mental health first aid

Mental Health First Aid Schizophrenia

28 October 2020 By SMARTT Leave a Comment

Mental Health First Aid Schizophrenia Part 1

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic mental health disorder that affects how a person may be thinking, feeling, and behaving. Individuals suffering with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality and will not know what is real and what is unreal

Schizophrenia is a long-term condition that will also affect a number of psychological symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations

Even though schizophrenia may not be as common as other mental health disorders, the symptoms can be very disabling.

How does media coverage cause fear and misunderstanding to schizophrenia?

The media tends to blow schizophrenia out of proportion and it is widely misinformed in the media, due to this a lot of the general public have a fear of this condition. For example, the media often use the term “schizophrenia” to portray someone as being totally out of control or having a split personality – but it’s not and this leads to high volumes of the general public to believe it is without understanding the disorder.

Media coverage can also portray an individual with this condition as violent and that the individual is only safe to society if they are locked away in an institute. Well this is not the case as most people who suffer schizophrenia do not tend to commit any violent crime – but studies have shown that individuals with drug or alcohol problems are twice more likely to commit violent crime

Stigmatisation of the media cover of is schizophrenia can be excessive. For example, the individual can be seen as being so disruptive that people with those conditions must be isolated from society. This can also cause fear for the person suffering and also their family

What are possible causes of schizophrenia?

With schizophrenia, there is no evidence or answers as to why some people will suffer with schizophrenia and some people won’t – but at the same time, its not easy to identify what caused it. Individuals who will be diagnosed with schizophrenia will have a few ongoing factors in their life which could possible trigger the causes,

The possible causes of schizophrenia could be:

A genetic inheritance can be a cause of this, as some families are more prone than others. By developing a certain gene can make someone more vulnerable but not necessarily develop schizophrenia however, someone is more likely to develop this condition if their parent has schizophrenia.
Drug abuse can be a possible cause of schizophrenia – for example, using excessive amounts of cannabis, an individual is six times more likely to develop this condition if they use cannabis or any other recreational drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, LSD or ketamine on a regular basis.
Brain damage can be a possible cause of schizophrenia – for example, either an infection during pregnancy or the possible lack of oxygen to the brain is reduced during birth.
A stressful life event may trigger schizophrenia, this could be things such as, being homeless or living in deprived areas where poverty is high, a job loss or loss of a family member.
Physical or verbal abuse may also be factors of the causes of schizophrenia.

What are the feelings an individual with schizophrenia may experience?

A person with schizophrenia may experience positive and negative feelings

Positive feelings with schizophrenia do not mean good, it actually refers to symptoms not present in an individual without schizophrenia – the positive symptoms help identify abnormal mental functions such as;

Delusions such as a false belief a person has even though there is over whelming evidence to suggest otherwise, such as believing they are being followed or spied on constantly. There is limited examples of delusions as it can be about anything.
Hallucinations are when a person is hearing, seeing, feeling or smelling things that are not real, most people with schizophrenia say they hear voices, these voices may give orders that they feel should be followed and can be often aggressive voices or of a sexual nature
Thought process, this can be things such as, thought insertion where a person belief their thoughts in their mind are not their own.
Another one could be thought broadcasting where the individual believes their thoughts are being read by others.
Thought withdrawal, this is where the individual thinks someone is removing their own thoughts from their own mind
Thought blocking, this is where the individual had a mind block where they cannot remember what they were actually talking about in a certain conversation

Mental Health First Aid Schizophrenia – Negative symptoms

Some negative feelings with schizophrenia are the absence of the mental function that should be present and these could be:
Lack of motivation where everything seems as an effort, tasks may not be complete and concentration levels are poor. This can include facial expressions and voice tone
Emotions may be flat and sometimes these emotions maybe odd, for example they mag giggle at something that is actually not funny or sad
A person experiencing negative feelings would also be more likely to self-neglect and show signs of poor personal hygiene, and may appear to be in their own zone of thoughts. Education can be difficult and this could have memory problems for the individual and also difficulty in planning and organising.

How can schizophrenia affect the individual and their life?

