Most of us are quick to see a doctor when something is wrong with our health: pain in our chest, a fractured leg, head trauma, and so on. The list goes on. We need to take care of our bodies, but that also includes our mental state.
If you’re unsure if therapy would be beneficial for you or if it’s time to seek assistance, here’s how to know when to contact a professional for help.
Mental Health Today
Oftentimes, we put our mental health on the back burner. Every day, we weather stress, anxiety, mood swings, and various other forms of emotional stress. It may be due to a setback at work, relationship hiccups, rejection, financial struggles, personal loss, or any other stressor in our lives.
While we can bounce back from most of our setbacks eventually, some things require more time. Sometimes, we need a little extra help to recover from it.
In the past, therapy was stigmatized, leading many people to shy away from a helping hand. Though many people may be skeptical or wary of therapy, there is no shame in needing a bit of assistance.
Statistics
Mental health issues are more common than many people realize. The National Alliance on Mental Health released several statistics that outline 1 out of every 5 American adults endure a mental health condition, and 1 in every 25 adults suffer from a severe mental health condition.
Although the statistics indicate the regularity of mental health struggles, only about 40% of people suffering from them get help. Untreated mental health issues usually progressively worsen, often bringing along accompanying adverse effects. They can eventually progress to:
- Inability to attend school or work
- Higher risk of health issues
- Hard time in relationships or caring for children
- Hospitalization
- Suicide
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between 10 and 34 in the United States, second only to death caused by unintentional injury. Roughly 90% of individuals who die by suicide in the United States live with some type of mental health condition.
How Do I Know When It’s Time To Seek Help?
Therapy isn’t just for people struggling with mental illnesses. People who are experiencing severe stress, intense emotions, or life transitions and want to improve and understand their feelings may find that therapy is beneficial for them.
It’s important to remember that seeking assistance from a therapist isn’t a show of weakness but instead is an essential step towards self-care. Several vital signs may indicate that it’s time to reach out to a therapist, including the following:
You’re Experiencing A Disruption In Eating and Sleeping Habits
You may find yourself on either end of the spectrum of sleeping and eating habits: you either get too much or not nearly enough. Our mental health can have a profound impact on both of these. For example, someone experiencing anxiousness may have trouble sleeping, while someone who is severely depressed may sleep constantly.
Alternately, someone who is crippled by stress may overeat to suppress their emotions, while others may find that they can hardly eat. If you notice that you’re experiencing a drastic fluctuation or disruption in your regular eating and sleeping habits, it might be time to take a step back and seriously assess your situation.
You’re Noticing Drastic Mood Swings
Although everybody has bad days and experiences sadness, anxiety, and anger at various points in our lives, we need to pay attention to our emotions. It’s important to note how often or how intensely we feel these emotions.
For example, intense anger can be a part of a depressive presentation. Often, depression is missed in men because their anger or short-temper is dismissed as a masculine trait. However, anger can also reflect self or the world, a poorly regulated stress response, or general frustration.
You’re Experiencing Difficulty Performing Effectively At Work Or School
A downturn in productivity or performance at work or school is a common indicator among those grappling with emotional or psychological issues. Mental health issues can feel crippling, causing impacts on our attention, memory, concentration, energy, and the like, which all play a critical role in our performance at work and school.
You’ve Had Traumatic Experiences
Individuals who have a history of sexual or physical abuse or other unresolved trauma may benefit from therapy. Therapy allows individuals who have weathered traumatic experiences to explore the painful memories with a trained individual to listen and guide them in a judgment-free and confidential space.
Many people find they feel better when they don’t have to shoulder their burdens alone, even if it’s just enlisting the help of a listening ear. Additionally, therapists can help a person develop new methods of thinking about said traumatic events and learn various techniques to break the associations and grip the event has over them.
You’re Struggling With Relationships
Struggling to build or maintain relationships can indicate the presence of a mental health issue. Our mental health has an impact on our relationship in several ways. For example, it could cause a person to retreat from those close to them or cause insecurity within a relationship.
