Urgent Mental Health Support
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
If you need urgent mental health help but it is not a life-threatening emergency:
- Call 111 and select the mental health option
- Use NHS 111 Online Mental Health Support
- Mental health crisis support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through NHS 111 in England.
Useful official resources:
Mental Health Conditions
Anxiety Disorders
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural response to stress, but anxiety disorders involve excessive fear, worry, or nervousness that affects daily life.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
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Symptoms may include:
- Constant worrying
- Feeling restless or on edge
- Racing thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- Muscle tension
- Increased heart rate
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Digestive problems
- Avoiding situations due to fear
Why Do I Feel Anxious All the Time?
Possible reasons include:
- Ongoing stress
- Trauma or difficult experiences
- Health conditions
- Financial concerns
- Work or study pressures
- Relationship difficulties
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Other mental health conditions
Getting Help
Support may include:
- NHS Talking Therapies
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Self-help programmes
- Medication where appropriate
- Lifestyle changes and stress management
Depression
What is Depression?
Depression is more than feeling sad. It is a mental health condition that can affect mood, thoughts, energy levels, sleep, appetite, and daily functioning.
Signs of Depression
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Common signs include:
- Persistent low mood
- Loss of interest in activities
- Fatigue
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in sleep
- Changes in appetite
- Irritability
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
When to Seek Help
Seek support if symptoms:
- Last more than two weeks
- Affect daily life
- Cause significant distress
- Include thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Treatment Options
- Talking therapies
- CBT
- Counselling
- Medication
- Community mental health support
- Support groups
Panic Attacks
What is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that can happen unexpectedly.
Symptoms
- Rapid heartbeat
- Chest tightness
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Dizziness
- Tingling sensations
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling detached from reality
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of dying
Although panic attacks can feel frightening, they are not usually physically dangerous.
Support
- Breathing techniques
- Grounding exercises
- CBT
- Panic disorder treatment through NHS services
PTSD & Trauma
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events.
PTSD Symptoms
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Common symptoms include:
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Intrusive memories
- Emotional numbness
- Hypervigilance
- Feeling constantly on guard
- Difficulty sleeping
- Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
- Anxiety and depression
Trauma Without PTSD
Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD. Trauma can affect people in different ways and may still benefit from support.
Treatment
- Trauma-focused therapy
- CBT
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
- Specialist trauma services
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
What is OCD?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves:
- Obsessions (unwanted thoughts, fears, or urges)
- Compulsions (repetitive actions or mental rituals)
OCD Help
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Examples include:
Obsessions:
- Fear of contamination
- Fear of harm
- Intrusive thoughts
- Need for certainty
Compulsions:
- Excessive checking
- Cleaning
- Counting
- Reassurance seeking
Treatment
- CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- NHS Talking Therapies
- Medication where appropriate
Bipolar Disorder
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar Disorder affects mood, causing periods of depression and periods of elevated mood (mania or hypomania).
Symptoms During Depressive Episodes
- Low mood
- Lack of energy
- Hopelessness
- Withdrawal
Symptoms During Manic or Hypomanic Episodes
- Increased energy
- Reduced need for sleep
- Racing thoughts
- Increased confidence
- Risk-taking behaviour
- Increased activity levels
Support
Treatment often includes:
- Specialist assessment
- Medication
- Psychological therapies
- Ongoing monitoring and support
Personality Disorders
What Are Personality Disorders?
Personality disorders involve long-term patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to others that can cause distress or difficulties.
Examples include:
- Borderline (Emotionally Unstable) Personality Disorder
- Avoidant Personality Disorder
- Paranoid Personality Disorder
- Other recognised personality disorders
Possible Symptoms
- Emotional instability
- Difficulties with relationships
- Intense reactions to stress
- Fear of abandonment
- Impulsivity
- Identity difficulties
Support
- Specialist psychological therapies
- Community mental health services
- Long-term support plans
Eating Disorders
What Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions involving eating behaviours, body image, and emotional wellbeing.
Examples include:
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
Warning Signs
- Restricting food
- Binge eating
- Purging behaviours
- Excessive exercise
- Obsession with weight or body shape
- Rapid weight changes
- Social withdrawal
Support
Early intervention is important.
Treatment may involve:
- Specialist eating disorder services
- Psychological therapies
- Dietetic support
- Medical monitoring
Self-Harm Support
What is Self-Harm?
Self-harm refers to intentionally hurting yourself as a way of coping with difficult emotions or distress.
People who self-harm may or may not be suicidal.
Signs
- Unexplained injuries
- Wearing clothes to hide injuries
- Withdrawal from others
- Increased emotional distress
- Feelings of shame or guilt
Getting Help
You deserve support regardless of how severe your situation feels.
If you are struggling:
- Contact your GP
- Use NHS Talking Therapies
- Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option if urgent
- Call 999 if there is immediate danger
NHS Talking Therapies
NHS Talking Therapies can help with:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- OCD
- PTSD
- Eating disorders
- Bipolar disorder support
- Personality disorders support
- Stress and emotional difficulties
Many people can self-refer without seeing a GP first.
Useful link:
NHS Talking Therapies Information
Mental Health Conditions
Stress
Stress is the body’s response to pressure. It is not always a mental health condition by itself, but long-term stress can affect mental and physical health.
Common signs include headaches, tiredness, irritability, sleep problems, racing thoughts, stomach issues, low mood, and feeling overwhelmed.
Helpful support can include rest, talking to someone trusted, reducing pressure where possible, exercise, sleep routines, and NHS Talking Therapies if stress is linked to anxiety or depression.
Burnout
Burnout usually happens after long-term emotional, work, caring, study, or life pressure. It can affect anyone.
