When supporting someone with a mental health condition, it helps to understand as much as you can about the person’s diagnosis. You may already be supporting them emotionally and they may need you in many ways – with simple tasks, appointments and managing finances.
Mental health conditions vary greatly. Here we look at some of the most frequently diagnosed conditions, exploring what each condition means for the person you are supporting, the typical symptoms and what treatment might look like.
There are three main types of mental health conditions, these include:
Mood related conditions:
- Depression.
- Bipolar disorder.
Anxiety related conditions:
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Phobias.
Personality related conditions:
- Borderline Personality Disorder.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder.
- Paranoid Personality Disorder.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, and loss of joy. It is different from the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of life.
Major life events, such as bereavement or the loss of a job can trigger depression. But depression often persists in spite of a change of circumstances.
For some people it is a short-term condition which the person will recover from after a number of weeks or months. But for others it is a chronic illness that persists for many years.
Symptoms of depression can include:
- Reduced interest in activities that a person previously enjoyed.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Agitation and restlessness.
- Fatigue or loss of energy.
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions.
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or an attempt at suicide.
Treatment for depression
Depression is treatable with support from medical professionals and if required, the right medication About 4 in 10 people achieve remission of their symptoms within 12 months, but if not managed and supported there is a possibility depression can come back.
Managing symptoms usually involves:
- Talking therapy such as one-to-one counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
- Drug treatment: A doctor may prescribe antidepressants.
- Lifestyle changes: things like eating better, exercising more, drinking less alcohol and getting more sleep can make a big difference to depression.
As a carer, you may not know how best to support someone with depression, here are some tips for you to consider when caring:
- Support them to get help. You are not able to force them to get help but you can encourage them by letting them know help Is available and it is ok to reach out for help.
- Tell them you are there for them and are ready to listen when they need to talk.
- Support them with no judgement and with empathy.
- Encouraging them to be physically active and have a balanced diet. Also to continue to do things they enjoy – walks or reading for example.
- Get information about the services available to them in their area, support groups, support teams and local health services.
- Keep in touch with them by messaging, phoning or meeting. It is common for people who are depressed to become isolated and they may find it difficult to leave their home or reach out.
- Try to be understanding, they may display behaviours that could be challenging, but by understanding this is the condition and not them, you will be able to remain patient with them.
- Take care of yourself. By maintaining your own wellbeing, and looking after your own mental health you will be able to support the person you are caring for.
Anxiety disorders can have a significant impact on daily life. Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, phobias, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most commonly diagnosed type of anxiety. It results in people feeling anxious about a wide range of situations and issues. People with GAD feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. This can unsurprisingly have a significant effect on their daily life.
Although each disorder has its differences, some common symptoms include:
- Feelings of nervousness, panic or fear.
- Physical symptoms like sweating, a rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing.
- Disrupted sleep, insomnia or nightmares.
- Finding social situations or work environments overwhelming and uncomfortable.
- Feeling on edge or hyper alert all the time.
Treatment for anxiety
With the help of treatment, many people are able to control their anxiety levels. There are several different treatments available to ease the symptoms of anxiety. These include:
- Talking therapy such as one-to-one counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Medication – anxiety can respond well to a kind of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Lifestyle changes - trying to reduce stress, exercise more, drink less alcohol and get better sleep can all help reduce the symptoms of anxiety
As a carer, you may not know how best to support someone with anxiety, here are some tips for you to consider when caring:
- You could speak to them to find out how anxiety affects their day-to-day life, and what makes it better or worse. By listening to them and how they experience things could help you to empathise with how they feel and offer the right support.
- Perhaps offer to join them at any appointments they have or to join them on the journey if they feel anxious about travelling to and from the appointment.
- Look after yourself, caring for someone with a mental health problem can be challenging so ensure your own well being is looked after by taking a break, understanding your boundaries and getting the relevant support yourself. Looking after your own mental health as well.
Bipolar disorder, also known as bipolar affective disorder (and once known as manic depression) is a mood disorder which can cause your mood to swing from extreme highs to extreme lows. Symptoms can include:
- Increased energy, excitement and an abnormally elevated mood (sometimes referred to as mania).
- Impulsive behaviour and agitation.
- Depressive symptoms including a lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
- Psychotic symptoms such as seeing or hearing things that don’t exist.
There are different types of bipolar disorder and doctors aren’t sure exactly what causes it, although it is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental causes
Treatment for bipolar disorder:
Although bipolar disorder can’t be cured, most people will get relief from symptoms through a combination of talking therapies and/or medication.
Mood stabilising drugs are usually used to manage mania and depressive symptoms. Other common medications used are antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Doctors will use different dosages and combinations depending on what works best for the individual.
How to support someone with a bipolar disorder:
- Understand that their behaviours are a result of the symptoms of the mental illness.
- It may be challenging when you are supporting someone in the middle of an episode, they may say or do things that are hurtful or embarrassing, reckless or aggressive. As a carer it may be hard to not take these behaviours to heart or personally, but try to remember they are the symptoms of the illness and not a result of selfishness or immaturity.