Schizophrenia can carry a vast negative impact with major affects to an individual’s life and normal day to day life and routine can become near impossible. Delusions and hallucinations will stop the individual focusing and they are more likely to neglect themselves such as personal care, dressing, eating and drinking and going shopping.

individuals suffering with schizophrenia often turn to alcohol and or drugs to take away any thoughts. This would have a huge effect as it will make the condition worse, especially if the individual is on medication as it would not work as effective.

An individual with schizophrenia may withdraw themselves and this would make it harder for them to have a healthy relationship with their friends and family, they may even become suspicious or hostile of them.

Individuals with schizophrenia often have suicidal thoughts. Any talk of suicide from someone suffering schizophrenia should be taken extremely serious and help should be sorted immediately

Mental Health First Aid Schizophrenia

For further information on our Mental Health First Aid schizophrenia courses please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here

First Aid Mental Health

20 October 2020 By SMARTT Leave a Comment

First Aid Mental Health – Bipolar is associated and influenced by daily demands, stress can trigger bipolar to peak.

This manic side of bipolar is triggered by pressure and the reaction to stressful daily demands or events. The depressive episodes can be brought on by relationship problems and financial pressures of problems. It is thought to believe that the manic episodes are an escape from the feelings of depression. Bipolar is associated and influenced by daily demands, stress can trigger bipolar to peak.

Examples of symptoms that may occur in a manic and depressive episode.

Manic

As previously discussed, manic will show signs that the individual is very active and feeling very high and creativity, and euphoria are common.

People suffering a manic episode will often talk more than usual with an increased speak in their speech. Symptoms of sleep deprivation are often experienced due to high energy and hyperactive. Manic episodes may also make the individual feel like they’re invincible or untouchable. This could be a dangerous episode as the individual also can be easily distracted from their daily routes or work activities.

Although this episode of mania makes the individual feel on a high it often tends to spiral out of control. This can make the person behave recklessly during a manic episode. First Aid Mental Health

And can lead to excessive gambling, engaging in inappropriate sexual activity, or making foolish business investments or decisions – for example, they may become angry, irritable, and aggressive- often leading to confrontation when others don’t agree with their plans and retaliating to anyone who challenges their behaviour.

Some people even become delusional, hallucinate or start hearing voices.

Depressive symptoms

Depressive symptoms will affect individuals in a variety of ways and a mixture of different symptoms and range from mild to severe

The more common symptoms of a person with depressive could be:

Feeling unhappy, worthless and empty. This can cause many physical affects for the person such as sleep problems, eating disorders low or no sex drive and show signs of anxiet.

Concentration levels and memory problems are very common with the individual not motivated in day to day life. This can make feelings of worthlessness or guilt. With more severe symptoms the person can also have thoughts of self-harm or even suicide

What are medical intervention for Bipolar Disorder?

Medical intervention for an individual who is suffering from bipolar disorder could include:

Medication can be prescribed by the individuals GP who’s suffering from the condition. Common drugs that are be subscribed can include, Anti-anxiety drugs, Antidepressants, Antipsychotics and Anticonvulsants

Drugs cannot cure Bipolar Disorder but it can help to control it.

An individual could be admitted to hospital if they are very distressed, this will allow for an assessment and provide relief for anyone supporting the individual with depression. The individual can volunteer to go or can be sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Electroconvulsive Therapy is given under general anaesthetic and involved passing current through the brain in order to cause a fit. It is given for cases of severe depression, it is not commonly used as much now but can be an effective treatment.

What are the different ways in which an individual with Bipolar Disorder can help to manage their illness when entering a manic and depressive episode?

An individual with Bipolar Disorder can man manage their own illness in a number of different ways

They can seek and ask for support from other people suffering with bipolar, it can reassure them they are not alone and talk about their feeling in compassion with others. Monitoring episodes and detecting worrying signs as early as possible can mean the individual is prepared.

They can avoid triggers which have set off the illness in the past and avoid stress where possible. Also having a daily / regular routine will keep the person in high moral and keep the mind relaxed and focused.

It would be wise to avoid stimulant drinks, alcohol and recreational drugs such as smoking cannabis or taking cocaine as this can trigger manic episodes.

A change in general life styles can also help manage the disorder such as, taking regular exercise to keep a positive mind. This can also be combined with a healthy diet and a good sleep pattern

Also, they should try and keep depression at bay by challenging negative thoughts and adopting a positive attitude where possible.