Common signs include exhaustion, feeling detached, reduced motivation, cynicism, feeling ineffective, poor concentration, and physical symptoms such as headaches or sleep problems.
Support may include speaking to a GP, employer, college, university, carer support service, or occupational health. If work is affected by a mental health condition, GOV.UK explains that support may be available under disability rights and Access to Work.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is more than shyness. It is a strong fear of social situations, being judged, embarrassed, watched, or criticised.
Signs can include avoiding social events, fear of speaking in groups, panic before meetings or school, overthinking conversations, blushing, sweating, shaking, nausea, and low confidence.
Treatment may include CBT, gradual exposure, self-help, and NHS Talking Therapies. Social anxiety is listed in NHS mental health condition resources.
Health Anxiety
Health anxiety is when someone worries excessively about being seriously ill, even after reassurance or medical checks.
Signs can include repeatedly checking symptoms, searching symptoms online, seeking reassurance, avoiding health information, fear of test results, or feeling unable to relax about health.
Support may include CBT, reducing reassurance cycles, GP support, and NHS Talking Therapies. It is important not to dismiss real symptoms, but also to get help when worry itself becomes distressing.
Phobias
A phobia is an intense fear of something specific, such as heights, enclosed spaces, flying, animals, needles, vomiting, or open spaces.
Symptoms may include panic, avoidance, sweating, shaking, nausea, dizziness, and feeling out of control.
Support often includes CBT, gradual exposure therapy, relaxation techniques, and sometimes medication for related anxiety. NHS lists phobia-related conditions such as agoraphobia and claustrophobia in its mental health directory.
Psychosis
Psychosis is when someone experiences reality differently from others. It can happen as part of several conditions, but it can also happen during severe stress, trauma, substance use, sleep deprivation, or physical illness.
Possible signs include hallucinations, hearing or seeing things others do not, delusions, paranoia, confused thinking, unusual beliefs, withdrawal, agitation, or difficulty functioning.
Psychosis should be taken seriously. Contact a GP, NHS 111, or a local crisis team urgently if symptoms are new, worsening, or frightening.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health condition that can involve psychosis, changes in thinking, emotions, motivation, and daily functioning.
Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, confused thoughts, social withdrawal, reduced motivation, difficulty expressing emotions, and problems with concentration.
Treatment can include antipsychotic medication, psychological therapy, family support, care planning, community mental health teams, and crisis support. GOV.UK also recognises schizophrenia as one of the mental health conditions that may amount to a disability depending on its impact.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD is a type of depression with a seasonal pattern, often worse in autumn and winter, although some people experience it at other times.
Signs may include low mood, low energy, sleeping more, craving carbohydrates, weight changes, irritability, loss of interest, and difficulty concentrating.
Support may include daylight exposure, routine, exercise, talking therapies, light therapy for some people, and antidepressants where appropriate. NHS Inform describes SAD as depression with a seasonal pattern.
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociation is when someone feels disconnected from themselves, their memories, emotions, body, surroundings, or identity.
Symptoms can include feeling unreal, feeling detached from the body, memory gaps, identity confusion, emotional numbness, or feeling like the world is not real.
Dissociation can be linked to trauma, stress, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. NHS lists dissociative disorders in its mental health conditions directory.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder — BDD
BDD is when a person spends a lot of time worrying about perceived flaws in their appearance. These flaws may be minor or not visible to others. NHS says BDD can affect people of any age and affects both men and women.
Signs may include mirror checking, avoiding mirrors, comparing appearance, seeking reassurance, skin picking, avoiding photos, hiding features, cosmetic procedure preoccupation, and distress about appearance.
BDD is not vanity. It can be very distressing and can seriously affect daily life. Treatment may include CBT, exposure work, medication, and specialist support.
Hoarding Disorder
Hoarding disorder involves difficulty discarding possessions, leading to clutter that affects living spaces, safety, hygiene, relationships, or daily life.
Signs may include collecting excessive items, distress when trying to throw things away, rooms becoming unusable, shame, isolation, arguments with others, or safety risks such as falls or fire hazards.
Support may include GP help, mental health services, social care, housing support, fire safety advice, and specialist therapy. Northern Ireland’s public health information describes hoarding disorder as acquiring excessive items and storing them chaotically.
Sleep Problems and Mental Health
Sleep and mental health strongly affect each other. Poor sleep can worsen anxiety, depression, stress, trauma symptoms, mood swings, concentration, and emotional regulation.
Common problems include insomnia, nightmares, waking early, oversleeping, panic at night, racing thoughts, sleep paralysis, and irregular sleep routines.
Support may include sleep hygiene, CBT for insomnia, reducing caffeine, regular wake times, trauma support for nightmares, GP review for medication or physical causes, and mental health support if sleep problems are linked to distress.
UK Government & NHS Resources
NHS
- NHS Mental Health Conditions Directory
- NHS Mental Health Services
- NHS Talking Therapies
- NHS Urgent Mental Health Support
- NHS 111 Online Mental Health Help
UK Government
GOV.UK Mental Health Crisis Care Statistics and Information
Extra UK support routes
If symptoms affect daily life, work, education, relationships, safety, or self-care, support may include:
- GP appointment
- NHS Talking Therapies
- NHS 111 mental health option
- Local crisis team
- Community mental health team
- Occupational health
- School, college, or university wellbeing team
- Social care support
- Benefits or workplace support if the condition has a substantial long-term impact
GOV.UK explains that a mental health condition can count as a disability if it has a substantial, adverse, long-term effect on normal day-to-day activities.
Remember
Mental health conditions are common and treatable. Seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Whether symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe, support is available through the NHS, community services, charities, and crisis services across the UK.