Your mental health, in plain language

Find a place to begin.

You may know the name of a condition, or just know that something feels different. Explore a topic at your pace.

135 of 135 guides

Topics you can explore

Mood & emotions

Depression

Understand depression, long-lasting and seasonal mood patterns, assessment and support. Find a practical way to ask for help without needing a test.

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Anxiety & worry

Generalized anxiety

Learn about generalized anxiety disorder, persistent worry, treatment and ways to start a conversation about support.

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Anxiety & worry

Panic disorder

Understand panic attacks and panic disorder, their differences, treatment options and when to get medical help.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

OCD

Understand OCD, unwanted thoughts and mental or visible rituals. Compare OCI-4, OCI-R and DOCS purposes and explore assessment and ERP support.

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Trauma & stress

PTSD

Understand PTSD, flashbacks, avoidance and feeling on guard. Explore assessment options, treatment and a next step at your pace.

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Trauma & stress

Complex PTSD

Understand complex PTSD, its relationship to PTSD, emotions, self-beliefs and connection. Explore assessment and support at your pace.

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Anxiety & worry

Social anxiety

Understand social anxiety, fear of being judged and avoidance. Explore assessment options, treatment and easier ways to ask for support.

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Neurodevelopment & learning

Autism

Explore autistic experiences in adulthood, sensory needs, masking and assessment. Understand AQ-10, AQ and CAT-Q and find practical support.

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Neurodevelopment & learning

ADHD

Understand ADHD in adulthood, attention, restlessness and organization. Explore adult assessment, ASRS versions and support for your everyday life.

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Mood & emotions

Bipolar

Understand bipolar I and II, changes in mood, sleep and energy, professional assessment and ways to prepare for support.

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Food & eating

Eating disorders

Find a starting point for eating and feeding concerns. Explore anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, ARFID and OSFED, assessment choices and support.

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Food & eating

Anorexia

Understand anorexia nervosa, restrictive eating concerns, physical-health assessment and support. Learn what SCOFF and EDE-Q can and cannot tell you.

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Food & eating

Bulimia

Understand bulimia nervosa, assessment and health support. Explore the purpose and limits of SCOFF and EDE-Q without needing a score to ask for help.

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Food & eating

Binge-eating disorder

Understand binge-eating disorder, loss-of-control episodes and support. Compare BEDS-7 screening with the broader EDE-Q symptom profile.

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Food & eating

ARFID

Understand avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), sensory, appetite and fear-related patterns, NIAS limitations and assessment support.

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Food & eating

OSFED

Understand other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED), including atypical anorexia and other presentations. Explore assessment and support.

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Mood & emotions

Perinatal depression

Understand depression during pregnancy or after birth, assessment, EPDS and PHQ-9 purposes, and ways to ask for perinatal support.

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Anxiety & worry

Agoraphobia

Understand agoraphobia, situations where escape or help feels difficult, assessment and support. Learn about the adult severity measure and its limits.

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Anxiety & worry

Specific phobias

Understand specific phobias, fear, avoidance and daily impact. Explore assessment, supported treatment and the purpose of the adult severity measure.

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Trauma & life changes

Adjustment disorder

Understand adjustment disorder, distress after a stressor, assessment and support. Learn why IADQ needs timing, context and clinical interpretation.

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Everyday wellbeing

Stress

Understand how stress can affect you, explore pressures and support, and learn how perceived-stress measures differ from symptom measures.

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Everyday wellbeing

Burnout

Understand occupational burnout, workplace pressures, support and the different purposes of CBI and MBI-GS references.

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Everyday wellbeing

Wellbeing

Explore what supports your mental wellbeing, accessible everyday choices, and the purposes and limits of WHO-5 and WEMWBS.

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Everyday wellbeing

Grief

Understand grief and loss without prescribed stages or deadlines, explore practical and emotional support, and learn when a fuller conversation may help.

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Everyday wellbeing

Relationships

Explore connection, boundaries and support, understand adult attachment dimensions, and find a starting point for a conversation about your needs.

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Everyday wellbeing

Personality

Understand five broad personality dimensions and what the IPIP Big Five reflection tool can tell you, without types, diagnostic labels or invented percentiles.

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Everyday wellbeing

Intrusive thoughts

Understand unwanted thoughts, distinguish an experience from an OCD diagnosis, and prepare a conversation about distress and everyday impact.