How can others help an individual with Bipolar Disorder to manage their illness?

Bipolar Disorder can be either mild or severe and there are many different ways in which friends, family and others can help a person manage their illness. Some common ways are;

By family and friends can educating themselves on the condition and its triggers, also how it affects the individual to be able to notice the warning signs. This can be a great way to communicate with the person and help them set daily routine tasks. This can also include helping them find appropriate support groups and the expert help that is available to them.

People can be supportive and try and understand the individual’s illness so that the person with bipolar can open up about their feelings without the worry of being judged.

They can encourage the individual to seek help and intervention to control illness. They can help individual with certain jobs and roles to reduce the pressure at times.

Give the person some practical and motivational support – this could be things like encouraging them or even take part with them in regular exercise, help set daily goals with them including a healthy diet and sleep pattern

Try to be patient with the person suffering with bipolar and try to understand and respect their decision making, but also monitor the persons behaviour and contact support lines if the person is feeling very low and thinking self-harm thoughts or suicide thoughts.

What local resources and treatments are available to an individual experiencing Bipolar Disorder?

Care programme

This resource is where the person can have their needs assessed and their care planned, a thorough assessment will be completed and action plan put in place. As with all mental health conditions the community mental health team (CMHT) maybe involved in this process, they can work with the individual to sort out any issues such as housing, benefits and day centres.

Local day centres

There are many different day centres which included, local community centres, day hospitals and drop in centres to support people with bipolar disorder illness. These types of centres can provide some excellent help and support such as therapy, counselling and further information advice and guidance on other support available. First Aid Mental Health This type of service is provided by professional mental health experts.

Other types of drop in services may offer a different range of support, for example mindfulness activities such as arts and crafts, music lessons or even just to pop in for a chat with other people in the centre

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Treatments

Local treatments could include supported accommodation. This would entail the individual suffering with bipolar lives in a supported environment until they have the confidence to live on their own, The community care service can also make an assessment of the individuals needs which will cover everything from housing to day centres.

Day centres themselves may offer therapy groups, counselling and information. They can be a place for the individual to gain new skills and increase their confidence, they may also use it for a social activity.

mood stabilisers

Psychological Treatment

Psychological Treatment can help with depression, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. It’s a form of talking treatment which makes a speciality focus of how your thoughts, ideals and attitudes have an effect on your feelings and behaviour, and teaches you coping abilities for managing unique troubles.

It combines cognitive remedy inspecting the things you believe in and behaviour therapy, examining the stuff you do

is a type of which focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviour, and teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems.

For further information on our Mental Health First Aid courses please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here

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Mental Health First Aid Bipolar

13 October 2020 By SMARTT Leave a Comment

What is meant by the term Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is when an individual behaves in two opposite ways, it is an extreme mental illness, it provokes sudden mood swings and the individual will have times of feeling very high and then times of feeling very depressed and may experience strange hallucinations or delusions

What are the possible causes of bipolar disorder?

Science has shown that bipolar disorder is not fully understood, however, like many mental health illnesses there is different range of causes for bipolar disorder, such as the following

Genetic

It can be inherited and more likely it may run in the family, however no gene within the family maybe responsible for bipolar disorder

Everyday events

Bipolar disorder can be triggered by everyday life and stress, these may include
Stress at work or home
Relationships problems or breakdown in marriage
A tragic event such as a loss of life to family or friends
Emotional, violent or sexual abuse
Any type of physical illness

Chemical imbalance

A traumatic event of situation can cause bipolar due to the disturbance of chemicals in the brain. Example could be norepinephrine or dopamine – an imbalance of these levels can cause bipolar disorder

What is a person with Bipolar like?

The feelings of bipolar disorder will vary depending on the individual, for example when an individual suffering with bipolar disorder is feeling high, or known as mania, it can seem like the best feeling and they will have a lot of energy and feel positive. It can make the person feel more productive whilst others may feel angry and restless.

When an individual suffering with Mental Health First Aid Bipolar feels low with depression they may have very low self-esteem and self-worth. It can restrict a person’s life as it can occur for a long duration. Some may suffer from hallucinations or believe they are untouchable. Some describe the manic bipolar as a buzz and exciting.

