Mental health means good ways to deal with your emotions and enjoy life, although if things are difficult. It is important to have a healthy mind and body. Life is full of challenges.
However, psychological issues may be so high that it becomes impossible to move forward. As a Psychologist, I often discuss common reasons with people, like when to seek mental health help, and who can help in psychological health.
Seek mental health help if:
Here is a list of some common issues,
- When you lose someone too close
- Stress and anxiety
- Depression
- Phobias
- Unhealthy habits & addictions
- Mental disorders
Let’s discuss each of them one by one:
1. Loss:
Death is an unavoidable part of life, but it is not easy to deal with. Everyone handles the loss of a loved one but avoiding the realities of loss can further exacerbate the problem.
Mental health helpers can help you find appropriate ways to deal with the impact of the death of someone who was close to you.
2. Stress and anxiety:
Some aspects of life from job interviews to relationship problems are stressful and also there are many situations that can make you anxious.
It can lead to social isolation, depression, and other problems.
A psychologist can help you manage stress and anxiety by finding the cause of your problems, as well as the proper ways to overcome them.
3. Depression:
Heavy feelings of helplessness or hopelessness are common symptoms of depression. It is a common mental health disorder where people lose interest in things, experience fatigue, and often have trouble managing their emotions.
Mental health helpers can help you find the source of depression and helps with negative thinking processes as well as the first step to feeling better.
Recommended read: Top 7 Signs of Improvements in Depression – Dr. Neha Mehta
4. Phobias:
Fear of heights and spiders is a common phobia, but some unusual and unfounded fear like sitophobia (fear of eating) can give rise to serious health problems.
Mental health helpers can help you get started to overcome these unusual and unfounded fears.
5. Unhealthy habits & addictions:
Some unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and drug use are often used to avoid major underlying problems or to self-medicate.
While mental health helpers will help you achieve those problems as well as they can also help you deal with problems facing your health, such as addictions, eating disorders, and stress management.
6. Mental disorders:
Mental disorders can show themselves in many ways. They are often disguised as something else and can only be exposed with the help of health professionals.
Some mental disorders with varying symptoms include:
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depressive disorder
Best mental health help providers:
If you face problems like mental disorders, depression, stress, anxiety, etc. then you should go for it.
Here is the list of specialists:
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Physician assistant
- Primary Care Doctor
- Social Workers
let’s discuss the roles of all the above,
1. Psychiatrists:
Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MDs) who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and they may prescribe medications as part of their treatment plan. They are also given training in psychotherapy, counseling, or talk therapy.
2. Psychologists:
These specialists are not MDs, but have advanced degrees in psychology (Ph.D. or PsyD). Psychologists are trained in counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological testing but they cannot prescribe drugs to treat mental illnesses.
3. Physician Assistant (PA):
These are not doctors but they are trained to identify symptoms of mental illness. So they can treat mental disorders under the supervision of a doctor.
4. Primary Care Doctor:
These doctors are either MDs or DOs who have common knowledge in treating a wide variety of common conditions. Therefore sometimes they can also treat common mental illness problems.
5. Social Workers:
Social Workers can provide counseling services and social services. They are provided training to recognize mental illness and so they can perform psychotherapy.
Finally, it causes disturbance in our thinking, behavior, energy, or emotions that makes it difficult to live a normal life.
In this, you come to know the reasons for mental health and also where to find support.