Counselling Articles

What is Postnatal Depression? How does this differ from the “Baby Blues”?

The arrival of a new baby is one of life’s happiest moments, yet it can also be associated with anxiety, exhaustion and stress.  Almost half of new mothers can go through a period of feeling very emotional and tearful after the arrival of a child (the ‘baby blues’) and an estimated one in ten can go on to develop more intense and long term symptoms, known as Postnatal depression (PND). These symptoms usually develop in the first four to six weeks after giving birth and can result in overwhelming feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness. 

Postnatal depression is caused by a variety of factors, including and not isolated to hormonal changes, a lack of support and previous mental health issues. It is also important to remember that although postnatal depression is more common in women, men can also be affected. The birth of a new baby can be stressful for both parents and some fathers may feel unable to cope, and may find it difficult to adjust to the big changes made by a new baby.

For both parents it is important to understand that having postnatal depression does not mean you do not love and care for your baby or that you are a ‘bad parent’. While it is very distressing, there are many treatments available and as long as postnatal depression is recognised and treated it can be a temporary condition that you can recover from. (more…)

Some individuals suffer in silence from an emotionally painful disorder called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This psychological condition is characterised by an obsession with an imaginary or minor flaw in his or her physical appearance.

Definition of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Individuals with BDD have a distorted body image in which they focus on (real or imagined) inadequacies with their size, shape, and form of their body. This distortion is often accompanied by intense dissatisfaction with their physical appearance. It can also lead to the dysfunctional development of behaviours and rituals to “treat” the problem including using excessive clothing to cover troublesome areas of the body. Some sufferers will wear heavy makeup, undergo frequent cosmetic procedures, engage in excessive grooming, hair plucking, and skin picking, in an attempt to reduce their suffering. Other common behaviours include the refusal  to be in pictures, obsessive comparison of themselves to others, and the need to frequently examine oneself in a mirror. The perceived problem may include any part of the body, and can change over time. However, the most commonly problematic Body Dysmorphic Disorder areas include:

• Nose
• Hair
• Skin
• Complexion
• Wrinkles
• Acne and blemishes
• Breast size
• Muscle size
• Genitalia (more…)

What is CBT?

CBT stands for cognitive behavioural therapy, which is an effective treatment for behavioural and emotional problems. It helps patients to identify and understand their fear, and then from this, learn to overcome their fear response.

How are Phobias formed?

Many phobias are believed to be a result of a process called classical conditioning.

For example: If every time a person sees a dog it either bites or barks loudly at that person, the person begins to feel anxious or scared. The dog becomes the object of the person’s fear, and the biting or barking is the cause of this fear. Then upon seeing a dog again, which results in the same negative experience, the person begins to form a phobia. This means that in the future, just seeing a dog that is not vicious in any way will still make the person feel emotions of fear. The development of this fear is called acquisition. (more…)

At some point in our lives  most of us will have experienced anger. Rush hour travel, computer crashes and problematic relationships are all aspects of modern day living that can tip us over the edge. Yet, this powerful emotion is perfectly normal, just like feelings of happiness, fear and sadness and in most cases it stays within a natural and controlled range. In fact, anger is an integral aspect of our evolutionary make-up helping us to instinctively detect and respond to threatening situations, as well as acting as a powerful motivating force to change aspects of our lives that we are dissatisfied with. Given its part in keeping both body and mind ready for action, a number of physiological changes characterise anger, including faster heart beat, breathing rate and increases in temperature and perspiration. (more…)