8 Signs You NEED To See A Therapist
Everyone experiences periods of stress, sadness, grief and conflict, so when you’re feeling off it can be hard to know if it’s time to see a professional about the problem. And apparently, those who would benefit from some therapeutic intervention are not seeking it enough: While one in five American adults suffer from some form of mental illness, only about 46-65 percent with moderate-to-severe impairment are in treatment, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
And while identifying and managing diagnosable mental illness is a priority in the psychiatric community, psychological help for those without a clear condition to manage can be just as important. Aside from suffering needlessly, those in distress may actually make the problem worse by avoiding professional help.
“The earlier someone gets help, the easier it is to get through the problem,” says psychologist Daniel J. Reidenberg. “There will be less time and less strain and stress involved in that.”
Psychologists attribute this low rate of treatment to the stigma and many myths attached to seeing a therapist. Among them, the concern that only “crazy” people need therapy or that accepting help is a sign of weakness or that the treatment options will be time-consuming and expensive. These are not true, says psychologist Mary Alvord, Ph.D.
“Your treatment doesn’t have to be analysis four times a week; I have some patients who come for just two session consultations or for a cognitive behavioral therapy for a year,” she says. “People feel like they’ll get stuck and that’s just not true.”
And while treatment can be very expensive and is not always covered on par with other medical treatment in most health insurance plans, there are cheaper options out there, including many university-associated treatment centers and therapists who will charge on a scale of affordability.
“There is still an unjustified stigma around mental illnesses, but we’re not even talking about mental illness,” says Reidenberg. “We’re just talking about life and how hard life can be. The benefits of pscyhotherapy [can be viewed] more like stress-relievers like exercising and eating right — just strategies that help make life easier and help to remove stressors.”
So what are some signs it might be time to set up an appointment? We asked Reidenberg, Alvord and psychogist Dorothea Lack to reveal some indicators we can all look for during times we’re feeling low. The biggest takeaway? It’s simply a question of measuring to what extent you can manage — anything that makes you feel overwhelmed or limits your ability to function is fair game for a therapist, social worker or psychologist.
Read the full list at the Trent Online
(http://thetrentonline.com/8-signs-need-see-therapist/)
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