With both cases of individuals suffering with extreme bipolar disorder, these can last for weeks or in some cases even longer

How does Bipolar Disorder affects the individual and their life?

It can contribute to the individual having a negative outlook on life and thinking negatively, for example, the person cannot function or communicate well. It can affect judgement which can result in serious repercussions or regret.

People with bipolar may experience their life as a roller coaster of high and low emotions and this affects their daily route and life in general. Examples could be relationship breakdowns and affect work, the individual may have to take a lot of time of work due to depression, it may also make it harder for the individual to hold employment and this could lead and financial problems.

The manic phase can challenge the individual to become aggressive and could lead to further problems like the unnecessary use of alcohol and or recreational drugs and in some cases leading to inappropriate sexual behaviour

With some severe cases of depression, some individuals with bipolar disorder maybe affected with their ability to deal with everyday life. This can be either physical, emotional, or social functioning, which can lead the individual to experience psychotic symptoms for example, hallucinations, paranoia, or even hearing of voices in their head.

The individual may also be much unaware of the help and support they need to help combat the illness.

How can an individual’s Bipolar Disorder may affect others?

Bipolar disorder is a serious illness that not only affects the individual but those around them, such as family and friends – they could be affected in the following ways;

Emotional distress – This can be things such as grief, guilt or worry and will cause disruption in the regular daily routines.
Relationship breakdowns – this will cause tension if the individual is irritable as friends and family may become an easy target for their mood swing outbursts.
The family and friends may feel on edge and worried on what mood they are in and whether they are approachable to have discussions or even accept any help that can be offered. It can also cause finance problems which affect the family and home, resulting in a breakdown.
It can lead to disagreements where the individual suffering with bipolar disorder makes bad choices during their episodes and they are impossible to reason with.

Another factor in the way bipolar disorder may affect others is the lack of understanding of the illness. If family and friends have minimum understanding of the illness then they are going to become frustrated with the person and this could cause risky behaviour

What are the demands of daily life that may influence symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

Individual suffering with bipolar disorder will experience different demands of normal daily life due to the different mood swings they may encounter.

Some demands of daily life that can influence symptoms could be:

Health problems;

This could influence bipolar and could also affect sleeping problems.

Stress or work problems;

Work demands and financial worries could influence this condition. Such as unemployment leading to debt problems and security such as housing poverty etc.

Problems in relationships;

This can be things such as, break down in marriage, bereavement or conflict and abuse

Domestic issues;

This can be community and social groups could encourage symptoms. Also, been in overcrowded groups or in poor environments. The daily life influence symptoms may also be having to care for elderly family members or even the stress of given birth

Mental Health First Aid Bipolar

For further information on our Mental Health First Aid Bipolar courses please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here

Mental Health First Aid Course | Phobia

15 August 2020 By SMARTT Leave a Comment

What is meant by the term Phobia?

A phobia is a sort of anxiety which an individual has a fear of a person, object or situations that many people take for granted. A person with a phobia maybe comes paranoid and will sidestep the topic of the fear whenever possible.

What are the main groups of phobias?

Individuals with various forms of phobias often realise their worry is irrational and that no actual threat of danger is immanent, however most people require help in order to conquer their personal phobia.

There are two main group types of phobias:

Complex phobia
Specific or commonly known as simple phobia

Every type of phobia can range in severity – from moderate to an extreme debilitating disorder. The sooner a phobia develops and the longer you wait to treat the phobia, the extra hard it becomes to get over it. Without help, an individual is often left to avoid their phobia for the rest of their life

Complex phobia

Complex phobia are general feelings of shyness in front of other people. Complex phobias contain self-recognition to the point of paralysation. Social phobias trigger from the fear that other people will judge the person in a negative way and with scrutiny. It’s also known as social phobia

Some examples of complex phobias can be:

Fear of talking with many people or groups – IE meetings
Fear to enter public rooms – IE, cafes, restaurants with the fear of eating in front of others
Fear of meeting new people – in the high street or anywhere in public
Fear of social contact with others in general – IE waiting a shop queue

Complex or social phobia can be so extreme as to restrict a person’s interpersonal contact in its absolute. Social phobia is often a precursor to agoraphobia, (which is another group type and I will talk about later in this unit) which can be visible as a worsening of the social phobia. If this occurs then the phobia could prevent any personal or social skills and also could prevent social contact with friends or family.

