Body Image Issues and Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Low mood in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood can be a particularly distressing experience and can cause great concern for everyone. Depression is a diagnosed condition and national guidance recommends talking therapy.

Not all young people who feel sad or low have Depression. Many will want some help to manage sad feelings and mood and some may experience symptoms of Depression, without necessarily fulfilling the diagnostic criteria.

A young person or young adult may experience a reduced mood, less interest
or pleasure in things they used to really enjoy, difficulties with sleep, changes to appetite or eating, poor concentration and fatigue or reduced energy. In children the low mood may appear as an irritable mood. Some young people and young adults may have thoughts or images related to death or life not being worth living. It is important to identify these difficulties and seek help.

• CBT
• ACT

Young people can experience big feelings that are difficult to know how to manage. They can be difficult to contain and can impact behaviour and sometimes lead to impulsive actions. Adolescence is a tricky time with many important demanding tasks socially, emotionally and cognitively.

Emotional-regulation, knowing how to manage ones own emotional responses, managing thoughts and feelings to achieve the things needed or wanted, is an important foundation for wellbeing and also helps mediate against emotional health issues.

Young people can be supported to learn and further develop their emotional regulation skills through therapy but also through the important adults and home and school environments. Our clinicians can work with your child and can offer input to the family and system.

• CBT
• ACT
• Schema Therapy for Children and Teenagers
• Mentalisation-Based Therapy

All of these thoughts, actions or risks can be incredibly distressing for young people and parents and carers. The thought processes and behaviours are complicated and need to be properly understood and made sense of, which is our starting point.

We will work with young people and those important people around them towards safety. We will develop a safety and coping plan as part of the initial stages of the work and then develop an individual care plan. We aim to address the underlying issues and improve emotional health. We will work with other professionals involved in your care to ensure that safety and wellbeing are central to the care plan and there is a team around you supporting you.

We sadly do not have the resources to offer a crisis service so if you are reading this and at immediate risk of hurting yourself then please speak to a safe adult and your existing health professionals, e.g. your psychiatrist. We also recommend the Crisis Messenger service for young people and parent help line provided by the national charity Young Minds. For 24/7 text messaging support text YM to 85258. If you cannot keep yourself safe or are in a medical emergency attend A&E or call 999.

• CBT
• ACT
• Schema Therapy for Children and Teenagers