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Everyday wellbeing

Body image

Understand body image in context, explore its everyday impact and find relevant support without appearance ratings, photographs or body-size scores.

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Everyday wellbeing

Mental health at work

Explore workload, working conditions and support, prepare a private conversation about your needs, and understand the limits of burnout measures.

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Care & support

Therapy

Learn what therapy can involve, explore approaches and prepare questions about fit, costs, privacy and what happens between appointments.

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Care & support

Mental health assessment

Understand screening, a fuller assessment and care planning, and prepare questions about your needs without having to diagnose yourself first.

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Care & support

Supporting someone

Find ways to listen, offer practical support and help someone reach care while looking after your own needs and responding to immediate safety concerns.

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Care & support

Self-harm

Find urgent and ongoing support for self-harm, understand a care conversation and get help for physical and emotional needs without a risk-score quiz.

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Care & support

Suicidal thoughts

Find country-labeled urgent help and ongoing support for suicidal thoughts, with direct care routes and no risk score or monitored questionnaire.

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Care & support

Recovery

Explore recovery in your own terms, including health, relationships, meaningful activities and support, without fixed stages or a symptom-free promise.

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Sleep & rest

Sleep

Find your starting point for difficulty sleeping, sleep quality or daytime sleepiness, compare sleep measures and prepare private notes for a health conversation.

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Sleep & rest

Insomnia

Understand recurring difficulty sleeping, daytime effects, insomnia assessment and CBT-I, with optional private notes and clear sleep-measure comparisons.

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Sleep & rest

Daytime sleepiness

Understand daytime dozing, how sleepiness differs from fatigue, what an assessment can involve and the limits of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

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Substance use & recovery

Substance use

Find a starting point for alcohol, cannabis, medicines, nicotine or other substance concerns, with clear assessment choices and routes to support.

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Substance use & recovery

Alcohol use disorder

Understand concerns about drinking, how AUDIT-C differs from AUDIT, what an alcohol assessment involves and why withdrawal may need medical care.

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Substance use & recovery

Cannabis use disorder

Explore cannabis-related concerns, effects on daily life, cannabis-specific screening and professional support without treating use alone as a disorder.

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Substance use & recovery

Opioid use disorder

Learn about opioid concerns, assessment and medicines used in treatment, with clear overdose support and no home-withdrawal scoring or dose instructions.

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Substance use & recovery

Stimulant use disorder

Understand stimulant concerns, the difference between prescribed and nonmedical use, professional assessment and treatment approaches.

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Substance use & recovery

Sedative & anxiety medicine concerns

Understand concerns about sedative, sleep or anxiety medicines, physical dependence versus a use disorder, and why medication changes need professional care.

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Substance use & recovery

Nicotine & tobacco

Explore nicotine and tobacco concerns, support for changing use and why the cigarette-focused Fagerström test should not be rewritten for vaping.

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Substance use & recovery

Multiple substances

Understand concerns involving multiple substances, why interactions matter and how to prepare one professional conversation without a combined addiction score.

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Gambling & gaming

Gambling disorder

Understand gambling-related harm, compare the brief BBGS and broader PGSI purposes, and find professional and practical support without sharing financial details here.

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Gambling & gaming

Gaming disorder

Understand gaming-related concerns through control and daily impact, distinguish ICD-11 gaming disorder from DSM internet-gaming research, and explore support.

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Mood & emotions

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Understand PMDD, why patterns across your menstrual cycle need assessment, how prospective records may help and what treatment options you can discuss.

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Care & support

Pregnancy & mental health

Explore mental health support before and during pregnancy, choices for care, medication conversations and how to prepare for a maternity or health appointment.

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Trauma & stress

Acute stress disorder

Understand acute stress disorder, early reactions after trauma, timing-specific assessment and ways to seek practical and psychological support.

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Trauma & stress

Prolonged grief disorder

Explore prolonged grief disorder, cultural and timing context, the International Grief Questionnaire and support for persistent grief-related difficulties.

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Anxiety & worry

Separation anxiety disorder

Understand separation anxiety in adults, fear and daily impact, adult assessment context and ways to discuss appropriate support.

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Neurodivergent experiences

Tics

Understand movement and sound tics, Tourette syndrome and professional assessment, with support shaped around your daily life.

