Mental Health

Mental health affects how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Mental health services in England deal with a wide range of issues, such as:

• depression
• anxiety disorders, including panic attacksand phobias
• psychosis conditions
• obsessive compulsive disorders
• eating disorders
• trauma-related conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder
• perinatal mental health conditions
• children's mental health conditions
• drugs and alcohol services
• ADHD and autism spectrum conditions
• dementia
• mental health conditions related to living with long-term conditions

This means mental health services have to be able to cater for people from all walks of life and with very different needs. Mental health services in England are generally run in the following categories:

• adult services
• child and adolescent services
• forensic services
• learning disability services
• older adult's services
• substance misuse services

How these services are organised in each local area may differ. This means some may not cover all mental health conditions, or only deal with people of a certain age.