Major life events are the biggest cause of anxiety and depression in our lives, but how we think about these events determines the level of stress we experience. Depression and anxiety can be ‘normal’ reactions to life events and we should not dismiss or ignore them. Rather, we should support the person feeling depressed or anxious to help them deal with their experiences and to find their best strategies to manage their feelings. Many mental health challenges can be treated with simple, relatively inexpensive methods. It is true that many mental disorders and disabilities cannot be ‘cured’. However, many physical illnesses (HIV, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis) are also not curable. Still, much can be done to reduce symptoms and to improve the quality of life of people who have these conditions. The same is the case for mental health and many people are able to live full and successful lives while managing their mental health challenges.
3.1 Common mental health disorders Anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders cause people to experience distressing and frequent fear and apprehension. Many people may experience these feelings during a job interview or public speaking event, as a normal response to stress. People with anxiety disorders feel them frequently and in typically non-stressful events. Bouts of anxiety can last up to six months or more at a time. Anxiety disorders include: • Panic and panic attacks • Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) • Social anxiety
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