Today is World Mental Health Day, a day that shines a light on mental health and its impact on millions of people worldwide.
Receiving a diagnosis of a liver condition can have a huge impact on the mental health of you and your family.
You are not alone. If you or loved is living with a liver condition, it is very normal to experience anxiety, worry and fear. Some people also have low mood or symptoms of depression. It’s very common to experience anxiety and depression at the same time.
What are anxiety and depression?
We all experience feelings of worry or sadness at some point in our lives.
But if you’re finding it hard to control your worries, or you’re persistently sad for weeks or months and it’s affecting your daily life, you may be suffering from anxiety or depression.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of anxiety can include:
- Feeling restless or worried
- Having trouble concentrating or sleeping
- Dizziness or heart palpitations
Symptoms of depression can include:
- Continuous low mood or sadness
- Feeling hopeless and helpless
- Having low self-esteem
- Feeling tearful
- Feeling guilt-ridden
- Feeling irritable and intolerant of others
- Finding it difficult to make decisions
- Not getting enjoyment out of life
- Feeling anxious
- Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
Where can you go for support?
The British Liver Trust is here to help.
- Over the phone via our helpline on 0800 652 7330 between 10am and 2.45pm Monday to Friday (not bank holidays).
- By email at helpline@britishlivertrust.org.uk
- Through our online community for peer support, moderated by our liver nurses
- Through our support groups where you can speak to others face to face and share your experiences
- You might also be interested in our list of useful websites for further information from the NHS about urgent enquiries, concerns and complaints, and general health.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, it’s important to tell someone. The NHS website has a useful list of helplines you can call for free.
