THEGAYUK

Tag: Mental Health

All the latest breaking news on mental health and the LGBT+ community. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on mental health issues.

  • How can I find the balance between free time and work?

    Homework, cramming, learning, remembering, training your brain. All these are very important whether you are a student trying to pass your exams, trying to create a presentation or an actor learning a role.

    CREDIT: © peus Depositphotos

    But free time, downtime is equally important, because the brain needs time to rest, recharge and store all the information given.

    Unfortunately the brain – and the person carrying that brain- enjoy and crave that free time a lot more than all the learning stuff and the time to learn becomes smaller and smaller, until you find yourself a days before your exam, performance, presentation with a nice clear brain, but nothing learned. What do you do? You study non-stop and pull all-nighters and turn up at your big moment like a zombie, often failing because you’re too tired to focus and your brain has overloaded. Or sometimes you just give up.

    Or sometimes you just give up.

    This is something that can easily be avoided with a little planning. If you play your cards right you can both study and enjoy downtime. So, how do we do it?

    Study planning
    Studying and downtime can coexist
    Rest is essential.
    You need free time
    The best thing to do is think about what you want to accomplish in a day, see if it is feasible and then make a list.

    This list could read:
    6.00 Get up, do some last minute checks, breakfast, wash, go to college/work/rehearsals
    15.00 Go home, eat something start study immediately.
    18.00 Take a break, do what you want.
    21.00 Check in if you haven’t forgotten anything.
    22.00 Watch some TV, read or whatever.
    23.00 Go to bed to get at least a 7-hour rest.

    At the weekends? Use Saturdays for all the studying, and keep the Sundays for yourself for one day all free, all for you.

    It really is that easy!!

    This really is the most effective schedule to keep. There is you time and study time all together in the right place.

    But sadly we often don’t keep to these schedules. Life gets in the way, or you lose track of time.
    These days that last part can be fixed easily, we all have mobiles, and an organiser app can be downloaded easily and be tailored and programmed to fit your needs.

    So yes, make a schedule and learn to keep to it as much as humanly possible. Maybe through Mindfulness, there are great free courses online. Maybe through sheer will power. There is always a way to a better, more organised life.

    If all else fails and you really feel you need more help there is another option open to you: a life coach! A life coach is someone who’ll guide you on your journey and keeps you on track. If you think you need the help of someone trained in reorganising peoples lives for the better, you can find out all there is to know on life coaches and what they can do for you here: http://www.lifecoachspotter.com/how-to-find-life-coach-guide/

    Whatever you do, just remember: The answer is out there for you, and if you really want it, you can do it!!

  • Mind Matters

    We talk about our physical well-being all the time; discussing everything from our gym and dieting regimes through to our sexual health and exploits. Our mental health is all too often overlooked, even though LGBT people are known to suffer disproportionately more from poor mental health compared to the straight population. Recovery can be a long and arduous road, so it’s important for anyone suffering from poor mental health to be able to access the help they need.

    One charity that knows all about that is the LGBT Foundation. We spoke to Lucy Rolfe, the Wellbeing manager, and asked why the clinic was set up. She told us that not everyone suffering from a mental health issue is comfortable using their GP as the first port of call.

    “There are a lot of people who’ve had a negative experience accessing a mental health service. Either they’ve felt they can’t be open about their sexuality or they’ve been met with an uncomfortable silence. Sometimes the professional has been directly homophobic. That can put people off accessing support that they need. Even if they’ve not had a negative experience they might be too nervous or too frightened about coming out to their GP. If they can’t be open about themselves they may have difficulty explaining why they are experiencing mental health problems.”

    Undiagnosed mental health problems can result in a whole host of negative consequences, including efforts to self-medicate, and that’s something Lucy told us more about.

    “When people are struggling to cope, alcohol is very accessible. In Manchester we know that the village in the city centre where we’re based is the heart of the LGBT community social life. We provide spaces other than bars and clubs. People can go where it’s not based around socialising with alcohol, or going clubbing where there may be drugs around.”

