Trauma is the Greek word for “wound”. Although the Greeks used the term only for physical injuries, nowadays trauma is just as likely to refer to emotional wounds. We now know that a traumatic event can leave psychological symptoms long after any physical injuries have healed. The psychological reaction to emotional trauma now has an established name: post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.…
Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often used interchangeably,…
Clinical depression is more than feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Most people go through periods of feeling down. When you have clinical depression you feel sad for weeks or months, not just a few days. Clinical depression can often come on gradually. So it can be difficult to notice when something…
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imbalance of physical or social power. This imbalance distinguishes bullying from conflict. Bullying is a subcategory of…
Anxiety is a common feeling that everyone experiences at some stage. It can be a normal emotional response to many stressful situations. Anxiety is also a natural, understandable emotional response that can help us prepare for challenges. These could be sitting an exam or worrying about a potentially awkward social occasion. If you’re feeling so…
