Despite increased awareness and acceptance, there continues to be stigma associated with seeking help from mental health professionals. Mental health screening and treatment can greatly improve quality of life and there is no reason that anyone should feel uncomfortable seeking treatment. However, it is not always easy to tell if you or a loved one is simply having a difficult time or is in need of professional help. The following information can help you decide if you should consider seeking profession help.
Everyone experiences stress or distress from time to time. Feelings of distress can include sadness, anger, irritability, fear, anxiety, helplessness, confusion, embarrassment. In most instances, distress is a brief, ordinary reaction to a negative or stressful event and the symptoms of distress improve with time. In some cases, however, this does not happen. When does distress becoming something that requires professional attention? While the answer to this question may be different for everyone, the following are some general guidelines that can be helpful in gauging the levels of distress.
Typical distress usually begins to subside after a few hours or days, and usually has an identifiable cause as well as reasonable intensity. Distress that may require professional attention often does not subside for weeks, months or even years. It may not have an identifiable cause, for example, crying frequently without knowing why, or having angry outbursts at others for no apparent reason. This type of distress often is out of proportion to the circumstances, such as feeling worthless and hopeless after being reprimanded at work for a minor issue, or avoiding social situations completely because they make you feel fearful or anxious.
Problems that require professional help often interfere with your daily activities. You may need to seek professional help if you notice that your school or work performance is suffering significantly, or if you are having difficulty caring for yourself (examples of this may be excessively sleeping or not sleeping enough, changes in appetite, feeling overwhelmed by simple daily tasks, or possibly an increase in the use of alcohol or drugs as a way to manage or avoid the distress. just.to name just a few.)
Professional mental health treatment can come in many forms, from self- help groups, to individual or group therapy to inpatient hospitalization. . In addition, there are medications that can be prescribed that can assist in alleviating many of the symptoms described above. If you feel that you may need professional mental health treatment your EAP is a great place to start. They can assist you in locating resources and provider information to help you get started on your journey back to a happy and fulfilling life.
Article References:
- Knowing When to Seek Professional Help-www.campusmindworks.org
- Seeking Mental Health Care, Taking the First Scary Steps-www.psychcentral.com
- Should You Seek Mental Health Care-www.TheBody.com
- Warning Signs of Mental Illness-www.psychiatry.org