A compulsion is a powerful and intense thought or urge that is often performed as a repetitive or ritualistic action or behaviour. Addictions denote the fixated relationship between a feeling and a substance or behaviour.

In the medical model of PTSD there are clearly defined criteria that need to be met in order to meet a formal diagnosis. The reality is that many people suffer from traumatic stress without ever being diagnosed.

Unhealthy anger is often expressed through openly aggressive and attacking behaviour; or through less direct and more subversive means, often referred to as passive-aggressive behaviour.

The symptoms of depression can lead us to respond in a way that perpetuates the effects and maintains a cycle of depression.

Anxiety can be general, e.g. Generalised Anxiety Disorder, or more specific, e.g. social anxiety. It also forms the basis of a range of common mental health problems such as OCD and phobias.

We are often unprepared for the profound experience of grief, which touches the whole of our being – our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self.