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Neurodivergent experiences

Sensory overload

Explore overwhelming sensory experiences, your preferences and practical adjustments, without treating one experience as an autism diagnosis.

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Neurodivergent experiences

Executive function

Understand everyday planning, remembering and task-starting difficulties, explore practical support and prepare a conversation about your needs.

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Neurodivergent experiences

Masking

Explore social camouflaging, the effort involved and choices around support, with a clear explanation of what CAT-Q can and cannot tell you.

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Life & support

Caring for someone

Find space for your own wellbeing while caring for someone, with practical help, carer support and a conversation about your needs.

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Life & support

Physical illness & wellbeing

Explore mental-health support alongside long-term physical illness, with whole-person assessment, coordinated care and room for your priorities.

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Life & support

Studying & wellbeing

Find a starting point for mental-health support while studying, from a trusted conversation to student services, healthcare and practical adjustments.

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Psychosis & specialist care

Psychosis

Understand psychosis, how assessment considers possible causes, and ways to find prompt care and ongoing support for yourself or someone beside you.

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Psychosis & specialist care

Schizophrenia

Learn about schizophrenia, symptoms and comprehensive assessment, with treatment and everyday support built around your priorities.

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Psychosis & specialist care

Schizoaffective disorder

Understand how schizoaffective disorder is assessed over time, why mood and psychosis need context, and how to prepare questions about coordinated care.

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Psychosis & specialist care

Delusional disorder

Learn what delusional disorder means in professional assessment, why context matters, and how to seek care without using a belief quiz or labeling someone else.

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Psychosis & specialist care

Catatonia

Understand catatonia as a syndrome needing medical assessment, with prompt care guidance and respectful information for people supporting someone.

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Personality disorders

Personality disorders

Understand personality-disorder assessment, named DSM categories and the ICD-11 approach. Find clear information and care without a personality-type diagnosis quiz.

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Personality disorders

Borderline personality disorder

Understand BPD, professional assessment and structured psychological care. Compare screening and emotion-regulation measure context without an online diagnosis.

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Personality disorders

Avoidant personality disorder

Understand enduring avoidance and rejection fears, the overlap with social anxiety, and how professional assessment and care can help you discuss your needs.

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Personality disorders

OCPD

Learn how OCPD differs from OCD, when perfectionism and control need wider assessment, and what questions you can ask about care.

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Personality disorders

Dependent personality disorder

Understand the clinical term dependent personality disorder, reassurance and autonomy in context, and questions for a professional care conversation.

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Personality disorders

Narcissistic personality disorder

Understand NPD as a clinical assessment term, self-esteem and relationship context, and care options without a narcissist or partner-labeling quiz.

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Personality disorders

Antisocial personality disorder

Understand ASPD as an adult clinical term, the assessment of history and functioning, and care options without a psychopathy score or dangerousness prediction.

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Personality disorders

Histrionic personality disorder

Understand the DSM term histrionic personality disorder, expression and relationship patterns in context, and the limits of treatment evidence and self-tests.

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Personality disorders

Paranoid personality disorder

Understand persistent mistrust in professional assessment context, distinctions from psychotic conditions, and ways to ask about privacy, trust and care.

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Personality disorders

Schizoid personality disorder

Understand schizoid personality disorder, detachment in clinical context and its distinction from schizophrenia, with care questions that respect your preferences.

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Personality disorders

Schizotypal personality disorder

Understand schizotypal terminology, DSM and ICD classification differences, experiences and relationship difficulties in context, and professional care.

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Bodily symptoms & health concerns

Somatic symptoms

Understand somatic symptom disorder, whole-person assessment and symptom-burden measures. Physical symptoms deserve care, including when a medical condition is present.

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Bodily symptoms & health concerns

Health anxiety

Understand health-related worry, illness anxiety assessment and support. Explore health-anxiety measure context without using a score to dismiss physical symptoms.

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Bodily symptoms & health concerns

Functional neurological disorder

Understand FND, clinical neurological assessment and possible care options. Positive clinical findings matter; a questionnaire or normal scan cannot establish the diagnosis.

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Bodily symptoms & health concerns

Factitious disorder

Understand factitious disorder as a specialist assessment term. Explore care and safeguarding context without an accusation checklist or a quiz about someone else.

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Feeding & medical care

Pica

Understand pica, when to get urgent medical help, and how professionals assess your health, nutrition and support needs.

