: An overview of the symptoms

Anxiety symptoms may be severe to the extent where they affect our emotions, thinking, and ability to perform day-to-day tasks. Also, anxiety can manifest through physical symptoms. If your emotional, cognitive and behavioral reactions are out of proportion with what is normally expected in a given situation, you may be experiencing anxiety.

Some of the most common emotional and cognitive symptoms of anxiety include:

• Extreme worry and fear
• Feeling agitated and irritated
• Fatigue
• A generalised fear of pending trouble
• Feeling a loss of control
• Attention and focus difficulties
• A tendency to avoid situations or people that trigger anxiety

At the same time, you may be experiencing a variety of physical symptoms. Some of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety are:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Sleep problems
• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Stomach aches
• Legs and arms numbness
• Increased heart rate
• Feeling constantly worn-out
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

Anxiety Causes and Risk Factors

Research shows that many different factors or a combination of these can cause anxiety. Factors that may trigger anxiety include genetics, environmental factors, brain changes, other medical conditions and a person’s own thinking patterns.

Genetics

In a way, anxiety runs in the family. This mental health condition is more common in people whose blood relatives also have anxiety. This NHS article looks into this further.

Environmental factors

Studies show that ongoing day-to-day stress can significantly contribute to anxiety disorders.

Other Illnesses

Other serious underlying medical conditions can cause anxiety disorder.

Brain Changes

Research shows that in some cases, anxiety may result from changes in the brain structure and function as well as from disturbances of hormones that occur as a reaction to stressful or traumatic life events.

Distorted Thinking Patterns

The above were all external factors on anxiety but anxiety symptoms often also develop internally as a result of a person’s insecurity, low self-esteem, self-criticism, and negative thinking patterns.

Anxiety Treatment

While it is not a life-threatening condition, anxiety can be very unpleasant and it can severely interfere with our everyday life. However, anxiety disorders are also highly treatable. The most effective treatments for anxiety are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

There is much scientific evidence that proves the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in treating anxiety. CBT is a short-term and goal-oriented therapy with a focus on specific problems. It has proven to be successful in helping people with anxiety by changing their dysfunctional thought patterns and behaviors

Exposure Therapy

This form of therapy is effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias. During therapeutic sessions, a person is gradually exposed to a situation or object that triggers fear. By the end of the treatment, the person learns to become less sensitive to a feared object/situation.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is an approach based on cognitive behavioural therapy. It was originally developed as a treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. However, EMDR has lately been used to treat a wide spectrum of mental health issues such as generalised anxiety disorder, phobias, panic attacks, and other mental health conditions.

Self-Help Strategies and Lifestyle Changes

The first step in overcoming anxiety is understanding what you are dealing with. To effectively manage anxiety, you need to understand what is causing it. Learn to recognise the circumstances or people that usually cause feelings of discomfort. Set clear personal boundaries, learn to assertively express your needs and feelings and make positive shifts in your lifestyle.

Practice mindfulness meditation and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. Studies show that mindfulness can ease anxiety symptoms, boost your optimism, and improve your self-esteem. Also, relaxation techniques like deep breathing or tightening and relaxing your body muscles that can help you feel relaxed and composed. Check out our blog post on Meditation for stress and anxiety or watch our video on 7 ways to relieve stress below…

There is also research to show that social media can affect your mental health and increase feelings of anxiety.  Try to limit your time on apps like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. For further reading on this check out our post on how social media affects your mental health

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Time Management Tips For Students

Students are often juggling a complex variety of tasks in their lives which can become overwhelming.

Time management is the key.

We all only have twenty-four hours in each day, and it’s critical that we get a full eight hours of sleep in order to have our brain work quickly and efficiently. That leaves us with sixteen hours to manage. The more efficiently we can map out our day, the less stress we experience, the more energy we have, and the more free time we have to do the things we love.

These time management tips for students should help:

Write a Daily Task List

Each morning, write down a daily task list. Do it by hand. Apps and online calendars are handy, but study after study finds that the act of writing something helps it stick more firmly in the brain. Also, writing it means you are reminded, each day, of something that hasn’t gotten done. The more you have to re-write it, the more you get motivated to just do it and get it off your list.

Use Short Term Milestones

If you have a large project, like reading an entire book in a week, don’t just put that on your list. It will seem too daunting and also like something that can be put off. Come up with a reasonable milestone to tackle for today. Read Ten Pages. Put that down. Make sure your tasks are things you actually think could be done in a day.

Strive to always use concrete terms for your tasks. Be able to measure them. Say “revise for half an hour” rather than just “revise”. To boost productivity when doing work you could try the pomodoro technique.

Have Tasks of Different Lengths and Difficulties

Sometimes you’ll have a large block of time become available. Other times, it’s all you can do to find five minutes to breathe. By having a variety of task options on your list, you can work to find what fits where. Similarly, sometimes you’ll be full of energy and at other times you’ll be worn out. By having some easy tasks in there, you’ll have something you can do which is fairly mindless and low stress.

Write Down How Long Tasks Take

A common challenge people have is they underestimate how long a task will take. They figure they can whip through a task in fifteen minutes when in reality it takes a full hour to get it done. That is part of the learning process here. The more you keep track of what the task was and how long it took, the better your estimates will be going forward. That makes your future time planning that much better.

If Tasks Crop Up, Add Them To The List

If something gets added to your work load for the day, add that onto your list. That way you maintain that sense of how much you can realistically do in a given day and how much time it takes. It’s wise to always build in some buffer time to account for those kinds of situations. Life rarely runs exactly the way you plan for it to.

Review Your List At The End Of The Day

When you finish off your day, take a look down your list and be grateful for the things you were able to get done. This is the time to count your blessings. Yes, not everything gets done – that’s the way life runs. You do your best. You learn and become better.

Then put the list aside. Evening is not the time to be plotting out the details for tomorrow – that’s likely to keep you up at night thinking about what to do and how to do it. Instead, know that your day is now done. Be grateful for all you have learned from today. Dedicate yourself to getting a solid night’s sleep.

If thoughts come up while you are trying to fall asleep that you do have to remember, write them down on a pad by your bed. Tell yourself that you will handle that when you wake up. Then refocus yourself on falling asleep as fully and deeply as you can. Getting a solid night’s sleep is absolutely critical for your energy levels and health.

Every person on this planet, whether they’re young or old, has only twenty-four hours to work with in each day. We all have obligations and responsibilities which need to be handled during those twenty-four hours. And we all have to sleep to maintain our energy and health. We can each take steps to understand our time options, optimise how well we use that time available to us, and improve our time usage from week to week. This lowers our stress levels, raises our contentment, and uncovers the free time we need to do the things we really love.

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