Mental Health 101

This page is a great place to start learning more about mental health and the different mental health conditions there are. We have decided to focus on some less commonly spoken about mental illness to reduce stigma & breakdown myths surrounding these.

Everyone has mental health

Just like physical health – everyone has mental health. At any one time we can be mentally healthy and well, we can be mentally ill and unwell or somewhere in between.

If you want to learn more about the difference between mental health & mental illness you can take a look at Unloc’s free online course on Mental Health & Wellbeing. You can start the course at any time and guide yourself through the videos, information & activities to get a better understanding of mental health.

Mental Health: More than Anxiety & Depression...

Anxiety disorders and depression are very common and serious mental health conditions. Due to them being more common than other mental illnesses they tend to be spoken about more and better understood, however there are still many misconceptions about both these conditions.

We have decided to focus on some less commonly spoken about mental illnesses – Schizophrenia and Personality Disorders – to increase understanding and reduce the stigma and discrimination around these conditions.

Explore the information about Schizophrenia and Personality Disorders below, and for more information about other mental illnesses visit the NHS website links below.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia infographic created by Louise, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust Youth Board Member

People with schizophrenia experience hallucinations (seeing & hearing things which don’t exist) and delusions (false and unusual beliefs about reality). Find out more by visiting the following websites & watching the video:

NHS – Schizophrenia
Mind – Schizophrenia

Fact

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is the most common type of personality disorder

BPD is also sometimes refered to as EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder). People with a diagnosis of BPD or EUPD might experience intense emotions, upsetting thoughts, hallucinations, mood swings and impulsive behaviour, however people will have different experiences of how BPD or EUPD impacts them.

Myth Busting

People with schizoprenia are dangerous or violent

Schizophrenia does not cause someone to be violent. In fact, mentally ill people are x4 more likely to be victims of violence.

Fact

People with Schizoprenia or a Personality Disorder can live a full & successul life

Although these are serious mental illnesses people with Schizophrenia or a Personality Disorder can still live a full and successful life with the right support. Early diagnosis is really important as well as tackling stigma and discrimination around these conditions which can make everyday life harder for someone with a mental illness.

Personality Disorders

A person with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from the average person. There are many different types of personality disorder, to find out more about these conditions visit the following websites and watch the video:

NHS – Personality disorder
Mind – Personality Disorder

Personality Disorder infographic created by Louise, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust Youth Board Member

Find out more about other mental illnesses

We have only explored a few mental health conditions on this page. If you want to learn about a condition not mentioned on this page the best place to visit is the NHS Website. They have information including symptoms, diagnosis & treatment about mental illness including:

General anxiety disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Psychosis

Social anxiety (scial phobia)

Stress