When you experience the loss of a loved one, the support of family and friends can help you manage your grief, and even though you might benefit from seeking therapy, you may not choose to do so. Believing that the grieving process is typically a long one, and that it’s normal to experience grief for a prolonged period after a loss, is often the reason why many people don’t seek therapy for their bereavement. However, if you’re struggling to move on through the grieving process, and are finding that your sense of loss has become overwhelming despite support from friends and family, counseling can almost certainly help you, and here’s why:
First appearing in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) published by the American Psychiatric Association, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is suffered by individuals who have experienced severe trauma in their lives. While the nature of the trauma can vary, PTSD is perhaps best known for its association with service men and women returning from conflict, and many are unaware (or unaccepting) of the fact that just about anyone who has been through a traumatic event, can suffer from this mental health condition.
When you experience the loss of a loved one, the support of family and friends can help you manage your grief, and even though you might benefit from seeking therapy, you may not choose to do so. Believing that the grieving process is typically a long one, and that it’s normal to experience grief for a prolonged period after a loss, is often the reason why many people don’t seek therapy for their bereavement. However, if you’re struggling to move on through the grieving process, and are finding that your sense of loss has become overwhelming despite support from friends and family, counseling can almost certainly help you, and here’s why:
Panic attacks are a common occurrence for many, and involve the individual experiencing a sudden and intense episode of fear with no real cause. In many cases, they can trigger serious physical reactions, such as chest pains, dizziness and nausea. Often happening without warning, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimate that as many as 6 million people suffer from panic attacks, with women twice as likely to experience them. For some, self-care steps can help them manage the frequency and intensity of their attacks, while for others, professional help is needed.
If you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, it’s not unlikely that you might feel tired, stressed or even sad as a result, and many people who experience physical symptoms of the virus, screen positive for depression and anxiety. However, it’s important to note that symptoms of COVID-19 are often found to overlap with symptoms of depression, such as disordered sleep patterns, impaired concentration and a reduced appetite.
If you are challenged with any kind of emotional or behavioral issue, consider getting professional help. Perhaps you may be wondering what course of action a physician, or mental health professional may recommend. While the answer will depend entirely upon a detailed personal analysis of you and your circumstances, most issues respond to prescribed medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.
While anger is a perfectly normal emotion, many of us tend to associate it with frustrated teenagers struggling with their hormones, and fail to recognize the symptoms and triggers, or know when to seek help in dealing with a possible anger disorder.
For many who are dealing with difficult times in their life, feeling sad is nothing more than a typical reaction, and usually, it passes in time. When it comes to depression, however, this can have severe symptoms that take over your entire life, from how you feel, to how you think, sleep, eat and work. More common in women than men, experts believe this is probably due to certain biological, hormonal and social factors experienced uniquely by women.
If you are challenged with any kind of emotional or behavioral issue, consider getting professional help. Perhaps you may be wondering what course of action a physician, or mental health professional may recommend. While the answer will depend entirely upon a detailed personal analysis of you and your circumstances, most issues respond to prescribed medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.
If you’re a new mum, you might be wondering why you’re not feeling overjoyed and thankful for the tiny new life you’ve recently been gifted with. Instead, you’re feeling exhausted, down, sad, and filled with intense guilt about your parenting skills, or lack of.
Stress, when managed correctly, is a normal part of many of our lives, but for those who struggle to process and manage it properly, it can quickly become negative and harmful.
Can negative work experiences really lead to reactions similar to trauma experiences, like war or sexual assault? A hostile work environment certainly could contribute. A hostile work environment is one in which the workplace is made intimidating, abusive, or offensive to an employee as a consequence of another’s conduct within it (e.g., inappropriate comments, remarks, or gestures; unwanted sexual attention) or because of characteristics of the setting (e.g., displays of distasteful, insulting, or otherwise inappropriate material). Employees should be able to come into a positive, healthy work environment each day. Unfortunately, many people struggle with hostile work environments. It’s important to understand what exactly a hostile work environment is and how to deal with the situation. Harassment in the workplace can take on many different facades.
For anyone who does not understand depression, it can be all too easy to imagine that you should be able to simply ‘pick yourself up’ by making certain changes to your life. If you are depressed, a friend or family member may have suggested that you ‘get out more’, or ‘think positively’. While such comments are intended to be well-meaning, they can be incredibly harmful to you in that they promote a sense of shame about your feelings and state of mind.
In a report recently published in The Lancet, a study of COVID-19 patients in the UK found that they were almost twice as likely to develop a psychiatric disorder after recovering from the virus, than people who hadn’t had it. From depression, anxiety, or dementia, 18% of those who took part in the study were found to develop mental health issues within just 3 months of their diagnosis.