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Mood disorders
The term Mood Disorders
encompasses different types
of depression including
Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD), post natal depression,
clinical depression and bipolar
disorder. Some of these
disorders are more serious and
longer lasting than others but
they are all life limiting and
may even be life threatening.
Depression is a serious illness
that is often overlooked
through lack of understanding.
Common symptoms include
low mood that lasts for
more than two weeks, sleep
disturbance, appetite changes
and lack of motivation
or interest in things that
were previously enjoyable.
Depression left untreated
may lead to a worsening of
symptoms
Psychoses
Psychotic illnesses include
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
and also discrete psychotic
episodes caused by drug use,
severe depression and post
natal psychotic episodes.
Although psychosis is more
unusual than mood disorders
and anxiety it is of particular
relevance to educators as the
first onset of the disease usually
occurs between the ages of
15 and 25. One of the major
problems with psychosis is
the fear that such a diagnosis
causes. People tend to see a
diagnosis of schizophrenia as
a life sentence of madness.
The truth is that one third of
all people who experience a
psychotic episode will never
have another and will return to
normal health relatively quickly.
Another third will recover with
support and one third will have
a life long tendency to reoccurrence
of the disease.
Mind has produced an
excellent fact sheet on
psychotic illnesses. Along with
a range of other fact sheets
that can be accessed on http://
www.mind.org.uk/Information/
Eating disorders
Eating disorders include
anorexia, bulimia and binge
eating. The symptoms and
effects of these three disorders
are different but the outcome
can be very serious in all three.
The majority of people with
eating disorders are young
women but there is evidence
of an increase in men. Most
educators will come across
a student with an eating
disorder at some point in
their professional life and it
is important to have basic
knowledge of the problem and
the ability to support in a non
judgmental way.
Self Harm
Self harm is a behaviour not a
mental health problem but it is
included here as you are likely
to come across students who
self harm. It is used by people
of all ages and genders to bring
relief to overwhelming feelings
of distress or to communicate
that they are distressed. Some
people who self harm are
suicidal at the time but not all
people who self harm want to
end their life, just the pain they
are experiencing.
Self harm can range from
relatively minor self injury to
dangerous and life threatening
behaviour. Try not to act
shocked or upset – the reasons
for this behaviour are complex
and sometimes the person
will not be aware of why they
act the way they do. There is
further information available on
http://www.ssmh.ac.uk/self_
harm including specific pointers
for educators.
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