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Feeding & medical care

Rumination disorder

Learn about rumination disorder and syndrome, how recurring regurgitation is assessed, and what medical and behavioural support may involve.

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Sleep & rest

Narcolepsy

Understand narcolepsy, daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, what a sleep specialist may investigate, and how to prepare a care conversation.

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Sleep & rest

Circadian rhythm disorders

Explore circadian sleep-wake patterns, how timing can affect your day, and how a sleep history or unscored diary may support specialist assessment.

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Sleep & rest

Nightmare disorder

Learn about repeated distressing nightmares, their effect on sleep and daily life, and how assessment and professional treatment can help.

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Sleep & rest

Parasomnias

Explore sleepwalking, sleep terrors and REM sleep behaviour, their differences, and what a professional sleep assessment may consider.

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Sleep & rest

Sleep apnea

Understand sleep apnea, breathing pauses and daytime sleepiness, the role of a medical sleep study, and questions to ask about treatment.

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Sleep & rest

Restless legs syndrome

Learn about the pattern of restless legs syndrome, other possible explanations, and questions about medical assessment and current treatment guidance.

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Substances & your health

Hallucinogen-related concerns

Understand hallucinogen-related concerns, acute effects, persistent changes and the different roles of medical assessment and substance-use screening.

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Substances & your health

Inhalant-related concerns

Find medical and substance-use support for inhalant-related concerns, including why acute effects need assessment and a general score cannot provide reassurance.

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Substances & your health

Withdrawal

Understand why withdrawal support depends on the substance or medicine, why physical dependence is not the same as addiction, and how to ask for medical advice.

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Substances & your health

Substance-related symptoms

Learn how clinicians assess mental health changes around substances, medicines or withdrawal, including timing, previous symptoms and other possible causes.

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Patterns & specialist support

Compulsive sexual behavior

Understand compulsive sexual behavior, the distinction from high sexual interest or moral distress, and how to prepare a respectful specialist conversation.

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Everyday life & wellbeing

Social media & you

Explore how social media fits your life, what feels helpful or difficult, and small changes that preserve the connection and support you value.

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Everyday life & wellbeing

Buying & your wellbeing

Find practical support when buying feels difficult to control, including how wellbeing and money concerns can interact and where a professional conversation may help.

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Patterns & specialist support

Impulse-control disorders

Explore impulse-control topics, how their assessment differs, and why a general impulsivity or emotion score cannot identify a specific disorder.

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Patterns & specialist support

Intermittent explosive disorder

Learn about repeated impulsive anger episodes, professional assessment and support, including why DERS-16 cannot diagnose intermittent explosive disorder.

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Patterns & specialist support

Kleptomania

Find respectful information about kleptomania, how it differs from a general label for stealing, and what specialist assessment and treatment may involve.

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Patterns & specialist support

Pyromania

Understand pyromania as a specialist assessment topic, its distinction from general fire-setting, and how to seek support without a self-test.

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Your wellbeing & care

Sexual health & wellbeing

Understand the connection between sexual health and wellbeing, find information about sexual difficulties or pain, and prepare a respectful care conversation.

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Your wellbeing & care

Gender & wellbeing

Find respectful gender and mental wellbeing information, understand gender dysphoria and ICD-11 terminology, and explore support for your own goals.

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Your wellbeing & care

Paraphilic disorders

Understand the distinction between an atypical sexual interest and a paraphilic disorder, and how to seek individual professional support.

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Your wellbeing & care

Mental health medication

Prepare questions about mental health medicines, benefits, side effects, interactions and follow-up, with information to discuss with your prescriber or pharmacist.

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Children & young people

Children's mental health

Understand a child's wellbeing, listen in ways that suit them and prepare for age-appropriate mental health support, without needing an online test.

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Children & young people

Teen mental health

Find a starting point for your mental health as a teen: talk in your own words, understand appointments and ask about privacy and support.

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Children & young people

Bedwetting

Understand childhood bedwetting without blame, when to seek medical advice and how to prepare for an appointment about bladder control.

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Children & young people

Childhood soiling

Find clear, supportive information about childhood soiling, constipation, medical assessment and care without shame or blame.

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Children & young people

Selective mutism

Understand selective mutism, differences in speaking across settings and ways to prepare for supportive, child-focused assessment.

