A Mental Health Clinic or a Mental Health Centre is a place where people with mental health problems can access advice, support and treatment from one place. This can include medication, talking therapies and counselling as well as other forms of treatment and help.

Mental health problems are extremely common and will affect around a quarter of the population at any one time. The types of mental health problems range from the very mild where there is little disruption to normal life to the extremely severe which may require treatment in a hospital.

Fortunately, the majority of people with mental health problems can be successfully treated and will go on to make a full and complete recovery.

Types of mental health problems

There are too many variations of mental health problems to list them all individually but broadly they can fall into the falling categories:

Ø Clinical Depression and other types of depression such as Post Natal Depression

Ø Anxiety and anxiety related disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Attacks and Phobias

Ø Eating Disorders (Anorexia and Bulimia)

Ø Bipolar Disorder or manic depression characterised by severe mood swings

Ø Schizophrenia where the sufferer may experience hallucinations, delusions or incoherent speech and bizarre behaviour and thought processes

Ø Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia

Primary and Secondary Mental Health Services

Sometimes you will hear the terms ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ mental health services. Most people seeking help for mental health problems fall into the primary mental health services category. This is where the mental health problem is not considered severe and treatment will involve medication, self help, and possibly some kind of therapy and will usually be dealt with by a doctor.

Secondary mental health services involve referral to specialist services such as those offered by the Community Mental Health Team or CMHT. The CMHT are often located in a dedicated mental health centre or clinic but you will sometimes find them based at a local hospital or doctor’s surgery.

The first point of call for someone with a mental health problem is usually their doctor who will either treat the individual themselves or refer them to secondary mental health services if required. However, you can seek the help of a private mental health clinic too although they can be expensive.

Signs of a mental health problem

No two people will show the same symptoms to the same degree so diagnosing a mental health problem can be difficult. It is perfectly normal for us to feel sad and depressed from time to time, particularly after a life changing event such as divorce, bereavement or redundancy. However, it is when the symptoms persist or are severe enough to interfere with our normal daily routines that we may need more specialist help.

Ø Sadness or low moods most of the time or swinging between euphoria and depression

Ø Inability to take pleasure in activities we once enjoyed and withdrawing from social contact

Ø Sleeping too much and unable to get out of bed in the morning

Ø Sleeping too little and lying awake at night worrying

Ø Changes in appetite with either weight gain or weight loss

Ø Feeling out of control of one’s life, excessively fearful or anxious

Ø Hallucinations, delusions and bizarre ideas and ways of thinking

Ø Suicidal thoughts

These are just a few indications that something might be wrong but even if you do experience some of these signs it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a mental health problem. That’s why it’s so important to seek help as soon as possible as only a trained professional will be able to rule out other possible causes and make a diagnosis.

Mental health problems don’t just go away. At a mental health clinic you will have access to treatment and advice from professionals who are fully aware of the types of challenges and issues you are likely to be facing and will be able to guide you towards the best route to recovery.

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