How to combat mental illness

I was reading The Londoner (October 2007), when I saw an article relating to mental illnesses especially during the winter, where it is quite common to occur amongst the Londoners out of the whole UK population. This can happen to anyone who is in emotional distress, including:

• Winter blues (Seasonal affective disorder)
  
• Bereavement
• Divorce
• Overwork
• Exam stress
• Bullying
• Abuse
• Violence

To be able to distinguish whether you have a mental illness, check out the following symptoms:

• Lack of energy
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling weepy and not knowing why
  
• Difficulty sleeping
• Excessive irritability
• Mood swings
• Feeling out of control
• Regular headaches
• Panic attacks
• Cutting oneself off from family and friends
• A lack of interest in anything
• Feeling there is no-one who understands
• Turning to alcohol and drugs

It is possible to be able to combat mental illness without medicine by doing the following (not all at once obviously!):

• Talk about your feelings
• Take physical exercise and eat well
• Don't put off tackling difficult issues
• Keep in touch with family and friends
• Set realistic, achievable goals
• Do things you enjoy
• Develop your coping skills
• Don't rely on stimulants such as drugs and alcohol to get you through the day
• And don't be afraid to ask for professional help when you feel you need it

There are some contacts which may be of use to you:

• NHS Direct: 0800 169 0169 - www.nhsdirect.nsh.uk/help
• Mind: 0845 766 0163 or 0161 234 9074 - www.mind.org.uk
• The Samaritans: 08457 90 90 90 - www.samaritans.org
• Sane: 0845 767 8000 or 020 7375 1002 - www.sane.org.uk
• Childline: 0800 11 11 - www.childline.org.uk
• Living Life To The Full: www.livinglifetothefull.com/elearning

(Reference: The Londoner, October 2007, "Mind how you go" Page 17)

Good luck in your quest to combat mental illness and feel free to comment! :)