Meet Grace da Camara

  Alcohol and substance use disorders involve changes in brain chemistry that create a dependence on the substance being used. People with these conditions may experience dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and impairments in their personal or work lives that are related to substance use. 

  Anger is a natural, instinctive response to threats. Some anger is necessary for our survival. However, anger becomes a problem when you have trouble controlling it, causing you to say or do things you regret. Uncontrolled anger is bad for your physical and mental health. It can also quickly escalate to verbal or physical violence, harming you and those around you. 

  Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks). However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. 

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socialises with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behaviour. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. 

Bullying may seriously affect the mental health and well-being of children and youth. Bullying is when a person repeatedly and deliberately hurts someone else. Children and youth who are bullied over time are more likely than those not bullied to experience depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. They also are more likely to be lonely and want to avoid school. There are many ways that parents and youth-serving adults can help address bullying.

There are different types of depression; each of them has specific symptoms and might have different options for treatment. Symptoms may include lingering sadness, despair, lack of energy, and emotional numbness.  You might also experience depression as a thick fog that leaves you feeling empty, exhausted, and entirely unlike yourself. Though they can become overwhelming, depression symptoms are manageable and treatable. Learning more about major depressive disorder can help you shine a light through the fog.

Gambling disorder involves repeated, problem gambling behaviour. The behaviour leads to problems for the individual, families and society. Adults and adolescents with gambling disorder have trouble controlling their gambling. People with gambling disorder can have periods where symptoms subside. The gambling may not seem a problem in between periods of more severe symptoms. Gambling disorder tends to run in families. Symptoms can begin as early as adolescence or as late as older adulthood. Men are more likely to start at a younger age. Women are more likely to start later in life.

Though our need to connect is innate, many of us frequently feel alone. Loneliness is the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social connection and actual experiences of it. Even when you are surrounded by others throughout the day or are in a long-lasting marriage, you may still experience pervasive loneliness. Research suggests that loneliness poses serious threats to well-being as well as long-term physical health.

Online environments bring many positive benefits for identity, education, social connection, creativity and communication. However, there is potential harm when not used responsibly. There is growing concern about the amount of time children spend online, the type of material they can access, the personal information and images they share with people (particularly with strangers), and the risks of being harmed by people they come into contact with online. Being aware of potential sources of harm and knowing some strategies to use with children are important ways parents can help their children to stay safe online.

  Disagreements and conflict occur in most close relationships. However, chronic relationship conflict and stress is a serious issue. It has been linked to poorer mental and physical wellbeing and can affect other areas of life such as relationships with family and friends, and work colleagues. Children also suffer when exposed to high levels of conflict at home, and are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, behavioural problems and poorer health. Learning effective and respectful ways to communicate differences is an important step in building a healthy, fulfilling relationship, and which can benefit our overall wellbeing and those around us.

  This objectification of girls and pressure to fit into society’s can affect their psychological development and mental health. These start when girls are very young, and not all of them are healthy messages.  Girls get many messages about how they should look and behave. It is important to help girls develop a positive self-image and good self- esteem, value themselves and learn to question messages that sexualise or objectify girls and women.

Sleep disorders affect the quality and amount of sleep you get. The symptoms usually involve distress during the daytime and can interfere with your ability to function in day-to-day life, especially in your ability to concentrate.  Important to note that what ‘a good night’s sleep’ means for one person might be different for another. Some people might need more than 8 hours of sleep to feel rested while other people might need less. Good sleep hygiene is one of the soft approaches to managing sleep problems.