1. Facing Scary Feelings Is (You Guessed It) Scary
2. Therapy Can Take aLongTime…Will It Even Work?
Psychiatry and prescriptions onlineReceive an evaluation and prescription for mental health medication (if needed) from a psychiatry-trained medical provider.Get started
Psychiatry and prescriptions onlineReceive an evaluation and prescription for mental health medication (if needed) from a psychiatry-trained medical provider.
Psychiatry and prescriptions online
Receive an evaluation and prescription for mental health medication (if needed) from a psychiatry-trained medical provider.
3. The Shame Can Be Consuming
But what if my neighbor sees me walking out of my therapist’s office?, you might wonder. The idea that someone else might know your most personal struggles can be enough to keep you out of therapy — but you can’t let people’s perceptions hold you back.First: You’re not alone. About four in 10 U.S. adults, or42%, have sought therapy. If your neighbor spots you sneaking from your therapist’s office, so what? She’s probably been in treatment, too.Second: The American mental-health stigma of “it’s all in your head” can be pervasive and damaging. You wouldn’t feel ashamed going to a doctor’s office to treat your low blood pressure, would you? Your brain is no different. No matter your diagnosis, your mental health is your health and it needs — nay,deserves— treatment.
4. “My Friend Had a Bad Experience, So I Will, Too”
As unfortunate as it is, sometimes you and the first therapist you visit just won’t click. Maybe that was the case with your friend: they attended a session, hated their therapist and never went back. Or — as happens in all professions — your pal simply ran into someone who wasn’t as good as they would have liked.It’s easy to consider our acquaintances experiences to be universally true, but panic not:76% of Americanssaid their time in therapy was either “very” or “somewhat” positive. Only six percent had a negative experience. Chances are excellent that you, too, will feel happy about working with a therapist. Although it can be hard to not be anxious at first, try to focus on the long-term benefits over the short-term discomfort you may feel. Remember why you are taking this step!
5. “I’m Not Crazy…Right?”
Some people avoid therapy for the same reasons they avoid medical treatment: Because their symptoms aren’t “that bad.” For example, you just get alittleangry sometimes or, you’re only sad once in a while — even though those “once in a while” days involve spending time curled up in bed and unable to function. You might feel that other people have bigger problems and believe thattherapistsspend their time fixing these more serious issues. Everyone has their own experiences, backgrounds, and feelings — whatyouhave problems with matters, whether it’s big or small.Your symptoms mayfeelminor, but even minor symptoms can indicate a big problem. Better to get a check-up, right?But perhaps that “check-up” still seems frightening. Again, like with medical treatment, you might be scared of a diagnosis. Remember a label doesn’t change anything about you.Knowing you have bipolar disorderwon’t alter your behavior — but it will make finding treatment easier.Yes, therapy can be scary, and you might end up dedicating a few months to the process, but the result is worth every second.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
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