    Lucy sees drug and alcohol abuse as a consequence of efforts to become part of a community.

    “Often we get people who come into the village on their own, and in other parts of the country they may not know anyone else who is LGBT. One of the easiest ways to meet people is to go to a bar or a pub. Many are nervous about meeting new people and deal with that using alcohol and sometimes drugs as a confidence booster. It’s very easy to fall into that unhelpful cycle and pattern. We’ve run a befriending service for round about four years now, and that’s aimed at people who are isolated. Isolation can have a massive impact on mental health.”

    Even the act of coming out in the first place can, for some, prove a traumatic experience with a build-up of stress before informing friends and family. As Lucy tells us,

    “When you’re worried how friends and family may react, you can feel incredibly isolated. It’s that 1% of doubt that someone will react negatively that can prevent you from coming out.”

    We asked Lucy if her long experience of talking to gay people with mental health issues had given her an awareness of the triggers that we should be aware of.

    “Many people come to the LGF because they’ve experienced some kind of prejudice, discrimination or bullying, and in some of the worst cases some of our clients have been victims of hate crimes. That can have long-term psychological impacts.”

    We can have a supportive family, but still suffer homophobic abuse in the workplace or from neighbours, which at least partially accounts for higher rates of mental health issues even for gay people from accepting and stable backgrounds. Those of us from conservative or religious backgrounds are in an especially high-risk category, and can be victim to their own internalised homophobia. Lucy told us,

    “If people of faith hear their religious leaders saying being LGBT is wrong, then that can be really difficult.”

    So with rejection by family and peers, experience of homophobia and repressive backgrounds high on the list as triggers for a spectrum of mental health-related conditions, we wanted to know if there was any good news that might eventually see LGBT people sharing the same degree of good mental health as the rest of the population.

    Lucy told us that people can start to recover,

    “When they know they don’t have to suffer alone, that mental health problems affect a large percentage of us, and that help is available”. The first step is always finding the help you need. “People who come to us may look at the website first, and then might call our helpline and may then eventually pop in and see us face to face. For some people, that process can take months. It’s all about building trust.”

    Find out more about the LGBT Foundation and access their advice on mental health.

  • How do you deal with the pain of bereavement?

    The loss of life after the Orlando tragedies is almost impossible to comprehend. As we, the LGBT community feel intuitively connected to those in our community, no matter where we are the attack felt close to home. It felt as if members of our own family were targeted at that club and it will probably be a very long time before we have emotionally recovered from the damage.

    How to deal with death

    If it feels that way for us. Imagine how it must feel for those that knew the victims: their partners, their parents, their friends and family. How will they cope? If someone close to you was among the victims, how will you cope?

    As Maria V. Snyder says in Storm Glass;

    “Everyone grieves in different ways. For some, it could take longer or shorter. I do know it never disappears. An ember still smoulders inside me. Most days, I don’t notice it, but, out of the blue, it’ll flare to life.”

    Sudden loss and bereavement can leave you feeling numb, overcome with grieve or confused. The loss of someone close to you hits hard and deep. There is the shock, the disbelieve, having to comfort and be strong for others, guilt, denial and often much, much later the true outpouring of pain and hurt.

    The fact that the true response only comes weeks and sometimes months after the event makes it harder to cope with. You thought you had been dealing well, your friends and family thought you had moved on, you had returned to work. And suddenly there you are, in tears every night, feeling worse than the day you heard the news. Reality hit you: he or she is truly gone.

    A lot people try to ignore this reaction: it is silly, you can’t suddenly feel like this after all this time.

    They feel too embarrassed to tell those closest to them, often thinking: “it’s been such a long time, they may think I’m attention seeking.”

