Do I Need Help?

Written By Jacob Brightwell

Why might I need help?

Life is full of personal challenges. Relationship, work, social and financial stressors can all have adverse effects on one's mental and physical health. Alongside everyday stressors, the COVID-19 pandemic 1,2,3 and the ongoing cost of living crisis 4,5 are two recent notable events that have increased mental health burdens on people. Recognising that you may need some assistance is the first step in getting your healthier self back and potentially resolving issues that are negatively affecting you.

People often see a therapist when they:

  • have (or think they have) a mental illness
  • have symptoms of mental illness
  • are coping with the loss of a loved one
  • have experienced a traumatic event
  • are going through a major change
  • experiencing a lot of stress

Mental health concerns

Often when therapy is mentioned mental-ill health often comes to mind. This is for good reason because psychotherapy (talk therapy) is often the first line of treatment for many disorders or used in conjuntion with medication to improve outcomes for individuals.
Depression 6, anxiety 7,8 and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 9 are all conditions that can be helped with evidence-based therapy (processes shown to work by scientfic research).

Bereavement and loss

In life everyone will experince the loss of a loved one. While normal this can trigger grief or emotional pain which may include feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, and behaviours like rumination (persistent thinking) about the deceased individual. 10, 11, 12, While these feelings and thoughts are also normal they can be overwhelming or last longer than is expected. Bereavment comes in many forms and stages of life which can also affect how an individual responds to it. 13 So while grief is a universal human experience, it is also unique to each bereaved individual. 14 Therapy can help process and manage the grief and any intense thoughts and emotions that may accompany it. Loss comes in many forms and perhaps might be a physical limitation (e.g., chronic arthritis that stops hiking or gardening) or redundancy at work. Sometimes not everyone is equipped with the means necessary to navigate the loss. In this case the therapist can assist to equip an individual with the required tools to cope more effectively and help them to adapt to the new situation they find themselves in.

Stress

Chronic stress is major contibutor to many adverse physical problems like poor sleep, muscle tension, immune system deficiencies, high blood pressure, cardiovasclur disease, diabetes, and increased risk of cancer. 15, 16, 17. Mental wellbeing can also be negatively affected with cognitive processes (e.g., memory and concentration) becoming impaired, 18 while psychologically, stress often leads to anxiety and depression. 19 Modern life is fast-paced and complex where high-pressure jobs, academic expectations and personal responsibilities may cause everyday stress, while events like the already mentioned cost of living crisis, may add more. Chronic stress can often lead to burnout which is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. While often a result of work, other life roles like parenting and caretaking can also cause burnout. Therapy is a space where stress management techniques and self-care strategies can be learnt and implemented in order to build resilience and reduce the chances of stress negatively affecting your physical and psychological wellbeing.

Identity and direction

Often individuals may feel deeply unsatisfied with how their life is. This may result in feeling tired, confused, or lost. Perhaps something is just not quite right or something feels missing. Therapy can help individuals identify what their values are, and find out what is really important to them. Discovering what makes a person happy and putting strategies in place to do the fun things is another theraputic goal. Sometimes finding the true self requires deeper understanding of core beliefs (assumptions we have about ourselves, others, and the world) and thinking styles in order to modify any potential unhelpful practices that are limiting the individual or leading them to behave in ways that are taking them away from their values or life goals. Sometimes we are our own worst critics in that we judge ourselves too much and diffently from others (normally more critical). Therapy can be a space where an individual learns self-compassion and acceptance of themselves, others, and the world in which they live.

Relationships

Humans are a socially orientated species. From birth we have reflexes that guide us towards others for survival and so it appears we might have a biological predisposition to seek out others. 20 The need to belong is considered a basic human motive and over the course of our lifes we seek out others to meet this need. 21 We also seek interpersonal relationships for support, companionship, emotional security, and intimacy. 22, 23 However, sometimes in our interpersonal relationships, which may involve romantic partners, family members, friends, or work colleagues – conflict can arise for any number of reasons. For example romantic relationships can become strained and difficult due to factors such as financial problems, lack of communication, and third party involvement. Therapy can help address interpersonal issues through improving communication, assisting conflict resolution, encouraging empathy, and fostering greater connections and understanding.

The bottom line

Although counselling and psychotherapy have been historically associated with the treatment of mental health disorders, therapy can assist with many of lifes challenges. Breavement and loss, relationships, identity and life direction, as well as stress management are just a few examples of how therapy can help in everyday life. While psychotherapy can't stop stressful events happening in life, it can give you the tools and capabilities to manage them in a more healthy way. It can also help you understand yourself and learn new ways of thinking, behaving and feeling which you can apply to all areas of your life.




