Private Psychiatry LLP
Care, Expertise and Service

Common Problems We Can Treat

Our Consultant Psychiatrists have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of mental health problems. Summaries of some of the most common problems they encounter are listed here.

Anxiety

Some degree of stress is important in our everyday lives to help motivate us and anybody can develop anxiety if they are placed under sufficient stress.  Certain life events have been shown to relate to our performance and anxiety symptoms.  Grief is a common cause for anxiety where there is loss either through bereavement, divorce, loss of job, loss of financial status, change of house or children leaving home.  All of these life events produce a change in our like patterns and depending on the flexibility of our personality, we cope with them in different ways.

Most people with anxiety states become rather concerned about their physical health and feel that they are seriously physically ill.  Physical symptoms can include tension headaches, dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea and often, in a panic attack, a feeling that we are going to collapse and die.

Many people use chemicals to cope with their anxiety including caffeine, alcohol, nicotine or prescribed drugs such as tranquillisers.

The person who is suffering severe anxiety needs to regain control as rapidly as possible.    The first stage of recovery is to be able to stand back from the problem to see it more clearly.  To be able to talk to somebody close about your difficulties is very helpful, or you can arrange to see one of our Consultants who will develop a suitable treatment plan aimed at trying to find the cause of the anxiety symptoms and removing them.  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychotherapy and short courses of drug treatment can all be used for relieving anxiety.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or post-viral fatigue syndrome.  People with this condition have profound fatigue after exercise, muscle pain, disturbance of sleep pattern, faulty temperature control, memory disturbance and poor concentration and frequent headaches.  The cause is unknown but it is often thought to be associated with a viral infection or considerable stress in the person’s life.

Treatment Plans vary by individual but research has shown three forms of treatment are particularly useful for this syndrome, the concept of “pacing”, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy  and, for certain people, the use of anti-depressants

Depression

Depression is quite different from just feeling sad. Sadness is a normal human emotional state. People who have depression have a combination of symptoms including low mood, loss of energy, loss of enjoyment or feeling pleasure, altered appetite, disrupted sleep, poor concentration and motivation, a loss of libido, a negative outlook and it some cases thoughts and ideas of suicide. The features are usually present for a period of at least a fortnight.

Our Consultants are highly experienced in diagnosing and treating depression which may include medication in the form of antidepressants as well as psychological help such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Phobias

Phobias are essentially irrational fears that we can develop, often as a reaction to being under severe stress, following an acute panic attack in a specific situation, such as a supermarket, crowded shop, bus, train, underground or lift.

Agoraphobia, which is a fear of open spaces, is extremely common in women and this prevents them from leading normal lives, because they avoid going into situations which make them feel anxious which increasingly limits their lifestyle.

Social phobia is more common in men and in these situations, the man is frightened of public speaking, authority figures and social situations.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a way of modifying the response to the phobia and is often carried out in a slow ‘step-ladder’ approach to gradually reverse the phobia.  The person has to pursue increasingly more difficult tasks, whilst using relaxation therapy, to help to cope with their symptoms.    Our Consultant Psychiatrists will be able to help determine the best course of treatment for each individual as well as looking at prescribing any appropriate medication to help with relieving the anxiety caused by the phobia.

Stress Disorders including Stress in the Workplace

Stress is actually a normal physiological response to our environment. From an evolutionary perspective the “flight or fight” response is a protective mechanism to increase our chances of survival in the face of hostile surroundings.

There is however, a fine balance that needs to be maintained and when this doesn’t happen, we can experience unpleasant symptoms of excessive stress. If the mind starts sensing a lot of stressful events, or starts sensing ordinary events as stressful, you get the same “flight or fight” response repeatedly to everyday occurrences like traffic congestion, an unruly class, an argument with your partner, a crying baby, waiting in queues, a difficult meeting,  your child misbehaving, etc. The body then starts feeling the effect of being in a constant state of heightened alertness, tensed muscles and readiness. This is chronic stress and can have very unpleasant psychological and physical effects.

The common features of this state are irritability, low mood and unhappiness, worrying and feeling anxious, problems with sleep, feeling dissatisfied, feeling indecisive and panicky, losing temper easily, poor concentration and motivation. The results of this include problems with relationships, difficulties at work and it can also have an adverse effect on your physical health.

Our Consultants are able to help patients suffering from Stress and will develop an ongoing treatment plan that might include self-help techniques, counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or medication.