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Children & young people

DMDD

Learn about DMDD, persistent childhood irritability, professional assessment and support for a child and the people around them.

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Children & young people

ODD

Understand ODD in its developmental context, how professionals assess persistent difficulties and support that includes the child and family.

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Children & young people

Conduct disorder

Understand conduct disorder, comprehensive child and adolescent assessment, safety concerns and coordinated support around a young person.

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Children & young people

RAD

Learn what reactive attachment disorder means, why early care history and specialist assessment matter, and how families can seek safe support.

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Children & young people

DSED

Understand DSED, how professionals consider unfamiliar-adult interactions and early care history, and support that keeps the child in view.

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Learning, development & communication

Learning disorders

Understand reading, writing and maths difficulties, specialist assessment and support for your learning. Explore dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia in one useful hub.

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Learning, development & communication

DCD & dyspraxia

Understand developmental coordination disorder, often called dyspraxia, in adults. Explore medical assessment, occupational therapy and support for everyday activities.

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Learning, development & communication

Intellectual disability

Understand intellectual disability, developmental and everyday skills assessment, and support that includes your preferences. No online IQ diagnosis or assumptions about your choices.

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Learning, development & communication

Communication

Find information about language, social communication, speech sounds and stuttering. Understand specialist assessment and support for your own communication goals.

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Memory, cognition & later life

Memory & cognition

Find a starting point for memory or thinking concerns. Understand assessment, MCI, dementia and sudden confusion, with practical next steps rather than a brain-age quiz.

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Memory, cognition & later life

Mild cognitive impairment

Understand mild cognitive impairment, everyday independence, clinical assessment and follow-up. MCI is not dementia and does not determine your future.

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Memory, cognition & later life

Dementia

Understand dementia as a syndrome with different causes. Explore clinical assessment, daily-life support and care that includes your preferences, without a diagnostic quiz.

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Memory, cognition & later life

Delirium

Sudden confusion needs immediate medical help. Learn what delirium means, how clinicians assess causes and what support and follow-up may involve. No home screening test.

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Memory, cognition & later life

Mental health in later life

Explore mental health in later life, including mood, connection, health and access to care. Find support that respects your choices without assuming impairment or isolation.

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Dissociation & detachment

Dissociation

Understand dissociation, distinct conditions and professional assessment. Explore brief/full symptom-measure context without inferring a diagnosis or a personal history.

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Dissociation & detachment

Depersonalization & derealization

Learn the difference between detachment from yourself and unreality around you, how DPDR is assessed, and the different contexts of CDS and DSS-B.

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Dissociation & detachment

Dissociative identity disorder

Understand DID in its specialist assessment context, identity disruption and memory, and ways to ask about care without an identity-count or diagnostic quiz.

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Dissociation & detachment

Dissociative amnesia

Understand dissociative amnesia, why memory gaps need medical and mental-health context, and how to ask for help without trying to recover memories yourself.

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Everyday wellbeing

Loneliness

Explore loneliness, the connection you want, manageable support options and the limits of the Three-Item Loneliness Scale.

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Everyday wellbeing

Self-esteem

Explore the way you see yourself, supportive reflection and the purpose of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale without disease cutoffs.

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Everyday wellbeing

Emotional regulation

Explore feelings, context, responses and support, and understand DERS-16 as a measure of emotion-regulation difficulties rather than a diagnosis.

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Everyday wellbeing

Anger

Understand anger as an emotion, distinguish feelings from harmful behavior, explore support and learn why DERS-16 is not an anger diagnosis.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

Body dysmorphic disorder

Understand appearance preoccupation, checking and avoidance in BDD, professional assessment and support without photos or appearance scores.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

Hoarding disorder

Understand difficulty discarding, acquiring and the impact on usable space. Explore hoarding-specific assessment, SI-R purpose and collaborative support.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

Hair-pulling disorder

Explore hair pulling, focused and automatic patterns, assessment and habit reversal support. Understand the MGH-HPS severity measure.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

Skin-picking disorder

Understand skin-picking patterns, physical-health assessment, behavioral support and the SPS-R severity and impact measure.

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Thoughts & repetitive patterns

Body-focused repetitive behaviors

Find a starting point for hair pulling, skin picking and other body-focused repetitive behaviors, with distinct assessment and support routes.

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