Specific phobia

A specific, or simple, phobia is the fear of one specific thing such as a object or situation.

The majority or people are more acquainted with this kind of phobia. For instance, many human beings fear spiders; if someone’s fear is irrationally exaggerated enough, this might classify as a particular phobia. Individuals with particular phobias actively keep away from their fear – Mental Health First Aid Course

Some of the common types of specific phobias can be;

fear of animal – such as fear of dogs, snakes, rats or spiders etc
Natural environment – this could be the fear of heights or water
Injections – examples are the fear of pain or needles
Situational – such as the fear of flying, elevators or close space

Certain phobias mainly develop at a younger age. For example, animal phobias can start at an age of as early as seven years old. Other phobias such blood phobia could develop at the age nine and dental phobia at age twelve.

A further phobia group is agoraphobia but is generally looked at differently to the two main groups of specific and complex

People who suffer with agoraphobia live in fear of being in certain situations where help would not be at hand if things went wrong. Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of large open spaces such as shopping centres, but it’s a more compound condition. An individual who suffers with agoraphobia may have fear of travelling on public transport or worse case not leave their own home

Examples of specific and social phobias.

As mentioned in the last question, there are two main groups of phobias, which are specific and complex or social phobia, here are examples of each in turn

Specific phobias

Examples of specific phobias could be:
fear of animal – such as the fear of dogs, snakes, rats or spiders et
fear of birds and insects
Natural environment – this could be the fear of heights or water
Injections – examples are the fear of pain or needles
Situational – such as the fear of flying, elevators or close space

Social phobias

Examples of social phobias could be:

Meeting people
Walking down the street -Attending meetings
Public speaking

Possible causes of phobia.

Certain developments of phobias can occur during childhood and these phobias can stay with the individual for life. An example could be if you have experienced been stuck in small space areas you may suffer from claustrophobia. Another cause could be if you have been thrown in cold water or your head help under water as a child, this could lead to having a phobia and fear of water

A common cause as a child could be what’s known as a learned response from a family member, this could be a family member who suffers from certain mental health problems such as anxiety, this can be picked up easily as a child and they can develop this later in life – Mental Health First Aid Course

Another factor could be a life experience caused by a traumatic of stressful experience such as a bad social experience.

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Feelings an individual may have when experiencing a phobia

If a person has a phobia they may feel deep fear of something, such as a person, thing or situation. A phobia can cause an exaggerated and persistent fear which may cause an aggressive response or panic in the situation encountered.

Phobias produce two feeling, physical and psychological

The physical fears a person may feel could be things such as, hot flushes, confusion, sweating, needing the toilet or feeling faint, chest pains and nausea. The psychological feelings maybe the fear of fainting, fearing losing control and the fear of possibly dying.

How a specific phobia could prevent someone from leading a normal life

A specific phobia such as the fear of birds may prevent someone from leading a normal life, this would affect their ability to walk in the street and go further afield, it could also have an impact on their work-related duties.

World famous actress Scarlett Johansson has a phobia of birds

The actress opening up about her lifelong fear claiming “Something about wings and beaks and the flapping,” “I’m terrified of them. That still hasn’t gone away … I was terrified of the peacocks on set [of her movie We Bought a Zoo]. Like, ‘Ahh, don’t get too close.’ They’re like, mean.”

This could also have a knock-on effect on her friends and family who may want to watch certain screen plays but the person with the phobia will not attend if their phobia is present.

How agoraphobia could prevent someone from leading a normal life.

Many people assume that agoraphobia is simply a fear of large open spaces such as shopping centres, but it’s a more complex phobia condition. It’s a fear of being in places from which they cannot easily escape or where help may not be available, especially if your suffering from a panic attack – Mental Health First Aid Course

If an individual suffers a panic attack in a certain place they may not want to go there ever again or even in similar places. Agoraphobia is often associate with the environment. An example could be, it may prevent the individual from leading their normal daily life because they will not feel save in places or surroundings such as work or public environments. This may lead to;

Financial problems

People who suffer with agoraphobia illness may not be able to work and not generate an income and then it becomes harder to find employment and employers seem to be less reluctant to consider anyone with mental health problems for employment. This in turn can lead to relationship problems and or further mental health problems.