    Then there are many that just cannot stop grieving. This is often wrongly judged as “wallowing”, but it is not. The hole left behind by the loved one is so big that they simply don’t know how to cope. There are people out there that get knocked for six with just their favourite TV show ending – it was part of their lives – so imagine if it is a person you saw and loved every day for many years.
    Like the delayed griever, they might too try to repress their emotions, thinking it is the right thing to do. No, it is the wrong thing to do.

    Repressing the pain can lead to physical manifestations of the pain often in the form of depression.
    So please do seek someone to talk to, a person you truly trust. Go online to find like-minded people. Or seek counselling, there is no shame in this!! A therapist has the skills to deal with your problems and you don’t need to worry about them not wanting to listen to you: it’s their job!!

    A good way to accompany counselling or to try and deal with the pain, in general, is to practise Mindfulness. This might surprise you because isn’t Mindfulness about “being in the moment, and isn’t “the moment” exactly what we are trying to avoid? Well, “the moment” is a big part of it, but what is far more important is getting the mind to be still, so you are no longer a prisoner of your thoughts. Training your mind to be quiet is a good aid to tide you over when you feel grief and despair washing over you.

    Sameet Kumar, Ph.D., author of Grieving Mindfully and The Mindful Path Through Worry and Rumination says:

    “Grief can often feel like chronic stress, and research shows that 20-30 minutes of twice daily mindfulness practice can alter how your brain processes stress after about eight weeks. Mindfulness practice during grief can help your mind and body find precious moments of peace during this difficult time. Regular mindfulness practice can also help you sleep better and is a crucial foundation for developing healthier habits during your grief journey.”

    There are many courses out there so you can pick any that would serve you best. Taking a course would also help get you out of the house into a new situation where you can meet new people, so it is always a win. If you don’t feel like going out, there are dozens of online classes available too, many of them free.

    While counselling and mindfulness might work to help you on your way, you still have to take it one day at the time. For every good day there can be four bad ones.

    But if you cherish these good days and every fun moment you experience you can remind yourself on the bad days that: you are allowed to have fun and don’t have to feel guilty. When you start believing this you can slowly move on.

    Never force yourself to move on if you don’t feel ready, though: you are allowed bad days too. You don’t have to get up if you don’t want to, there is no fault in that. In many ways it is healthy to not force yourself out of a depression. It has been said that the best way to look at depression is to treat it like a flu inside the brain. But don’t forget: a flu doesn’t last four weeks and even people with the flu have to do their shopping and take a shower.

    By this I mean: don’t start to neglect yourself, it will only drag you down more. Always take a shower and try to eat something, even on the bad days.

    Use the good days to make plans with someone you like. In fact, make a deal with someone you like that says that: if you have been in bed or at the house and depressed for more than 3 days, they have to take you out for a walk, a lunch, the zoo etc and you are not allowed to complain.

    Once you are outside the mind usually clears and a new happy moment to treasure during the bad times will follow.

    Remember: no matter how bad you may feel now, there is always hope.

  • COMMENT | Truly Madly Deeply

    Roses are red violets are blue if you’re not sane and sorted no one’s gonna f*ck you!

    Maybe I was blissfully unaware, growing up as a teen in the 90s, but the only ‘type’ of gays I was aware of – were lesbians, gays, bisexuals and non-gays/straight. It never occurred to me to categorize them with regards to their age, weight, bodily hair or lack of it.

    I see it as open minded, others may say I’m a whore but I was never really interested in a particular type. My preference was creative guys with nice eyes, who laughed a lot and kissed well. That’s a pretty wide spectrum.

    Current tribes and trends – daddies, twinks, bears, cubs and otters etc. do make me chuckle especially considering I was once a beaver at scout group!

    Just as I have got my head around these new labels bam! Along comes sane and sorted.

    What does it mean to declare yourself sane and sorted?

    I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I am far from sane and a long way off sorted. Although gay men, especially, seem to be afraid to admit this.