- Be prepared for behaviours that may challenge.
- Planning ahead for behaviours that may be destructive or irresponsible can help. This planning when the person you are supporting is well, will allow you both to agree actions for when symptoms flare up. You could set plans around going to the doctor together, or removing credit cards or to take on control of house hold finances for example.
- Know what to do during a mental health crisis.
- By being prepared with a list of emergency contact information for doctors and support teams, and other friends and/or family who can help, you will be able to act quickly in a crisis. Also being aware when to call 999 in an emergency will help in a crisis. For example if the person you are supporting is at risk of harming themselves or those around them, to stay with them if safe to do so until an ambulance arrives.
A personality disorder is a condition that affects how people think, feel, behave or relate to other people. Although it isn’t totally clear what causes personality disorders, many people diagnosed with personality disorders have experience of trauma. This might include difficulties growing up, including childhood neglect or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
There are different types of personality disorder and each comes with its own set of symptoms. For example:
- A person with Borderline Personality Disorder tends to have disturbed ways of thinking, impulsive behaviour and problems controlling their emotions
- A person diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder will typically get easily frustrated and have difficulty controlling their anger. They may blame other people for problems in their life, and be aggressive and violent, upsetting others with their behaviour
- A person diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder may find it hard to confide in people or trust people, even friends and family. They may read threats into everyday situations, innocent remarks or casual looks from others.
Treatment for Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are usually treated with a combination of medication and talking therapies. Some people will make a full recovery while other people may have ongoing issues. Even if symptoms do persist, treatment can help to make life a little easier. A GP will be able to prescribe medication and refer on to therapies. If they think the patient has a Complex Personality Disorder they may refer them on to an NHS Community Mental Health Team or a Specialist NHS Personality Disorder Service.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects the way people think and behave. People tend to have episodes of schizophrenia, during which their symptoms are particularly severe, followed by periods where they experience few or no symptoms. Unlike the stereotype often portrayed on television, schizophrenia does not mean people have split personalities and it does not mean they are more likely to be violent.
The symptoms of schizophrenia are classified as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. These labels can sometimes be confused to mean that the symptoms are good or bad but this is not the case.
- Positive symptoms - this is where something is being added to an individual’s reality. For example, a change in behaviour or thoughts, such as hallucinations or delusions.
- Negative symptoms - this is where experiences are taken away from an individual’s reality. For example, not being able to experience pleasure, feeling emotionless or getting very little out of social interactions.
Professionals aren’t sure of what causes schizophrenia but the main factors that can contribute towards the development of schizophrenia are believed to be a combination of genetics and environment.
Treatment for schizophrenia
There are different types of treatment available for schizophrenia, including medication and talking therapies. With the help of treatment, some people will make a full recovery from schizophrenia. Others may find their symptoms improve initially but come back at a later date and some people will struggle with long-term symptoms in spite of treatment. Medical professionals will work with anyone diagnosed with schizophrenia to find the right treatment for them.
How to support someone with schizophrenia:
- Ask them what you can do to help. It could be they need support with remembering to take medication or visiting the shops or support going to appointments.
- Talk to them about how they are feeling rather than what they are experiencing. At times you may not be sure how to respond or what to say when someone is seeing or hearing something you cannot- but its important to remember what they are experiencing feels real to them. So, perhaps ask talk to them about how they are feeling rather than denying what they are experiencing.
- You may notice they loose interest or motivation to look after themselves, this is a part of schizophrenia. Perhaps get them to think about small and realistic activities and goals they can do.
Psychosis is not a mental health condition (in terms of a diagnosis), but is the term given to a time when someone loses touch with reality. Psychosis is often a symptom of other mental health conditions, like schizophrenia, but it can also arise due to non-mental health related causes like lack of sleep, stress or anxiety, alcohol or substance use, head injury or a reaction to medication.
Common symptoms of psychosis include:
- Hallucinations such as hearing voices or seeing things that don’t exist.
- Having strong beliefs (delusions) that are not shared by the people around them.
- Disturbed speech or a sudden loss in their train of thought.
Treatment for psychosis
A lot of people manage to make a complete recovery after having a psychotic episode while other people may experience repeated episodes. For these people it may take longer to recover and they may need more treatment before seeing improvement.
Patients may be offered medication and talking therapy to help with their experiences. To access treatment for psychosis, a person usually needs to have an assessment by a specialist mental health service such as the Early Intervention in Psychosis Team’ (EIT) or a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).
The symptoms and behaviours of these conditions will determine the level of caring you will be required to do to support them to be as independent as possible, whilst seeking the medical support they need at the right time.
There may be times when you do not feel like you are like other carers, you may even feel you are not in a caring role. Supporting someone with a mental health condition can be variable, but it is important to recognise that any support you are offering the person you are supporting makes you a carer and enables you to access support for you. This support could be through a statuatory carers assessment, attending Carers First groups or training sessions where you will meet carers in the same caring role as you.