Depression is a clinical term for when an individual experiences low mood, low self-esteem, and limited interest in activities for an extended period. Every case of depression is different however sufferers can feel like managing their daily life is a struggle. Normal activities like eating, sleeping, working, and socialising can become very difficult to cope with. Depression is a common mental health condition that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background.

The most significant difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating is whether a person's symptoms and experiences align with the criteria defined by a qualified medical practitioner or psychiatrist. Often both. The term "disordered eating" is a descriptive phrase, not a diagnosis. Thus, while many people who have disordered eating patterns may fit the criteria, it also is possible to have disordered eating patterns that do not fit within the current confines of an eating disorder diagnosis.

Still, eating concerns falling short of a diagnosis deserve attention and treatment as they may turn into more problematic eating disorders and put individuals at risk of serious health problems.

It is so important to remember that an eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations.

Unhealthy eating behaviours may include eating too much or too little or worrying about your weight or body shape. Anyone can get an eating disorder, but teenagers and young adults are mostly affected.

With treatment, most people can recover from an eating disorder.

Some of the most common eating disorders are:

anorexia nervosa (often called anorexia) – trying to control your weight by not eating enough food, exercising too much, or doing both.

bulimia – losing control over how much you eat and then taking drastic action to not put on weight.

binge eating disorder (BED) – eating large portions of food until you feel uncomfortably full.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) - ARFID is when someone avoids certain foods, limits how much they eat or does both. Beliefs about weight or body shape are not reasons why people develop ARFID. Possible reasons for ARFID include, negative feelings over the smell, taste, or texture of certain foods; a response to an experience with food that was upsetting, for example, choking or being sick after eating something; not feeling hungry or just a lack of interest in eating

Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) - A person may have an OSFED if their symptoms do not exactly fit the expected symptoms for any specific eating disorders. OSFED is the most common eating disorder.

Your understanding of events from your past can influence your motivation to do things in your present or future. Vice versa, your fear of an event that might occur in the future, can influence how you act in the present.

There are times in our lives when we just feel ‘stuck’. Maybe you are unhappy in your work, or relationship? Sometimes when we feel this way it can be useful to talk these feelings through with someone who can help you try to make sense of the root of these feelings.

If you're dealing with something stressful, you may start to feel overwhelmed and have difficulty coping. You may find yourself ruminating over the problem constantly and feeling frozen or paralysed. You may even start to feel sick and experience other physical symptoms. We can work together to find new skills and techniques to support you when these feelings become overwhelming.

The use of drugs or use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or alcohol for purposes of blocking out difficult historical, present or stress over future problems. Substance abuse may lead to social, physical, emotional, and job-related problems. If substances are causing problems or difficulties in your life, it may be time to seek help and talk to someone who can help you explore the problem which may be enough to resolve the issue, or if the substance abuse is ore additive in nature it would be best to sign-post to somewhere that can provide more specialised treatment.

Trauma is when we experience very stressful, frightening, or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or out of our control. It could be one incident, or an ongoing event that happens over a long period of time. Most of us will experience an event in our lives that could be considered traumatic. Trauma is really anything that feels traumatic for you.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition caused by a traumatic experience. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include flashbacks, nightmares, feeling very anxious and difficulty sleeping. The main treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder are antidepressants and talking therapies. Any situation that a person finds traumatic can cause post-traumatic stress disorder. Examples include a road accident, an assault of any kind or childbirth.

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD, sometimes abbreviated to c-PTSD or CPTSD) is a condition where you experience some symptoms of PTSD along with some additional symptoms, such as: difficulty controlling your emotions. feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world.

Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic events which may take place in childhood and growing up such as living with adults who have drug or substance abuse problems/addictions, living with adults who have mental health problems, living with domestic violence, adults who spend time in and out of prison, parents who have separated, physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, general physical neglect and their needs not being met.

EUPD, otherwise known as borderline personality disorder – BPD, is a condition that affects how you think, feel, and interact with other people. Symptoms of borderline personality include being emotionally unstable, having upsetting thoughts and acting without thinking. The main treatment for borderline personality disorder is a type of talking therapy called psychotherapy. The cause of borderline personality disorder is unclear. It's been linked to traumatic events during childhood, such as neglect or abuse.

The symptoms of BD can be grouped into 4 main areas: emotional instability – the psychological term for this is affective dysregulation. disturbed patterns of thinking or perception – cognitive distortions or perceptual distortions. impulsive behaviour. intense but unstable relationships with others.

Struggling with relationship problems? The cause may be the attachment style you developed with your primary caregiver as an infant. By understanding insecure attachment styles such as anxious attachment, anxious avoidant attachment, or disorganised attachment, you can learn to build stronger, healthier connections with family friends and partners.

Compulsive behaviours such as Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviour or OCD, can be a way of feeling like you are in control of your life. Common activities that can develop into compulsions include shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, sex, and exercise. Though some behaviours are easier to overindulge in than others, nearly any behaviour has the potential to become a compulsion.

Some people can become convinced that bad things may happen if they don’t do certain things a certain way.

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts that can pop into our heads without warning, at any time. They're often repetitive – with the same kind of thought cropping up again and again – and they can be disturbing or even distressing.

Some examples of negative behaviour patterns include feeling stress from having too much work and trying to push workload onto others. Frustration at being unable to achieve a target and trying to cut corners to get results. Working around a process because they don't like it.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that includes symptoms such as being restless and having trouble concentrating.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.