    So much is expected of us based upon stereotype – we are the funny ones, the ones who are flamboyant, the ones with disposable incomes, creative types, the best friend a girl could have and of course we are but also we are so much more. To me to – be gay is to be courageous and brave.

    It is easy to forget that less than 50 years ago it was illegal to be gay in this country. It still is in places around the World. At some point in our lives there is going to be a time that we realise we feel differently to our families and friends and need the process of ‘coming out’ which can significantly impact our mental health.

    It’s still so difficult to be gay. You’d think that you would automatically find encouragement and support from other gay men but instead we find ourselves standing alongside these Spartans chanting “No Fems” “Non Scene” “straight acting” trying to take us down in a spiral of their internalised homophobia. To me they are an unlabelled trend, emerging as self-confessed superior gays.

    You may not find effeminate guys to be attractive but it is ok for guys to be camp. You may not enjoy going to gay bars or clubs but those that do should not be made to feel there is something wrong with socialising in these places. What ‘sort’ of person discredits another by how much more they are/have/earn in comparison?

    The statistics show that the LGBTQ community are more likely to suffer with mental health issues. As if our lives aren’t hard enough sometimes.

    I suffer with mental illness. I have done for years and until last year I never really accepted that or sought proper help until it was too late and I had no choice but to face it head on.

    This had severe, damaging consequences on my relationships solely because I was in denial and tried to, for too long, hold it together.

    Ultimately my relationships suffered because I didn’t take care of myself mentally. I was dishonest and scared because I thought that by admitting I had issues, there would be implications on my love life but it was by not acknowledging them that caused wreckage.

    Pre ‘coming out’ with mental illness, I was a hopeless romantic. Post mental illness I’m slightly pessimistic and think cupid’s arrows are prejudice towards me and fellow mad hatters. I do worry whether I will be able to find love again purely down to the fact that I have ownership of a clinical mental health diagnosis.

    I’d like to think that being open about my struggles reinforces my eligibility to ultimately find a relationship because it’s not a skeleton in the closet waiting to pop out but I do understand it’s not a great selling point. Buy one box of crazy frogs get another free!

    Initially I really struggled with being a gay man who didn’t live up to the expectations of sane and sorted but It’s very clear that mental health is potentially more destructive if it’s kept a secret and untreated. So making people feel inadequate if they do have issues is only going to promote suppressive behaviour.

    There’s still so much stigma around mental health.

    Once upon a time I was one of those guys who wouldn’t have necessarily considered dating someone with known mental health issues. Now the shoe is on the other foot and I’m looking for the other right one to complete the ‘pair.’ Hopefully for a happier ever after.

    A proudly not so sane and not sorted Gaz Goulding.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Will Young Slams Nicky Morgan As Not Giving A “Shit” About Mental Health

    Will Young has blasted the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan as not “giving a shit” about mental health.

    Speaking at this year’s National Student Pride singer Will Young has strongly criticised Education Secretary Nicky Morgan for ignoring the mental health needs of LGBT youth in the UK. He said that he would be picketing her offices until she addressed issues facing the UK’s LGBT community.

    After a private meeting with Morgan, Young said he left heartbroken.

    He said,

    “It breaks my heart that there are going to be more and more generations of young LGBT people that are going to continue to have a lack of nurture and have this internalised shame which can be changed within the education system.”   

    “The only conclusion that I can draw is that she doesn’t give a shit about it”.

    Will Young who was crowned by THEGAYUK readers as one of the top 10 gay icons of Britain  confessed he is “not a huge fan” of Nicky Morgan, stating his concerns about the MP dealing with mental health issues facing young LGBTS,  “I don’t see the Education Secretary, who I am not a huge fan of at all, addressing this at all.”

    The news comes as PACE, the UK’s biggest mental health charity for LGBTs was forced to close due to local authority budget cuts.

    He then announced that he would be picketing the politician until she gives answers and takes action in schools to help young LGBT people live openly and freely.

