Our Specialities
Anxiety and Panic
Whether you’re suffering from panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, or an incapacitating phobia, it’s important to know that you don’t have to live with anxiety and fear. Treatment can help, and for many anxiety problems, therapy is often the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy—unlike anxiety medication—treats more than just the symptoms of the problem. Therapy can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Therapy gives you the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches you how to use them.
Panic attacks:
Panic is the most extreme form of anxiety. A person experiencing panic may feel a rush of fear and panic, leading to intense physical and mental symptoms. They can feel very frightening, especially if you haven’t experienced one before, for example, a upsetting events, stress, drugs with a depressant effect. Panic can sometimes result in panic attacks, and panic disorder is a condition characterised by the fear of experiencing a panic attack, especially in a public place. Those who experience frequent panic attacks or fear the onset of an attack may wish to speak to a therapist.
Depression
When you’re depressed, it can feel like you’ll never get out from under a dark place. However, even the most severe depression is treatable. So, if your depression is keeping you from living the life you want to, don’t hesitate to seek help. From therapy to medication to healthy lifestyle changes, there are many different treatment options available.
Of course, just as no two people are affected by depression in exactly the same way, neither is there a “one size fits all” treatment to cure depression. What works for one person might not work for another. By becoming as informed as possible, though, you can find the treatments that can help you overcome depression, feel happy and hopeful again, and reclaim your life.
Stress Management
Stress therapy, also known as stress management or stress management therapy, can be very helpful for people to learn how to manage stressful situations or problem arises. The therapy includes a group of techniques, strategies, or programs that are used to address stressful situations and your stress response to them.
It is common to experience stress throughout your life, and many people go through phases of high or increased levels of stress. While short periods of slightly increased stress levels may be considered normal, it is important to address high levels of stress and extended periods of increased stress.
What are the Warning Signs of Too Much Stress?
Due to the complex nature of stress and its effect on us, there are many potential warning signs. Being that every person has a different response to overwhelming stress based on his/her genetic predispositions, life history, and current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Perinatal Depression
Perinatal depression includes depression that occurs during pregnancy and in the weeks after childbirth (postpartum depression (PPD).
Most episodes of perinatal depression begin within 4−8 weeks after the baby is born. Women and other pregnant and postpartum people with perinatal depression experience extreme sadness, anxiety, and fatigue that may make it difficult to carry out daily tasks, including caring for themselves or others.
What is Postpartum Depression (PPD)?
Postpartum Depression is a term that is often used to encompass depression and/or anxiety which occur up to a year after childbirth. 1 in 5 mothers experience Postpartum Depression and 1 in 10 fathers do as well. Partners can also experience postpartum depression. PPD is temporary and treatable with professional help. It can happen to any woman, even mothers who have other children and did not experience PPD previously. You will feel better again with proper treatment. The sooner you get help, the sooner you will be feeling better, and the easier recovery will be.
Trauma & PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. PTSD takes many forms. It may happen due to a natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying.
PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat fatigue” after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age.
An estimate one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD.
What Causes PTSD?
PTSD can occur after any type of physically or psychologically stressful event. Situations that may bring about PTSD include:
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Transportation accidents
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Military combat
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Domestic violence
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Sexual abuse or assault
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Vicarious trauma, such as learning of the death of a loved one or experiencing an attack as a bystander
During a shocking or scary event, it is natural to experience a “fight or flight” response. Increased adrenaline and stress can be necessary for survival in emergencies. Strong emotions like anger and fear are also common.
Yet some people will continue responding to trauma long after the danger has passed. Their mind’s immediate reaction to the emergency becomes a default pattern. Mental health professionals look for behaviours that have a lasting and detrimental impact. When someone’s response to trauma interferes with their daily life, a diagnosis of PTSD may be appropriate.
Suicidal Ideation
Suicidal ideations (SI), often called suicidal thoughts or ideas, is a broad term used to describe a range of contemplations, wishes, and preoccupations with death and suicide.
Whether the person having these thoughts of self-harm and ending it all together, or a loved one, family member, friend, or co-worker, suicidal ideation and behavior are a desperate cry for help. They are typically a symptom of an underlying treatable mental health issue, whether an individual is aware of the mental health issue or not. The good news is suicidal thoughts therapy is available for all individuals. However, there are two kinds of suicidal ideation: passive and active.
Passive suicidal ideation occurs when you wish you were dead or that you could die, but you do not formulate a plan to die by suicide.
Active suicidal ideation, on the other hand, is not only thinking about it but having the intent to die by suicide, including planning how to do it.
Signs and Symptoms of Suicidal Ideation
Warning signs that you or a loved one are thinking about or contemplating suicide include:
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Isolating yourself from your loved ones
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Feeling hopeless or trapped
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Talking about death or suicide
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Giving away possessions
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An increase in substance uses or misuse
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Increased mood swings, anger, rage, and/or irritability
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Engaging in risk-taking behavior like using drugs or having unprotected sex
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Accessing the means to kill yourself, such as medication, drugs, or a firearm
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Acting as if you're saying goodbye to people
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Feeling extremely anxious
Most common treatments for suicidal thoughts:
These treatments focus on difficulties people may have with anxious or negative thoughts, moods, substance use, and social, occupational and health experiences. Some of these treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP), Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT), and Prolonged Grief Therapy (PGT) for survivors of suicide loss.
Awareness and Prevention
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or suicidal ideation, help and treatment must be offered right away. Please seek immediate help by calling national emergency phone number 999 and 112, or Samaritans hotline on 116 123 to talk.