IF you had a broken leg, you wouldn’t think twice about seeking medical help – and that should also be the case if you are struggling with your mental health.
There is no shame in seeking help for your mental health, in fact it is a courageous thing to do.
Dr Zoe Williams answers some common questions sent in by readers
Your GP is trained to help, whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression or if you’ve been experiencing things that others aren’t, such as hearing voices.
If you have concerns, don’t hesitate to speak to somebody.
In a mental health emergency, or if you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
NHS 111 is also on hand if you require mental health help urgently, and remember, you are not wasting anyone’s time.
Here are some questions readers asked me this week . . .
Q) MY son came home from university for Christmas and seems really down. He doesn’t want to talk about it but I’m worried he has a mental health problem and is heading back to uni, where it could get worse.
A) A recent mental health survey from The Tab found around two thirds of students felt lonely at university.
What’s more, 90 per cent of those surveyed said they’ve struggled with a mental health illness.
Young people aren’t immune from the current economic and social climate and the cost-of-living crisis.
All in all, it’s a tough time for them.
Do you know if your son has any financial worries?
Maybe paying his rent or juggling a part-time job with his studies is getting too much.
Does he have a social circle at university and has he been catching up with old friends since being at home?
Is he handing in assignments on time and getting grades he’s happy with?
Technically, students are over 18 so they’re adults, meaning his lecturers won’t get in touch with you about concerns.
But it might be worth you trying to contact them.
That may lead them to reach out to your son during term time.
Let him know he can self-refer on the NHS for talking therapies, and there are charities like Mind you can talk to as a parent to help equip you for any conversation you may want to have with him.
It’s important to try and keep lines of communication open.
Even if the conversation is one-sided for now, maybe talk about some options available to him.
He might be able to defer a year, maybe coming home more often is what he’d like, perhaps his halls or flat aren’t the best environment and he wants to move.
Being open and reassuring him you can work together to find remedies and solutions may help.
Good luck.
Q) MY mum is in her seventies and seems to have lost interest in life. She used to be so outgoing. What can I do to talk to her about it?
A) The first step is to have as open and honest a conversation as possible with your mum.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start.
I’d suggest sharing with her your observations and letting her know how you feel.
Avoid trying to make suggestions or assumptions and, if she says there is nothing wrong at first, that is OK.
You’ve raised the topic, an important first step.
Let her know that you’re concerned and that you would really like to support her.
Then be patient. It may take time for her to feel ready to share her thoughts.
There are many potential reasons for this change in her and one could be depression.
Older people with depression often experience physical symptoms, such as tiredness, weight loss and problems sleeping.
It might also be worth suggesting your mum book a GP appointment and go along with her if she’s OK with that.
There are many medical conditions, including dementia, that can impact on mental health, motivation and confidence, so it could be an idea to explore things further with the GP.
Q) MY wife has dementia and I wonder if memory supplements I’ve read about would be any good for her?
A) Research has yet to robustly prove the effectiveness of these types of so-called “memory pills”.
If you want to try them, it’s important to check with your wife’s own doctor whether supplements are safe to take, especially if she is already on medication for dementia.
The major issue with all over-the-counter supplements is they are not regulated or proven to be effective in the same way that medicines are.
They are actually regulated under the same law as food, so must be safe for consumption and not have misleading labelling — but that’s it.
This means a manufacturer can claim that a product helps with memory loss more generally, but they would not be able to specifically allege that it works on dementia without proving it to the extensive levels that medicines are required to.
There’s strong evidence that certain nutrients are important for brain health, especially Omega-3 (mostly found in oily fish), vitamin E and some types of vitamin B. And we should all be taking vitamin D.
Some proven ways to slow the progression of dementia are being physically active, having a healthy diet, mental stimulation and maintaining a busy social life.
It’s also important to take good care of the vascular system, managing high blood pressure or diabetes and not smoking.
Twenty years of psoriasis
Q) I HAVE had psoriasis for over 20 years. I just can’t seem to get rid of or reduce the red and white spots at all. I moisturise and use Dovobet ointment. Is there anything else I should be doing?
A) Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that can significantly impact physical and mental health.
The good news is that because it is relatively common, there has been a huge amount of research and continues to be frequent developments when it comes to new treatments.
While Dovobet is an excellent treatment for many people, if it is not working for you it’s important to go back to your doctor to try one of the many alternatives.
Sometimes, as GPs, we will send something called a ‘choose and book advice’ request to a specialist. In this case, a dermatologist.
If you’re not already under the care of a dermatologist, it can take many months to receive an appointment, especially with the current NHS pressures.
But a ‘choose and book advice’ is an excellent way for your GP to converse with a specialist about what skin treatment might be best for you to try next.
Sometimes a referral is necessary, as some treatments can only be administered by the dermatologist.
The bottom line is, if you have psoriasis and it is impacting your physical or mental health, you should not suffer in silence.
It may take some time to get you on the perfect regime, but it will be worth it.