    “I am augmenting a new White Paper and then I’ll picket outside the department of education until she gives me some answers.”

  • LGBT Mental Health Charity Shuts For The Last Time

    LGBT Mental Health Charity Shuts For The Last Time

    The mental health charity, PACE has closed due to “local authority budgets”.

    The London-based PACE mental health charity aimed at helping the LGBT community is due to close on the 29th January 2016 citing cuts in funding and a tough financial climate.

    The 31-year-old company is due to cease all operations from the 29th January.

    A statement on the charity’s website said,

    “The decision to close the doors on PACE after 31 years of supporting the LGBT+ community is one that we have taken with a very heavy heart.

    “The financial climate is very difficult for small charities, especially those delivering services at a local level with continuing cuts to local authority budgets. Sadly despite work to support the charity raising the necessary income needed has proved increasingly hard and it has become clear that it is no longer financially viable for the charity to continue.

    “The staff and trustees will work to ensure that PACE’s clients are given as much support as possible during this difficult time and referred to other support services as far as is possible.

    “We would like to thank all those who have supported us and worked with us to deliver vital support services for the LGBT+ community. A very big thank you to all the staff and volunteers over the last 31 years wo have provided so much support and dedication to the community.”

    In November PACE released findings that showed that 34 per cent of young LGB people have tried to commit suicide in the last year, spelling out how necessary a charity, which focuses on the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in the UK, is at this time.

     

     

     

  • Tomorrow Is The Day Our New Year Good Cheer Runs Out

    Tomorrow, (Saturday, Jan 16th) is the day our ‘New Year’ optimism starts to fade, a study has found.

    Millions of Brits claim to start 2016 feeling positive and full of hope for the year ahead, but see their upbeat thoughts take a downturn after just two weeks.

    By 16th January, we become gloomy and fed up thanks to a struggle to stick with New Year’s resolutions, the cold, wet weather and trying to keep bank balances afloat until the next payday.

    The study, of 2,000 adults by Thomas Cook, found 77 per cent start January with a positive mind-set, looking forward to the year ahead and making plans to make it a good 12 months.
    But 85 per cent of those have already given up on their hopeful outlook before the end of January, with one in twenty admitting their happy mood is over before they’ve even got through the first week.
    Almost half blame the drop in their mood on the cold, wet and dreary weather getting the better of them, while 31 per cent struggle once any leftover Christmas cheer is forgotten.
    Around one in six find it difficult to stay positive as their money starts to run-out, with payday still weeks away.
    But to try and perk themselves up, 31 per cent book a holiday for the year ahead, with nine in ten saying this helps them to get through the long first month of the year.
    Chris Mottershead, Managing Director, Thomas Cook UK, which commissioned the research to launch its ‘Beach Holiday Ready’ campaign, said: “Everyone starts out with the best of intentions to make this year the best yet, full of positivity and optimism that the 12 months ahead will be great.

    “But unfortunately, once life gets back to normal over the Christmas break and we go back to our day-to-day routines, it doesn’t take long for our happy mood to fade. The weekend before ‘Blue Monday’ is our busiest of the year. Named ‘Jet Set Saturday’, we saw bookings reach their peak as the Great British public fight back against the winter blues”

     

    “January is a long month, but doing little things, such as making sure you have something to look forward to during the year ahead such as booking a holiday, can really help to keep your good intentions and positivity going.”