People may find themselves more frequently grouchier, snapping at their children, arguing with their spouse, or ignoring calls and texts from a friend.
Additionally, people struggling with emotional or psychological issues may find they have difficulty cultivating new relationships at work or school, working in groups, or communicating with their coworkers or fellow classmates.
Skilled social therapists can help individuals improve their social skills by teaching them things like respectful assertiveness, fair fighting, or the ‘I’ language instead of the ‘you’ language.
You Don’t Enjoy Your Usual Activities
Many people grappling with various emotional or psychological issues often have feelings of disconnection or alienation from life. This can cause them to lose interest in things they love to do, such as various hobbies or socializing.
Increased isolation, apathy regarding the future, or talk of wishing they weren’t even alive can indicate the presence of depression or another type of mood disorder. Therapy can help combat these feelings by helping the individual determine what is causing the emotional dysregulation and getting rid of negative thoughts and behaviors.
You’re Grieving
You may have lost a loved one, gone through a bad breakup, divorced, or experienced any other kind of event that pushes you towards the grieving process. Overcoming grief can be a long, drawn-out, and painful process, especially when you have nobody to share the emotional burden with.
The ordeal can become unbearable for individuals who experience a rapid sequence of significant losses. Therapy and grief counseling can assist individuals struggling to cope with their grief by providing them with a safe and compassionate place to express and process the emotions that accompany the event.
Your Physical Health Is Suffering
We tend to focus on our physical health more than our mental health. However, the two are interconnected, and one can cause the other to suffer. Mental health issues, including stress, depression, and anxiety, directly (and indirectly) correlate with our physical health.
These direct connections are because any psychological issues directly affect the central nervous system, impacting our health systems, like our endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, cerebrovascular systems, etc.
Alternatively, the indirect connection comes from the association between mental health and an abundance of physical health conditions, such as fatigue, headaches, a weaker immune system, muscle aches and pains, chronic inflammation, and so on.
You’re Using Various Things To Cope
People under mental or emotional stress often turn to things in their lives that are rewarding, distracting, numbing, or destructive in an attempt to cope. This could be substance abuse, sex, excessive dieting, risky behaviors, or even excessive shopping.
For example, individuals turning to substances may do so to temporarily alleviate various unwanted feelings, such as anxiety, irritability, or hopelessness. However, substance use typically exacerbates the issues and leads to abuse or dependence in the long run.
You Want To Improve, But Nothing Has Helped
Therapy can be exceedingly beneficial for individuals who feel that they’ve tried everything they could think of and have run out of options. You may have tried self-help books, meditation, exercising, or something else to boost your spirits or shake the “off” feeling.
Therapists can assist individuals struggling with these feelings, teaching them to navigate their behavior and emotions. They also can help you learn ways to handle tricky situations in relationships or other interpersonal situations you find yourself in.
How To Seek Assistance From A Therapist
Although you may be tempted to wait it out and see if you start feeling better so you can avoid therapy, it may not be the best course of action. If you are set on trying it yourself first, wait two weeks to see if your distress dissipates. If not, it’s time to seek the help of a mental health professional.
If you’re unsure who to go to, start by asking around. Ask people you trust for recommendations or consult your healthcare provider for advice.
Alternately, you can conduct online research for top therapists in your area. Various websites, like the American Psychological Association or state and local organizations, have a Find A Therapist page that can help you find a qualified therapist in your area.
Once you compile a few potential therapists from online research and the recommendations of family, friends, or your healthcare provider, feel free to call their office and ask a few questions. This will help you get a feel for the therapist and decide if they’re someone you’d like to consult.
When you’re searching for a therapist, you must understand there are many types of therapy. For example, there is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Interpersonal therapy (IPT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and so on.
Not all mental health professionals are trained to handle the approaches you may need, so ensure you ask questions when talking to your prospective therapist to determine if they have the training for treatments you are interested in.
At TherapyNow, we have many licensed therapists that specialize and have experience in almost all types of mental health problems. Give us a call or fill out our form today to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation with one of our counselors.