Talking therapies can also be known as counselling and are used to help treat a range of mental health conditions and also people struggling with a variety of difficulties in their life including emotional difficulties or life events. Talking therapies are when you work with a qualified healthcare professional to talk or think through what is happening and help to understand your thoughts, feelings, behaviour patterns and to work through coping strategies and small positive changes to the way you think which can have a big impact on your daily life. There are many different types of talking therapy that can be matched to the best one to help you with the challenges you are facing, and an example of a talking therapy is cognitive behavioural therapy which can help people suffering from depression, anxiety, sleep problems, anger and sexual dysfunction among others. There are also different ways of doing talking therapies from one to one, with your spouse or family member, group sessions, online or over the phone sessions. Talking therapies are usually done in regular sessions such as weekly or fortnightly for a set number of sessions which tend to be between 30-60 minutes.

St. Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a plant with an extract that’s been used for centuries as a mood enhancer – it may help to relieve mild depression and mild anxiety. You don’t need a prescription, it’s available from your pharmacy.

Sertraline is a medication used to help people with mental health problems. It works by increasing a chemical in the brain called serotonin and falls under the falls under the family of medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which helps to improve mood and reduce anxiety. Sertraline is commonly used to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While it can be helpful for many people, it may have some side effects like nausea or trouble sleeping. It's essential to talk to a doctor before taking sertraline to ensure it's safe and suitable for your specific situation.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a type of antidepressant. They are only available on prescription. SSRIs include citalopram, sertraline, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, escitalopram, paroxetine, and dapoxetine. SSRIs are usually the first-line choice of antidepressants as they cause the fewest side effects. However, SSRIs are not just used to treat depression. They can also be used to treat other mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bulimia nervosa. Sometimes they can also be used to treat some non-mental health conditions such as premature ejaculation, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). SSRIs are mainly prescribed to adults, but some SSRIs such as fluoxetine can also be used in children. Available formulations of SSRIs can include tablets, capsules, oral drops, and oral liquids.

Electroconvulsive therapy (also known as ECT) is a treatment for certain types of extremely severe mental illnesses that have not improved with all other treatment options. ECT is the process of passing an electrical current through the brain and stimulating a controlled seizure by placing an electrode on one side of the temple area of the head or an electrode on each side of the head. Before the electrical current that lasts between 6 - 12 seconds is delivered, the person is given a general anaesthetic and muscle relaxant. The treatment is normally done two times a week for a maximum of twelve times however it is stopped as soon as a response to the treatment is seen. How ECT works is not fully understood, but is thought that it changes the levels of certain chemicals in the brain.

Life can sometimes hit the buffers – stresses in your relationship, a heavy workload, or an exam or interview looming. Tension and negative thoughts can set in, even feelings of panic or gloom. You might want to try something yourself before getting a doctor’s opinion, and non-medical products can be a good choice for mild symptoms – our pharmacist is here to advise you.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (also known as CBT) is a type of talking therapy used to help treat a range of mental health conditions. It is based around the concept of helping a patient understand their thoughts and behaviours closer aiming to assist the patient to identify negative thought and behaviour patterns and cycles, make adjustments to those and learn healthy coping strategies for dealing with challenges and difficulties. CBT is available privately or through the NHS. There are different ways to do CBT, it can be run by a therapist and done either 1:1 or in a group. It can also be run over the phone or via online video call. CBT can also be done without a therapist running it through book form (which walks you step by step through exercises) or online in the form of computerised CBT. CBT is normally done in a number of weekly or fortnightly sessions which can be between half an hour and an hour long. The minimum number of sessions tends to be around 4 but can be up to around 20 sessions.

Anxiety can set in ahead of big events such as an interview or an exam, or you may just be feeling a bit on edge without any particular cause. Some pharmacy products are known to calm mild anxiety and that panicky feeling that can rise up. Let’s take a look at some of them on the market.

Anxiety can set in ahead of big events such as an interview or an exam, or you may just be feeling a bit on edge without any particular cause. Some pharmacy products are known to calm mild anxiety and that panicky feeling that can rise up. Let’s take a look at one of them on the market in more detail.

Anxiety can set in ahead of big events such as an interview or an exam, or you may just be feeling a bit on edge without any particular cause. Some pharmacy products are known to calm mild anxiety and that panicky feeling that can rise up. Let’s take a look at one of them on the market in more detail.

Anxiety can set in ahead of big events such as an interview or an exam, or you may just be feeling a bit on edge without any particular cause. Some pharmacy products are known to calm mild anxiety and that panicky feeling that can rise up. Let’s take a look at one of them on the market in more detail.