    Twenty-seven per cent also blame their fading optimism on a failure to stick at New Year’s resolutions, with more than one in ten of the three quarter who make them, lasting less than a day.
    Almost four in ten have gone back on their resolution within the first week of January.
    Seven in ten admit they have even had years where they had every intention of making a New Year’s resolution, but have given up before they even started trying.
    It also emerged 57 per cent of Brits reckon they suffer from the January blues.
    Another six in ten would also like to try to avoid the January blues by seeing in the New Year abroad if money was no issue, with New York, Australia, Barbados, Las Vegas and the Canary Islands the most popular destinations.
    Chris Mottershead, Managing Director, Thomas Cook UK added:

     

    “This New Year, Thomas Cook is helping the British public turn the January blues into blue-skies and sunshine by helping them get ‘Beach Holiday Ready’ for 2016 – with the help of a panel of experts.
    “The panel includes Celebrity Personal Trainer and Singer, Michelle Heaton; Life Coach and TV Presenter Anna Williamson; Editor of children’s newspaper First News, Nicky Cox OBE; Fashion Editor, Stylist and Writer, Bonnie Rakhit; Universal Music; and Waterstones .
    “As the nation’s leading holiday company we have enlisted an expert panel to help you feel positive, inspired and motivated in the run up to summer while resolutions to be healthier, lose weight or focus on yourself more are top of mind.
    “Are You Beach Holiday Ready focuses on what you can do before you travel to ensure you can indulge while away.”

     

    Thomas Cook asked Anna Williamson, a qualified counsellor, life coach and NLP Practitioner to provide tips on how to stay positive in the new year and stay on track with your resolutions.
    1 – Set yourself a Goal

     It’s important you keep the goal realistic and achievable, don’t make your goal too unobtainable as it’ll only serve to de-motivate you should you veer off it slightly. Start small, then increase your goals each time you’ve completed one. It’s best to start with a series of short term ‘mini-goals’, and then have a think about setting a more long term one when you’re getting the hang of it. This is proven to help resolutions stick.

    2 – Take some ‘Me’ Time

    We often spend so much time making sure everything and everyone is ok, that we can accidentally neglect our own needs and mental health. Have a think about what you can do, just for you, and make a ‘deal’ with yourself to dedicate some time each week for yourself. So, maybe it’s reading a favourite book or trashy magazine, it could be having a leisurely browse online at your favourite destinations and planning your next holiday. Go on, you deserve it.
    3 – Get up and get Active

    At this time of the year, the last thing we often feel like doing is to jump around in the cold or sweat it out in a gym. However, exercise is proven to boost your feel good hormones and brain chemicals, and really can make all the difference to our mood and motivation. So, if sweating it out in a gym class isn’t for you, that’s ok, have a think about what you’d enjoy, maybe it’s swimming (with a nice hot sauna afterwards) or a calming yoga class…boosting our physical health really can help with our overall happy and positive vibes.
    4 – Plan something Fun
    When we’re juggling work, family and keeping New Year’s resolutions, we can sometimes hit a wall and feel a little overwhelmed. Making plans for the near future is a great way to lift your mood and look forward to something fun. A holiday is an obvious and a great tried and tested way to boost your outlook and keep you on track with the job in hand. You can use it as a reward for achieving a goal or motivation to keep fit and show off that bikini body. So go on, have think about some Summer sun or a cosy winter chalet – a short break, or a long holiday.
    5 – Have a chat and cuppa
    We’re all so used to checking our smart phones and social media umpteen times a day that it can be really easy to forget the importance and benefits of having a proper face to face chat with someone. Have a think about who you could have a cuppa and natter with, maybe it’s a family member, or that friend you keep putting off – the positive benefits of having a chat with someone and offloading any worries, and in turn listening to theirs, can have such a brilliant and positive effect on your wellbeing. So go on, ditch the mobile and put the kettle on!

  • Looking Out For These 10 Signs Could Save Your Friend’s Life

    If you’re concerned about the mental health of a friend of family member psychotherapist Andrew Smith has ten top signs that you should look out for.

    Top 10 Signs Your Friend Might Need Help

    1. Social Withdrawal.

    This is when someone may become more withdrawn from social activities, and not be as interested in going out and socialising. However, more importantly, they may not be doing anything else as an alternative. Give them an invite to something and mean it. As a therapist, we often use the boundary of a session to gently challenge clients who would wish to withdraw.

