You are not alone; the National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that one in five persons in the United States experience a mental illness each year. Attending therapy is nothing to feel embarrassed about. Like your physical health, your mental health needs to be taken care of with the assistance of a professional and not as a problem that you created.
Myth 1: Therapy is only for the insane
Unfortunately, receiving treatment for mental diseases still carries a stigma. In many instances, the outcome is that those who sorely need assistance do not receive it, and as a result, they continue to suffer. The benefits of therapy are universal. People who require a support network and a listening ear, whether they are suffering from severe trauma, depression, anxiety, or are simply lonely. You are not “crazy” if you go to treatment.
Myth 2: You need to be capable of handling it on your own.
We develop our ability to grow both on our own and in relation to others. How is therapy any different from the way we require doctors to address physical ailments and instructors to guide us through learning?
Myth 3: You want to be noticed
By going to therapy, you are accepting that you can be dealing with a variety of pressures and that you need support. People visit therapists for a variety of different reasons, all of which they believe call for more help. It’s not common for people to go to therapy because they’re “looking for attention.” Perhaps the only disorder for which a person would seek therapy is factitious disorder. A person with a factitious ailment will pretend to have a disease in order to get attention. These people will, however, typically seek medical care rather than therapeutic.
Myth 4: Having Emotions Makes You Weak
Only about a third of depressed individuals seek professional assistance, according to the MHA, because they “believe depression isn’t serious, that they can treat it themselves, or that it is a personal weakness rather than a serious medical illness.” Visiting a therapist demonstrates resilience and self-care.
Myth 5: A pill is all you need to take
There are some illnesses that can be treated effectively with both medicine and psychotherapy. Studies do, however, indicate that therapy lasts longer and can aid in preventing relapse. The adverse effects of medications, which include suicidal thoughts, vomiting, nausea, dry mouth, depression, headaches, rash, seizures, chest discomfort, and aggressive behavior, are just a few examples of how harmful they may be.
More antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, tricyclic and MAOI antidepressants, as well as esketamine therapy, may be suggested by your doctor.
Don’t be embarrassed if others know you are seeking help; this will demonstrate to them that someone with a mental illness can appear completely normal on the surface but struggle with something on the inside. Keep in mind that your mental health should be addressed like your physical health. Don’t be afraid to admit that you visit a therapist; prove it to them. The treatment of mental diseases is acceptable.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness describes the difficulties some patients have had in getting access to behavioral health specialists for services including addiction rehabilitation and eating disorder therapy. Additionally, coverage for some essential medications, in particular antipsychotics, has been restricted. The survey also shows that, compared to authorization for general medical care, some health insurance companies are still more than twice as likely to refuse authorization for mental health care.
Advocates for mental healthcare have bombarded the national capital with tweets, petition signatures, and thousands of letters to pressure political leaders to pass mental health reform immediately. These efforts resulted in this historically bipartisan action.
But they remind us that more needs to be done. Regardless of their political beliefs, our public officials in Washington are infamous for taking their time on important matters. And, according to proponents of healthcare, we must take action to prevent this from happening.
