ABSTRACT
Difficulties with mental health can cover a wide range of experience, with differences in the intensity and frequency of symptoms that people encounter. People also differ in the intensity with which they experience, express and regulate their emotions. Some people may suffer from mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and psychosis where this is the primary diagnosis. Other people may suffer mental health conditions in conjunction with another condition – for example, a person with a learning disability, a long-term health condition such as HIV or a physical disability like spina bifida who also experiences periods of anxiety and depression. In addition to personal characteristics, a person’s mental health state may also make her more susceptible to undue influence; for example, a depressed person may show significant passivity.
