Frequently Asked Questions
that may help you find answers to common questions about mental health diagnoses and different therapeutic approaches available to help you manage your symptoms effectively.
You might need psychotherapy if you're experiencing repeated emotional problems that are interfering with your day-to-day life. You may find yourself having difficulty coping with stressful life events, the impact of trauma, medical illness, or loss, and specific mental health conditions such as mood disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders.
You may also need psychotherapy if you are struggling with building healthy, long-lasting, healthy interpersonal relationships with your family, significant other, and yourself.
Individuals needing psychotherapy might have come to terms that self-managing their symptoms, medication management, and alternative sources of support have been proven inefficient in helping them return to their previous functional levels, heal from their emotional traumas, control their symptoms, and find themselves lacking a well-balanced quality of life.
It is an approach for treating mental health issues by talking with a mental health provider. It is known as talk therapy, counseling, psychosocial therapy, or simply therapy. During psychotherapy, you learn about your specific issues and how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors affect your moods. There are many types of psychotherapy. The type that's right for you depends on your situation, symptoms, and personal preferences.
Psychotherapy is particularly effective in identifying patterns. By examining past experiences and current situations, the therapist helps the individual recognize repeating patterns in their thoughts and behaviors. Therapy typically involves regular sessions with the therapist, allowing for consistent support and progress tracking.
To benefit from therapy, individuals need to actively participate in the process by sharing openly and engaging in homework assignments when necessary, in accordance with the goals created in the plan of care.
It is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think, and behave, and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, but don't get discouraged. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy, or both. It is important to be consistent with treatment in order for symptoms to be effectively managed.
Symptoms of Depression Include:
• Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
• Irritability, frustration, or anger over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
• Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or excessive self-blame
• Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
• Negative or self-critical thought patterns
• Fatigue or low energy, even with small tasks
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia or oversleeping)
• Appetite or weight changes (loss or gain)
• Slowed thinking, speaking, or body movements
• Unexplained aches and pains (e.g., headaches, bacCounseling helps people manage depression.k pain, stomach issues)
• Withdrawal from social activities and responsibilities
• Frequent thoughts of death or suicide
Counseling helps people with depression:
• Provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to talk openly about sadness, guilt, or hopelessness.
• Helps clients identify triggers and patterns that worsen depressive symptoms.
• Supports processing of unresolved grief, trauma, or life stressors that may underlie depression.
Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.
Among the exacerbating factors of anxiety, the following are included: childhood and/or current trauma, stress, substance abuse, and genetics.
Symptoms of Anxiety Include:
• Persistent worry or fear that feels hard to control
• Sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
• Difficulty concentrating or mind “going blank”
• Irritability or feeling on edge
• Trouble making decisions due to overthinking
• Rapid heartbeat (palpitations)
• Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
• Sweating, trembling, or shaking
• Muscle tension (often in neck, shoulders, or back)
• Fatigue or feeling weak
• Headaches or tension-related pain
Psychotherapy, self-care, and medication management have been proven to help manage symptoms effectively and prevent decompensation.
ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a behavioral condition that makes focusing on everyday requests and routines challenging. Little is known that ADHD has seven subdiagnoses, being the combined type (which includes symptoms of a mood disorder), one of the most popular.
People with ADHD typically have trouble getting organized, staying focused, making realistic plans, and thinking before acting. ADHD is commonly MISDIAGNOSED as bipolar disorder, for which a formal diagnosis is needed.
Though ADHD used to be diagnosed during childhood, in the United States, an estimated 15.5 million adults have a current diagnosis of ADHD, which is about 6% of the adult population.
Treatment for ADHD can include medication, therapy, education, and other interventions. There is no cure for ADHD, but treatments can help manage symptoms.