References

  1. Kustanti, C. Y., Jen, H., Chu, H., Liu, D., Chen, R., Lin, H., Chang, C., Pien, L., Chiang, K., & Chou, K. (2023). Prevalence of grief symptoms and disorders in the time of COVID‐19 pandemic: A meta‐analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 32(3), 904–916. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13136

  2. Fitzmaurice, C. (2021). COVID‐19 and mental health and well‐being in rural Australia. The Australian Journal of Rural Health, 29(5), 811–812. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12809

  3. Carison, A., Babl, F. E., & O’Donnell, S. M. (2022). Increased paediatric emergency mental health and suicidality presentations during COVID‐19 stay at home restrictions. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 34(1), 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13901

  4. Ipsos Public Affairs. (2023). Report to the nation 2023. Mental Health Australia.

  5. Beyond Blue. (2023). Counting the mental cost of end of year financial struggles: Beyond Blue.

  6. Cuijpers, P., Quero, S., Noma, H., Ciharova, M., Miguel, C., Karyotaki, E., Cipriani, A., Cristea, I. A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2021). Psychotherapies for depression: A network meta‐analysis covering efficacy, acceptability and long‐term outcomes of all main treatment types. World Psychiatry, 20(2), 283–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20860

  7. Papola, D., C Miguel Sanz, Mazzaglia, M., Franco, P., Tedeschi, F., Romero, S. A., Patel, A. R., Ostuzzi, G., Gastaldon, C., Karyotaki, E., Harrer, M., Purgato, M., Sijbrandij, M., Patel, V., Furukawa, T. A., Cuijpers, P., & Barbui, C. (2024). Psychotherapies for generalized anxiety disorder in adults: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials. European Psychiatry, 67(S1), S50–S51. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.155

  8. de Ponti, N., Matbouriahi, M., Franco, P., Harrer, M., Miguel, C., Papola, D., Sicimoğlu, A., Cuijpers, P., & Karyotaki, E. (2024). The efficacy of psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder, a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 104, 102881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102881

  9. Hyland, P., Redican, E., Karatzias, T., & Shevlin, M. (2024). The International Grief Questionnaire (IGQ): A new measure of ICD‐11 prolonged grief disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37(1), 141–153. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22986

  10. Li, J., Stroebe, M., Chan, C. L. W., & Chow, A. Y. M. (2014). Guilt in bereavement: A review and conceptual framework. Death Studies, 38(3), 165–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2012.738770

  11. Eisma, M. C., & Stroebe, M. S. (2017). Rumination following bereavement: An overview. Bereavement Care, 36(2), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/02682621.2017.1349291

  12. Cozza, S. J., & Fisher, J. E. (2023). Bereavement. In C. F. Reynolds (Ed.). Grief and prolonged grief disorder (pp.3-76). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  13. Bui, E. (2018). Grief: From normal to pathological reactions. In E Bui (Ed.). Clinical handbook of bereavement and grief reactions (pp.85-101). Humana Press.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65241-2

  14. Wilson, J. (2013). Supporting people through loss and grief an introduction for counsellors and other caring practitioners. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

  15. Kalmbach, D. A., Anderson, J. R., & Drake, C. L. (2018). The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. Journal of Sleep Research, 27(6), e12710-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12710

  16. Sharma, K., Akre, S., Chakole, S., & Wanjari, M. B. (2022). Stress-Induced Diabetes: A Review. Curēus (Palo Alto, CA), 14(9), e29142–e29142. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29142

  17. Russell, G., & Lightman, S. (2019). The human stress response. Nature Reviews. Endocrinology, 15(9), 525–534. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0228-0

  18. Sandi, C. (2013). Stress and cognition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science, 4(3), 245–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1222

  19. Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (2022). Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression among teachers: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710706

  20. Berscheid, E. (2003). The human’s greatest strength: Other humans. In L. G. Aspinwall, U. M. Staudinger, L. G. Aspinwall, & U. M. Staudinger (Eds.), A psychology of human strengths: Fundamental questions and future directions for a positive psychology (pp. 37– 47). American Psychological Association. https://doi:10.1037/10566-003

  21. Baumeister, R. F., Leary, M. R., & Steinberg, R. J. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497

  22. Fehr, B., & Harasymchuk, C. (2019). Friendships. In D. Schoebi, & B. Campos, B. (Eds.). New directions in the psychology of close relationships (pp. 62-79). Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351136266

  23. Berscheid, E. S., & Regan, P. C. (2016). The psychology of interpersonal relationships. Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315663074

Jacob Brightwell
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The Importance of Sleep