You Don’t Have to Be Broken to Seek therapy

There is a myth that we need to seek therapy in our worst condition, or if we seek therapy, it means the person must be unmanageable. Is that true? No, it’s not. Therapy is not something we should approach during the worst condition. Therapy can also be used as a prevention to stop reaching a severe condition. 

What prevents an individual from seeking therapy? 

National Health Mission survey reports that 83% of people suffering from mental health issues fail to seek the help they require. People, even when they feel the need to seek therapy, often stay silent because of the psychological, attitudinal and other systematic barriers. The major hindrance that prevents help-seeking behaviour is: 

They are afraid they’ll be judged. People who seek therapy are considered weak, mentally unstable, and are being avoided by other people. And especially for males, it’s quite more difficult to open up about their needs as they are always instructed to hide their emotions. Every male must have heard at least once in their lifetime, Don’t cry, are you a woman?. These phrases instilled that they are ineligible to seek help or share their emotions with other people. Parents with higher rank in jobs often pay and take therapists or psychologists home to perform treatment and therapy because of the social stigma. 

Read More: Therapist’s Genuineness

• Access to Mental Health Care: National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2016 found that Indian families spend ₹1000- 1500/month to access the care, which puts the people in hardship. In several areas, they lack the accessibility that enables them to continue the therapeutic process. 
• Affordability: According to the National Survey Sample (NSS), on average, people spend ₹26,843 on psychiatric and neurological ailments. And the lack of proper budget for mental health by the Government, and less to no coverage of medical insurance for treating mental health problems. 
• Trust issues: Young people often have trust issues and fear of not being understood. And this makes them doubtful about the therapy outcome because of the lack of awareness. 
• Past experiences: Negative past experiences with normal people can prevent them from seeking help from a therapist at present. 
• Lack of awareness: You might not be fully aware of the importance of mental health or the consequences of not seeking therapy early. In some cases, you may turn to rituals in hopes of curing your child, or believe that marriage can resolve their mental health issues. These actions reflect a lack of awareness that needs to be addressed.

Read More: The Unseen Burden of Being the “Therapist Friend” 

Why Seek Therapy? 

Studies say that one in ten people meets the diagnostic criteria of a mental health disorder. In many cases, mental health conditions start by the age of 15 and in four cases, mental health problems occur at the age of 18, which creates a socioeconomic burden globally. When a child or adolescent goes untreated for their mental health problem, it can cause adverse effects in academic, health and social outcomes and self-harm and suicidal behaviour and endure through adulthood. People have the idea that we should seek therapy only in the worst conditions. But we fail to think that “prevention is better than cure”. There are three kinds of prevention for any medical or psychiatric condition. 

Types of Prevention 

• Primary Prevention: Primary prevention focuses on preventing the occurrence of illness rather than treating them. It focuses on the whole population. Like conducting awareness campaign. It helps in risk reduction. 
• Secondary Prevention: Secondary prevention is identifying the disorder or illness at an earlier stage, with symptoms and working on preventing it from reaching the worst condition. 
• Tertiary Prevention: Tertiary prevention aims to reduce the progression of the illness in a long-term condition. 

Preventing an illness is better than treating it at the worst condition. If you know you are vulnerable to some conditions better seek a psychologist for consultation. Like we address the physical changes that we undergo and consult a doctor, we have to mindfully understand the changes that occur in our mind and behaviour and address the issue with a psychologist. 

Read More: Is it Okay to See Multiple Therapists Simultaneously?

When to seek therapy? 

Like many people fail to seek therapy at the right time, and on the contrary, some seek therapy for very little struggle that life gives them. The first condition can cause severe impact on their health and overall well-being, while in the second condition, it can make them over-reliant on the therapist, which puts them in a condition where they may run to a therapist whenever they undergo some issues. There needs to a clarity for when to seek the therapist and when we can manage ourselves with the help of social support. Remember that friends are not therapists; they can stand by you when you face problems, but cannot provide solutions to your mental health problems.

• Feeling of losing yourself: When you feel like you are not like how you used to be. When you undergo so many struggles within yourself with overthinking, anxiety and getting bored with the favourite things you like to do. Lack of sleep, appetite or disturbed sleep,  
• Lost your important person: When you lost someone or something important to you starts from grandparents, parents to dog or cat. You may not know how to cope with that situation. That may cause emotional turmoil. 
• Traumatic events: If you have undergone some tragic events like physical abuse, witnessing a crime incident or suffering from a chronic illness. The earlier you speak up, the better you recover. 

• Excessive intake of drugs, alcohol or smoking: Over-reliance on smoking or alcohol when you face a difficult situation or have withdrawal symptoms is an indicator of addiction.  

It’s not wrong to seek a therapist for issues that seem very small to others when they make you feel heavy. You can seek therapy when 

• You cannot handle your emotions. 
• It’s hard to cope with a situation. 
• To increase self-awareness. 
• To improve your relationship. 
• Experiencing excessive overthinking. 

Read More: Can One Be Friends with their Therapist?: Psychologist Speaks

Conclusion 

It is OK to seek a therapist when life puts you under circumstances that may make it hard to breathe. It is OK to break the myth and ask for help. Understand that asking for help doesn’t make you weak. It is not the sole responsibility of psychologists and other mental health professionals to create awareness about the importance of mental health and the consequences of mental health problems. Every individual in the society can share the responsibility by creating campaigns and rallies. And can suggest or recommend those with early symptoms to reach out the therapy or treatment.