Posted On: 2022-02-23 11:20:17
Earlier, health was defined as a state of normal body functioning that might be affected by a variety of diseases and medical disorders. This state of normal functioning was restricted primarily to physical health. As far as physical health is concerned, most people know how to keep their bodies in a healthy state (physical). What superfoods to eat, nutrients to intake, portion controls, hydration, workouts, and all the other requirements to stay healthy physically. However, it has recently been seen that the meaning of health has evolved with time. It includes other aspects like mental or emotional as well.
Mental health refers to psychological, behavioral, and emotional wellbeing. It affects how we think, react to things and feel about the things happening to and around us. Mental health and wellbeing are crucial at all stages of life, including childhood, adolescence, maturity, and old age. We all experience various highs and lows throughout our lives, which have various effects on our mental wellbeing. Mental health issues are common and increasing these days like depression, anxiety, stress, fear, phobias, obsessions, addictions, relationship issues, personality issues, family issues, and so on. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) estimate, 7.5 percent of the Indian population has mental health issues. The reasons that contribute to mental disturbances vary from person to person. It could be biological, such as genes or brain chemistry; life experiences that caused trauma, or it could be a family history of mental illness.
Warning signs indicating mental disorders
You can watch out for these changes in your day-to-day lives as warning signs that something is wrong or when you sense the feeling of being uneasy.
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities that you enjoyed
Frequent negative thoughts and feeling worthless and hopeless
Having low or no energy all the time
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless with minor or daily life problems as well
Smoking or drinking more than usual
Usage to drugs
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends more often
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks
Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness
Such signs when left unattended can lead to major depressive disorders. Mental health disorders are common and anyone can go through those problems. But it is treatable and help is available 24*7.
In order to keep your mental health in check, having a healthy lifestyle full of nutritional food, regular workouts, and practicing relaxing activities that you enjoy is the best solution. Yet, there can be times when it escalates and a helping hand from an expert is needed.
For these mental disorders or the state of unwellness to recover, therapy is required. Therapy, also known as psychotherapy or counseling, is the process of meeting with a therapist to resolve problematic behavior, feelings, distress, relationship issues, and the like.
Realizing that there is an underlying mental issue is half the battle won. Then comes the significant role of therapy in resolving mental issues. Beginning a therapeutic process can be difficult but know that it is the wisest step taken towards living a healthy and happy life.
Although no two therapies can be the same as all of us have different symptoms and various problems to deal with; the process of how a therapy journey proceeds can be similar.
Orientation
Every therapy starts with building a relationship with your therapist. Although it may be uncomfortable at first, opening up to your therapist is necessary so that you and your therapist can work together to resolve your concerns. As you talk more, you will become more open about what you are feeling, expecting, and thinking. During this time, therapists try to validate their clients’ experiences, truths, and struggles. This builds trust and safety. This phase offers a positive change in symptoms as well. If you have questions about how the therapy will work, this is the best time to ask them.
Identification
This is when the therapist begins deciding what needs to be done and how. If you had trouble opening up in the beginning, you might now find it easier to be genuine. If you still have defenses up that are hindering progress, the therapist will gently try to help lower them. Therapist will test your boundaries a bit. This is also the beginning of work to empower you.
Working Phase
The first two phases are setting you up, the part of the therapy where you make the most progress. This is where you’re diving into the issues and working on yourself. It can be the hardest part of therapy. During this phase, you might temporarily feel worse than you did before; but remember digging into the pain is a step toward developing a better mindset and becoming a better version of yourself. You may find new feelings or reasons for your suffering that you might have not thought about before. Hidden thoughts and feelings usually arise into consciousness during this phase. The therapist starts digging deeper and focuses on external challenges as well, along with the internal ones. It could be your work, home environment, neighborhood, or anything else that concerns you. If it feels that you are entering this phase too early, inform the therapist immediately. Beginning this phase prematurely can damage the therapeutic relationship and impede progress.
Resolution
Once you feel like you’ve accomplished everything you can with your therapist, it’s time to consider leaving. For some, therapy is a solution to a problem. They want a way to feel better or work through issues. Once they’ve accomplished that, there is no reason to continue therapy. While for some, it could be a lifelong journey. But that is absolutely fine, as some conditions are better dealt with regularly for long terms rather than leaving them untreated. At the resolution phase, you can think about which kind of client you are. There is no correct answer. They are different but equal. If you decide to leave your therapist or end therapy, you might feel sad. That’s OK. Chances are your therapist will be feeling similarly. It’s a normal sadness that comes with parting with someone you have become close to.
Try to achieve a sense of closure. Your therapist will want this, so he or she will help you along. You may find yourself addicted to your therapy sessions or might fear that without your therapist you will not be able to solve your issues. Do not worry, the therapist will help you get out of your problems and prepare you to tackle the future ones. It could be difficult but not impossible. This is a time to reflect on everything you have accomplished. Be proud! You did something not many people dare to do.
The different types of therapies
There are several therapies that psychotherapists opt to work on. But here are the most common ones:
Psychodynamic therapy is a long-term approach to mental health treatment. In psychoanalysis, you can expect to talk about anything on your mind to uncover patterns in thoughts or behavior that might be contributing to distress. It’s also common to talk about your childhood and past, along with recurring dreams or fantasies you might have. It is majorly opted for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, somatic symptoms, and others.
Behavioral therapy is a focused, action-oriented therapy to resolve mental issues. According to behavioral theory, certain behaviors develop from things you learned in your past. Some of these behaviors might affect your life negatively or cause distress. Behavioral therapy can help you change your behavioral responses. Behavioral may be a good option for addressing: anxiety, phobias, substance use disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and others.
Humanistic therapy is an approach that looks at how your worldview affects the choices you make, especially choices that cause distress. It is based on the belief that you’re the best person to understand your experiences and needs. Humanistic therapists work to help you better understand what you’re experiencing, offering guidance and support without interpreting your feelings for you. Humanistic therapy can be useful for addressing: Self-esteem issues, effects of trauma, relationship issues, and the like.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term approach to mental health treatment. It is similar to behavioral therapy, but it also addresses unhelpful thought patterns or problematic thoughts. The idea behind CBT is that certain feelings or beliefs you have about yourself or situations in your life can lead to distress. This distress may contribute to mental health issues, occur alongside them, or develop as a complication of other mental health issues. It works for mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, insomnia, some symptoms of schizophrenia, anxiety, and phobias.
It is not easy to talk about a mental disorder. Many people today living with it might not even know that they are going through some mental illness. If realized, they are scared to seek help or want to approach someone but cannot find any. Studies show that approximately 150 million people in India need therapy for their mental health disorders. Despite mental issues being damaging in many aspects of life, taking therapy is still treated as a taboo subject in the digital era. We can change it somewhere and start helping people dealing with mental issues.
If you are one of those suffering from symptoms of mental issues and want to seek help, here are a few free helpline numbers where you can dial for counseling:
Free mental health rehabilitation helpline ‘KIRAN’ 1800-599-0019 by the government of India
Aasra 91 98204 66726
Cooj 91 98225 62522
Mental illness is very common in today’s fast-paced stressful life. But help is available and it’s essential for every victim because- Therapy is for Everyone!
Author: Anjali Patel
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