Home Featured The earlier you go for therapy the better

The earlier you go for therapy the better

by Luqmaan Rawat
Therapy can help for a variety of mental illnesses but one needs to take action fast Photo GoodTherapy.org

Johannesburg – Life is a journey filled with stress, anxiety, and other forms of emotional distress. Sometimes we can bounce back and other times we need a little help. That is where therapy comes in.

There are different reasons for seeking out help. Sometimes we might feel low and unable to ‘snap out of it’. Other times we might have mood swings out of our control. After consulting a therapist one can determine a diagnose and work solutions to one’s problems, explained Saeed Abduh Malizani, a certified Psychotherapist.

“The benefit of therapy is that we can’t self diagnose. When you go to see a therapist they are trained to understand how mental health works and how the mind works. They’ll be able to help you through your journey. They can help you get to where you’re supposed to be so that you can become happy again.”

Signs that you might need therapy

It is important to know and identify the signs that you need therapy. The quicker you get help the better. People often abuse the word depressed when speaking about sadness. This is a common mistake, said Malizani.

“According to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), which is a physical manual that therapists and psychologists use to determine whether a person has a certain mental health problem or not, a person has to be sad for at least two weeks continuously or most of the days in that period for a person to say that this person is depressed. If it goes on for a period of over two weeks then you actually must go in and seek therapy.”

You may experience other signs such as having difficulty regulating your emotions, experiencing changes in your sleep or appetite or no longer enjoying activities you typically did. These are the few common ones that show it’s time to get professional help.

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Don’t try to self diagnose yourself

Many people get their information from social media these days. They go online or on social media, read a few symptoms and believe they are depressed or have some other mental illness. This can lead to them putting off seeking professional help and even believing something that they are not. If someone believes they are depressed, they go see a therapist immediately, said Malizani.

“Therapists can help you understand whether you’re depressed or not. They will understand whether you are depressed or not. You shouldn’t self diagnose ourselves. At the same time we shouldn’t read a post online and think that is me. I fit into that description so I’m depressed.”

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Finding the right therapist

Once you have decided to seek professional help it is important to find the right therapist. Research suggests the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist helps in healing yourself. It is important to ask around, doing an online search and even doing a brief interview by phone with the therapist. Everyone is different but it is important to find one that can deal with your situation. One who is warm, compassionate and you feel comfortable with.

 

When is the best time to start therapy

Once you find the right therapist it is imperative you start therapy right away. Depression is the one number mental illness that impacts people. When someone has depression it can worsen very quickly which is why it is important to get help as soon as possible, stressed Malizani.

“You find that depression goes in stages. You’ve got this mild depression then it moves to moderate depression and then it moves towards the severe or major depression. You go into a major depressive state. When it’s still mild the symptoms can be easily dealt with through talk therapy or any other type of therapy. One of the things with severe depression is that everything becomes excessive and increases from moderate to severe or major depression.”

The moment you feel you’re not coping, you should seek professional help. What can start off as something small can gradually become something that consumes you. The longer you wait, the worse it can get. Although therapy is seen as something taboo, there is nothing wrong about wanting to save yourself and better yourself.

 

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