Some signs suggest that you should go to therapy. One of the core signs is that if you are having difficulty regulating your emotions, thinking about, or coping with the issues, you should consider going to therapy. Always keep your mental health in check.
Psychotherapy, talk or talking therapy, counseling, or simply therapy—no matter the name it’s known by, mental health counseling can benefit people struggling with emotional difficulties, life challenges, and mental health concerns.
ReplyDeleteTherapy can help improve symptoms of many mental health conditions. In therapy, people also learn to cope with symptoms that may not respond to treatment right away. Research shows the benefits of therapy last longer than medication alone. Medication can reduce some symptoms of mental health conditions, but therapy teaches people skills to address symptoms on their own. These skills last after therapy ends, and symptoms may continue to improve, making it less likely people will need further treatment.
Mental health issues are common. Recent statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Health show 1 out of every 5 American adults lives with a mental health condition, while 1 in 25 adults lives with a serious mental health condition.
But only about 40% of people with mental health issues get help. Untreated mental health issues often get worse and may have other negative effects. They could also lead to:
Inability to work or go to school
Difficulty in relationships or taking care of children
Increased risk of health issues
Hospitalization
Suicide
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people in the United States between the ages of 10 and 34. About 90% of people who die by suicide in the U.S. lived with a mental health condition.
Hi Melody, I think that people know when they need help dealing with some life issues or perhaps someone who cares about you suggests that you seek help. I can think of some signs that you might need to seek help but they are generalized and not the only signs. But, some signs are as follows.
ReplyDeleteYou have had a recent trauma and cannot quit thinking about it to the point that it interferes with your ability to function.
You are having trouble sleeping or sleep too much because you feel that you need to escape from life. That also includes drinking too much or eating too much to cope.
You feel that your emotions are out of control. Maybe you blow up over small things that are disproportionate to the event or you cry too easily without having a reason.
You don’t feel like socializing though as I say this I think COVID has highly impacted that! :) I was also going to say that you isolate yourself, but I guess we all are isolating more or less.
You are having conflicts with your significant others.
Now Melody, I’m going to tell you what this therapist has done to cope with COVID. Not only have I isolated myself but I worry too much about my children, grandchildren and my husband. I have developed a constant craving for chocolate since it seems to be a great anti-depressant. I eat more cake than is good for me because I don’t see anything wrong about eating cake for breakfast or anytime for that matter. I typically don’t dress up unless I have an appointment and I tend to obsessively play stupid computer games while I watch documentaries or shows that I never thought I’d ever watch on TV! And I can tell you that I now have great empathy for the 1,000 pound sisters since I have gained weight during this time and losing 5 pounds seems almost as difficult as losing 500 pounds! So, if you were a therapist would you tell me I need therapy?
That question was rhetorical because sometimes the things we do that seem to be contrary to good mental health have a cause that may be situational or may be present before we were put into an unhealthy setting. So, all of the above are reasons to seek therapy because your life has been impacted in a negative way which means that you are not fulfilling your goals of having a well-balanced life. And when you are not progressing forward in your life in a positive manner then maybe it is time to ask for help because you feel badly about yourself. That is my professional answer. The above paragraph addresses how much our mental health is impacted by a pandemic and perhaps the unsettled political times we live in. But since you are asking about signs that mean you need a therapist then most likely you could use some help. It also means that you have some good insight into how you are living in the present and that you know you would like to change some things to feel better. I do wish you well:)
Trying to feel better on your own hasn't worked.
ReplyDeleteAdvice from family and friends hasn't worked.
A physician has ruled out a physical cause for how you feel.
You don't know what to do.
The next step is seeing a professional, either your primary care provider again for meds or a therapist…or best of all, both.
I think if you ask yourself if you need a therapist then you most likely do. Thoughts and actions that interfere with your everyday life. Like being so depressed you can not function, or spending hours organizing the food cans. That sort of thing. You can go see a therapist and if they feel you don’t need it they will tell you.
ReplyDeleteWhen things affect your daily living, bother you, keep you up at night, maybe mess with your diet and exercise, mental health is most times affected. Turning to drugs or alcohol, isolating yourself, losing jobs, relationships, things like that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very broad question, but some signs would be various forms of personal distress (depression, anxiety, etc.); noticing repeating self-defeating or self-destructive patterns in your life; recurring problems in work, relationships with partners or families, and the like.
ReplyDeleteIf you decide you want to see a therapist, then you see one. That’s enough. If for some reason you go and you and her both decide you have nothing to work on (which happens), or you dont get along, or she likes chocolate ice cream and you like vanilla you leave. That’s it, that’s all, easy ❤️
ReplyDeleteYou are asking this on a public forum. Yes; therapy may be beneficial to you. The sign is you wonder is you need to see a therapist. This is the sign.
ReplyDeleteThere are three important areas to our lives: family, friends (to include intimate relationships), and work (to include school). If there is an under-functioning in any of these areas it is cause for concern. But that does not necessarily mean therapy is indicated. If a person goes about trying to ameliorate these difficulties and succeeds, problem solved and mood restored.
ReplyDeleteA pattern of difficulty in any or all of these areas, despite trying to ameliorate the problems, would point to the need for assistance. This would be especially important if a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness has creeped in. These feelings can mobilize defenses that further insulate us from life’s challenges and prevent us from meeting our needs.
Clear indications of the need for treatment would be suicidal or homicidal thoughts, extreme examples of helplessness and hopeless.
There are no telling signs. An interest in self improvement, introspection and desire to deal with specific issues that trouble you are usually what brings people into therapy who stay. Yes, there’s court ordered therapy but many of those don’t stay after their sessions timeframe expires. Coming to therapy to save a relationship when it’s not your idea is similar, people aren’t there because the idea was theirs in the first place. So, also of note is the notion that only certain people “need” therapy. Anyone could use therapy to their benefit, but many still see it as a weakness, or that it’s for other people who don’t know how to deal with their issues. It doesn’t mean that people don’t graduate from therapy to no therapy, because they do, but many return years later as life shifts and people grow and issues change.
ReplyDeleteThe only person to ask this question is yourself. You don’t need to be suffering from mental illness to see a therapist. Sometimes people see therapists to help manage stress, or work through a major decision making process.
ReplyDeleteI would say you are unable to perform your usual activities or are unable to live focus and love independently
ReplyDeleteit is broad question it you are getting depressed or function
Anyone can seek therapy at any time if it feels right to them to have a safe space to process, be with themselves, connect to their body, emotions, and thoughts. Therapy is not only for times of distress, although that is often what motivates people to go to therapy. For some people, they consider going to therapy when they feel lost or alienated, when it is difficult to cope with emotions or access emotions, when transitions in their lives are happening, when they want to address their relationships to themselves and others, when they find they are not content with their life as it is, when they want another person’s perspective who is not involved with the rest of their life, when they are faced with big decisions, when they are exploring their values and priorities, when they are concerned about hurting themselves or someone else, when they want to heal past and current hurts. Some of these or none of these may prompt a person to consider therapy. It will be different for each person. No one has to justify wanting to have therapy.
ReplyDelete