Returning to our series on mental health awareness we look at suicidal thoughts or feelings, sometimes called suicidal ideation.

Feelings and thoughts regarding suicide can be on a wide spectrum. So just because someone is feeling or thinking about this does not necessarily mean it’s something they will go on to do. Some people have these thoughts as a response to an overwhelming situation. You aren’t alone as many people have thoughts about suicide at some point in their life. Others will have less abstract thoughts about ending their life and more serious thoughts about suicide including thinking and planning the specifics of how they might carry out the act of committing suicide.

It can be very distressing to have thoughts of suicide. You may feel alone and as though nobody can really understand what you are going through. You may feel hopeless, trapped or that there is no way out of the situation you are in. You may feel shame for even having the thoughts around ending your life. But it’s important to remember that most people who find support and a way to open up about suicidal thoughts and feelings can overcome them and go on to live fulfilling lives.

This is a very brief snapshot regarding suicidal thoughts and feelings: please check out Mind’s website which includes much more information and ways to access support.

Alongside this, please contact us if you wish to speak to one of our counsellors about suicidal feelings, it’s something we are all trained to work with and an issue we explore a lot in our work with clients.

Read more on this related topic from Patient Info:
What to do if you feel suicidal during the coronavirus lockdown >

The Samaritans – support available 24/7. Visit their website: www.samaritans.org or call 116 123 FREE.

In a series of short videos BACP members have given a powerful account of the importance of counselling and how it helps to change lives to mark ‘Time to Talk Day’ earlier in the month.

This day is an annual campaign run by Time to Change which helps young people be more open about their mental health.

As BACP trustee Sekinat Adima says: “Friends and family are good with listening and helping, but there comes a time when they’re not always available or they’re not always able to help. That’s where counselling comes in. The ability to be able to talk to someone who’s professionally trained, who can listen, who’s impartial and who does that in a non-judgemental way.”

Check out more of the videos here and be encouraged about the value of counselling for yourself, your loved ones or your clients. And of course remember that Rainbow counsellors are still right here to help during these challenging times. Contact us >

You may have experienced a traumatic event, or perhaps witnessed a loved one go through something traumatic and in following weeks experience signs of acute stress such as feeling numb, sleeplessness or difficulty thinking about or remembering what has happened. This is sometimes termed Post Traumatic Stress.

Where these symptoms continue past a month a doctor may diagnose you with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. PTSD can be mild, moderate or severe. In the past it was often associated with war veterans but many events can trigger it – sexual trauma, road accidents, natural disasters or childbirth to name a few.

PTS is often associated with symptoms such as hypervigilance, anxiety, anger, numbness, sleeplessness and blaming yourself in some way for what has happened. You will also often try to avoid triggers or reminders of the trauma. These may be any number of things associated with your 5 senses. You may feel as though you are re-living the event, or experience nightmares and flashbacks.

Many people misunderstand Post Traumatic Stress. It’s not something you can just ‘forget’ ‘move on from’ or ‘get over’ just like that. It can deeply affect your body and your mind. You may feel the world is not a safe place anymore and that it is difficult to trust others. Talking with a trained professional can help, and this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to talk about what happened or re-live it. You may wish to talk about how it impacts your relationships, your view of yourself or your body or learn about grounding techniques to help with flashbacks for instance. Please don’t hesitate to contact Rainbow for more information or support as recovery is most definitely possible!

Find out more about Trauma by visiting: MIND Charity’s website >

Eating problems describes a range of eating difficulties and disorders which may affect an individual’s relationship with food and with their body. They can affect men and women and those of different ages and different weights.

Some commonly known eating disorders include anorexia nervousa and bulimia, but an eating problem can affect many more individuals more commonly than these medically diagnosed disorders. Eating problems may affect your relationship with others – you may wish to hide your eating habits and thoughts about food with them, you may feel judged or misunderstood by others. You may find a lot of your time is dominated by thoughts about food and controlling your diet.

Eating problems can often go hand in hand with other issues such as self-esteem, self-harm, depression, anxiety or thoughts about suicide. What is happening in your mind can feel quite complicated and hard to explain to others. Many have found that talking to a counsellor can really help with these issues. You may have feelings and thoughts you wish to express and sometimes talking to someone outside your usual sphere can really help.

Again, check out Mind’s information pages regarding eating problems for more advice and support. Please contact Rainbow Counselling to access further support.

Watch MIND’s useful Youtube Video:  Eating Disorders | Talking about mental health