World Mental Health Day | You are well? (2023)

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, a day to remind us of both the importance of mental health and the struggles many people face on a daily basis. It's also a good opportunity to take a step back and ask yourself, "Am I okay?"

As they say, it's okay not to feel good. If you feel like you're struggling, it's important to remember that you're not alone. Support is available, both for the general public and for UJ students.

The last 18 months have been tough for everyone. Covid and the resulting lockdowns brought massive changes to everyone's lives. One of the most important elements of the recent shutdown is that the stigma around anxiety and depression has been reduced much less than in years past.

It is particularly important to address and remove the stigma around mental health. As with any illness, the fear of being rejected by society or discriminated against at work can deter people from seeking appropriate treatment. This means that many people hide their depression or anxiety. In some cases, they do so well that people are surprised to hear about their internal struggles.

Anxiety and depression are complicated things, and the symptoms and experiences range from mild to very severe. This article is in no way a substitute for advice and guidance from a trained mental health professional, but we can help point you in the right direction. We will cover the signs of both.depressionyangst, some oftypes of anxiety disorders,tips to reduce riskand where you canget help.

What is the difference between anxiety and depression?

Before proceeding, it is useful to define what we are talking about. The words depression and anxiety are used in many different contexts, and the meaning of depression as we use it is not quite the same as clinical depression.Depressionrefers to a single illness and is classified as a mood disorder.Angstrefers to an entire class or group of relationships. Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias and some others that we will mention later are included under the umbrella of anxiety disorders.

Depression is characterized by feelings of despondency and overwhelming sadness. Anxiety is overwhelming worry or stress related to the feeling that something bad is going to happen.

signs of depression

depression iscausedby a "complex interplay of social, psychological and biological factors" and are more likely to occur among people who have experienced an adverse life event, such as the death of a loved one or loss of a job. Covid has greatly increased the chances of experiencing such an event, meaning more people are at risk.

• culpa
• impotence
• feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem or low self-confidence
• thoughts of death or suicide

signs of anxiety

Anxiety is a little more complicated than depression in that it can manifest itself in a number of different specific disorders, which we will get into later. Generally speaking, these are some of the warning signs and symptoms.

• Fatigue
• Concern
• Sweat
• inability to concentrate
• Ruminations or obsessive thought patterns
• nausea
• Insomnia
• Anxiety attacks
• Irritability
• Isolation
• Changes in appetite

Types of anxiety disorder

Only a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose someone with an anxiety disorder, so it's important to see your doctor if you feel you have any of the following.

Generalized anxiety:

People with generalized anxiety disorder show extreme anxiety in a variety of situations, and it affects them for a long time. Normally, we can return to a calm state after dealing with a stressful event, but for people with generalized anxiety disorder, the agitated state does not go away.

Common symptoms include:

• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry.
• Physical and mental fatigue
• short-tempered or irritable
• Tension muscular
• Difficult to focus
• Difficulty sleeping

Social angst:

People with social anxiety have a general and intense fear of social situations. Their intense fear of embarrassment often causes them to avoid public places or social events.

You may have social anxiety if you are afraid of the following:

• Closed room
• large open spaces
• Public transport
• Being in crowded places
• leave your house alone

panic disorder:

People with panic disorder have sudden, repeated anxiety attacks that usually last several minutes or longer. Panic or anxiety attacks are classified by the fear of losing control, even when there is no real danger. The physical sensation of panic attacks is compared to the sensation of having a heart attack.

Signs of an anxiety attack:

• shakes or trembles
• Feelings of impending doom
• Feelings of being out of control
• Difficulty breathing; feeling of suffocation
• rapid pulse and sweating

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):

People with OCD experience irrational thoughts and fears that lead to repetitive and compulsive behaviors. Common examples of OCD behaviors include excessive fear of germs or the need to place objects in a certain way or perform a task in a certain order.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):

PTSD is a psychological disorder caused by the inability to fully recover from a traumatic event. Soldiers and rape victims are two examples of likely PTSD victims. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Phobias:

A phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a thing or situation. It is appropriate to be afraid of certain situations and things, such as poisonous snakes, but a phobia is when the level of fear is completely out of proportion to the danger. There are many different phobias, but some common ones include snakes, spiders and needles.

How to prevent or reduce anxiety and depression

For severe cases of anxiety or depression, you should definitely see a health professional. However, there are some changes you can make to yoursLifestyleto help you manage milder cases or to reduce your risk of experiencing either in the first place.

• improve your diet
• Get enough regular exercise
• Relaxation
• Meditation
• Improve your sleeping habits to get enough sleep each night
• Spend time with other people, especially those who can offer you emotional support.
• Interact with pets and animals.
• Reduce the use of alcohol and tobacco
• In case of anxiety, it can be beneficial to reduce or eliminate caffeine.
• For depression, spending time on enjoyable leisure activities can help.

UJ Consulting

HeCenter for Psychological Services and Professional Development (PsyCaD)offers a wide range of student support services, including counseling and a 24-hour crisis hotline. They offer telephone counseling as well as sessions through video chat platforms such as Zoom, Skype or MS Teams.

VisitPsyCAD – Consultingpage for more information and details.

• Advice: 011 559 3106
• Crisis line: 082 054 1137 (works 24 hours a day)

national support services

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)offers a range of services, with several hotlines forthe publicas well as forstudent.

• Speak to a trained advisor on 011 234 4837 or 0800 20 50 26 (8am-8pm, 7 days a week)
• Call the SADAG Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 or SMS 31393

You can use this page to find therapists operating in your area:Therapyroute.com.

IHealthsites.org.za.