    NEXT: Less Communicaton

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  • COMMENT: Could Therapy Save Your Life?

    COMMENT: Could Therapy Save Your Life?

    As a psychotherapist, the current news around suicide, immigration, and HIV transmission, troubles me greatly.

    CREDIT: Ocus Focus / Bigstock

    It is only a matter of months since we heard that Vikki Thompson, despite being known to be at serious risk in custody, was sent to a male prison anyway, resulting in her making the upsetting decision to end her life. The reverberations around the country have been vast – people are now engaging in dialogue about suicide, considering the fate of transgender men and women in the prison estate, alongside considering the wider concerns around the risk of suicide to the LGBTF community. For those of us who are part of this community, the concerns are real, and significant.

    But what are, roughly, the facts?

    In terms of stats, you are all probably aware that the majority of suicides are male (of the 6,233 reported suicides in the UK during 2013, 4,858 of those were men, and 1,375 were women (Samaritans’ Report, 2015). Males – and usually white males – between the ages of 49 and 65 were particularly at risk, especially professionals such as doctors, social workers, and solicitors. In addition, suicide amongst the LGBT youth is notable, with LGBT teens and young adults having one of the highest rates of suicide attempts in comparison with the rest of the population. The situation is truly disturbing for us, our families, and our friends. For those left behind when someone ends their life, recovery can be arduous at best. Even more sadly, the lack of a therapist who shares the same sexual identity can significantly impact the quality of the therapeutic relationship from developing at all. But what can we do about it?

    The statutory services are often less than helpful. Without casting ‘shade’ on my Health colleagues, who work hard under very difficult circumstances, waiting lists remain high, the quick fix agenda is still rampant, and getting a therapy which will actually do what it sets out to do is rarely available, despite promises otherwise. Rather unconventionally, in a country where we expect to be treated for everything for free, my humble suggestion would be for anyone with a need for some emotional support, is to consider paying for the therapy yourself. Here are some things to think about in order to help your decision:

    There are often no waiting lists in private practice.

    Choice actually means something. If your therapeutic alliance is not working, find someone else.
    An hour’s therapy costs the equivalent of a meal out, or a pair of jeans. Your happiness is priceless.
    Therapy can take as long as you need it to, not just six sessions.

    Many therapies are available online, i.e. Skype, meaning you don’t even need to go out of your home.


    Confidentiality is more meaningful, as there will be no trace on your health record. At all.

    The thing is, research supports the idea that therapy can be really helpful. For myself (yes, therapists are required to complete their own therapy) the therapy was life-changing. Therapy can help alleviate difficult feelings to the point where, for example, with depression, the impact can rival anti-depressants, and the effects can be felt for much longer afterwards. Some people report that therapy has been profound, with many people wishing they’d made the decision much earlier. Isn’t it about time you considered trying therapy for yourself?

    About Andrew Smith:

    Andrew is the clinical director of TherAppUK Ltd, an organisation based in Greater Manchester that provides a range of therapeutic solutions to individuals, families, and groups. He is also a doctoral researcher at the University of Huddersfield, and lives in the Calder Valley with his partner, Nigel, their son, a neurotic Chihuahua called Chicky, and two cats. If you have any urgent concerns about your own or someone else’s emotional health, please call 999 or NHS Direct. If this is a matter that can wait until one of our therapists can call you back, please email Andrew on andrew.smith@therapp.org

    Provided Content by Andrew Smith (What does this mean?)

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • 34 Per Cent Of Young Lesbian Gay And Bi People Tried To Commit Suicide Last Year

    A new report from LGBT mental health charity PACE shows that 34 per cent of young LGB people have tried to commit suicide in the last year.

    (more…)

  • 34 Per Cent Of Young Lesbian Gay And Bi People Tried To Commit Suicide Last Year

    A new report from LGBT mental health charity PACE shows that 34 per cent of young LGB people have tried to commit suicide in the last year.

    (more…)