Tag Archives: anxiety

OPENING up about her battle with anxiety and depression, which led to suicidal thoughts, Fiona O’Brien, a 25-year-old psychiatric nurse from Kildysart, is encouraging people to talk, seek support and is reminding young people in particular that it is ok not to be ok. Last Thursday was World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme is Suicide Prevention, as set by the World Federation for Mental Health. Fiona qualified as a psychiatric nurse three years ago and had really been enjoying it but her life took a turn. The end of a relationship, coupled with pressures at work and societal pressures, led to her mental health beginning to suffer. She explained that no one thing triggered it but just “life happened”. “I suffer from anxiety and depression. It has been going on for some time. I worked through a lot of it myself. As I’m a psychiatric nurse, I know a lot of the things I need to do. I …

THE new problems that come with young people living out their lives through their phones are a bigger danger to them than alcohol, drugs or teenage sex, according to sport psychologist and teacher Keith Begley. He will deliver a talk at the community hall in Newmarket-on-Fergus on the evening of Saturday, February 16 entitled Let’s Play Outside-The positive role of sport for the wellbeing of the smartphone generation. In very recent years the internet has become constantly accessible meaning young people are growing up very differently to their parents, he says. “It’s a huge problem in that they don’t socialise the way they used to, they’re not involved in the same level of what I call sweat inducing activity as they once were. They don’t need to leave their bedroom anymore to socialise, they socialise online, they socialise through their apps, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Houseparty and so on. It means they don’t have to cycle to their friends, or go over …

KEEPING your dog happy and healthy is just part of being a dog owner and keeping your dog healthy also includes his mental well-being. These are just a few of the mental problems that your dog can have and ways to help your dog with his mental health. Do dogs get depressed? Of course, dogs get depressed. They go through bouts of depression for many reasons and you will notice your dog moping about and not wanting to play, drinking small amounts of water, going off their food and losing weight. You want your dog’s mental health to be good, but how can you tell what is causing this depression? After you have ruled out a physical problem by having a check with the vet, you can then check what may be causing this change in your dog’s attitude. Grief can cause depression in dogs just as it can in us. Has your dog lost a playmate recently? Maybe a …