We Need Each Other - The Growing Need for Mental Health Treatment
Who struggles with mental health issues?
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one in every 4 individuals struggles with some mental health disorder. Even though 25% of the world’s population struggles with some type of mental health disorder, only 1/3 of those people seek some type of treatment. That means there are hundreds of millions of people that are struggling in silence.
We know there are several reasons why people don’t seek treatment: it can be costly, there are negative stigmas attached to the thought of counseling, previous experiences that left bad tastes in clients’ mouths, and even historic discrimination against various minority populations. While the mental healthcare system has and continues to combat these barriers, the effect they’ve had on society still lingers. These effects are felt by many as suicide rates increase as well as depression, anxiety, and other diagnoses skyrocket.
As these rates increase and we continue to ignore treatments that have proven to be effective, the issue compounds. It keeps growing. It reaches out and touches those that never worried about depression or anxiety. We are now at an epidemic level for suicide and other mental health issues.
Don’t worry — I’m not leaving this that grim. All of these facts bring us to the next important question: what can we do about it? The first step should be working to dismantle the negative beliefs attached to proper mental health care. In order to do that, I encourage you to take a look at your own beliefs attached to counseling. Have you ever thought about counseling and thought, “I don’t need that! I’m not crazy!” or “That person seems like damaged goods, they clearly need counseling!”. If so, you are perpetuating those negative beliefs that counseling is only for the “broken”, “damaged”, or “crazy”. I believe counseling is for anyone that has a desire to learn and grow. So how do we get to that point?
We can do this by advocating for our own mental health needs as well as the needs of others. We can support friends, family, and even strangers as they entertain the thought of seeking counseling. Let’s break down the beliefs that someone is “broken”, “damaged”, or “crazy” if they seek counseling and replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. Take a positive perspective when thinking about those that enter counseling. Recognize the following:
- The wisdom in understanding your limits
- The strength in asking for support
- The courage it takes to share the most vulnerable parts of yourself with someone else
- The willingness to grow by learning new skills
- That we all have pain and baggage that we carry and we all have to learn how to best manage it
If we can start by learning how to better support each other and everyone’s unique needs when it comes to mental health, I believe we can begin to diminish the stigmas attached to counseling. So, challenge your own beliefs - replace negative associations with positive ones. Recognize your own limits and work to encourage others in their journey to mental health wellness.
if we can be a part of your journey to wellness, feel free to reach out.