Communications with friends, family and the general public,

An individual suffering with agoraphobia may also have fears of travelling on public transport or worse case not leave their own home and in some cases for a very long time.

The impact of been isolated and not leaving their home can have a major effect for the individual trying to lead a normal daily life, for example, it can lead to many different things such as

physical issues, not exercising, eating or sleeping properly – this could lead to then lead to taking to recreational drugs or alcohol

phycological issues, such as panic attacks, depression or anxiety – this can trigger further mental health illnesses for the individual and been isolated could have devastating effects as no one can help them or offer support.

How a person’s phobia may affect others.

Any type of phobia can have a major effects and complications to family, friends and even the general public as it can cause interpersonal and communication issues. At times, this could cause arguments and disagreements meaning frustration and anxiety going into auto pilot and as a result having limit activities that friends and families can all do together.

Families with children suffering with phobias may find it more difficult to deal with Mental Health First Aid Course

This can cause more anxiousness as the family will need to put in special measures to deal with the situations the child may experience due to their phobia.

If the individual suffering with a phobia does not express or talk about their fears to either friend, family or even help groups then they may feel even more isolated, frustrated or rejected and this could also have the same effect on family as they won’t understand the situation

What can you do to self-help for phobias?

Although there is excellent treatment and help for people who suffer from phobias, there are a range of such importance in which people with a phobia can self-help.

Having researched and talked to individuals suffering with phobias one of the best and most positive way is to open up and talk to others about their fears, this will allow the person to think positively and control their thoughts. It may also assist the individual to find other options or further help which they are not aware of.

Relaxation is an effective method of self-help to different people suffering from phobias, this can be done by the individual on their own but is usually more effective in a group. It helps with many things such as breathing techniques, relaxing of body muscles and is great way to clear the mind set and have positive thinking

Graded Exposure is a way of treating a range of specific phobias. It’s when the individual suffering from fear can be gradually exposed to the phobia which allows them to face their fear and control the situation in bite size steps.

What are possible treatments for phobias?

The treatment of complex phobias is often a longer process and involves talking to others; Examples of this possible treatment maybe:

Counselling:

A trained counsellor is a great form of treatment as they listen to the Individuals issues and problems and this in turn can help them combat their fears. This could also include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) This treatment helps links between the individual’s thoughts and feelings. CBT treatment often includes a different range of techniques, including exposure therapy or desensitisation

Change in life style

With social phobia, the individual’s personal lifestyle may affect the mindset therefore trigging levels of anxiety.

There are so many different areas where an individual can change their lifestyle to get in the right mind set, there’s are;

Controlling your diet and eat health – helps control weight issues that can cause depression
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day – health body, health mind
Cut down on caffeine, sugary drinks and alcohol – these sorts of drink can aggravate anxiety
Have a regular sleep pattern – help control the metabolism

Exposure therapy:

Exposure therapy involves gradually exposing you to the object or situation you fear, in a safe and controlled way. For example, if you have a phobia of going to the dentist, you might read about the dentist, then look at a picture of a dentist’s chair, sit in the waiting room and talk to the dentist, before finally sitting in the dentist’s chair.

Through repeated experiences of facing your fear, you may feel an increasing sense of control over your phobia. This technique needs to be carefully managed to avoid causing distress and anxiety, so

Hypnotherapy:

Many people who have phobias find hypnotherapy helpful for relieving their symptoms. The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) has a register of hypnotherapists who have trained to national standard level.

Medication:

If a phobia causes significant anxiety, the person may be offered medication. Currently, there are three classes of drugs considered useful in managing anxiety. These are:

Antidepressants:

The most commonly prescribed drugs to treat anxiety are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. These drugs can be helpful but may cause side effects such as sleep problems and increased anxiety. If SSRIs don’t work or aren’t suitable, you may be offered a tricyclic antidepressant.

Beta-blockers:

Beta-blockers such as propranolol are sometimes used to treat the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a rapid heartbeat, palpitations and tremors (shaking). However, beta-blockers are not psychiatric drugs so they don’t reduce any of the psychological symptoms. They may be helpful in certain situations if you have to face a phobia, such as going on an aeroplane.

For more information on our mental health first aid course please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here