Do I Need Therapy? Part 2 of 'Therapy Can be Risky Business'

The first time I went to a therapist I didn't give it much thought ahead of time. I was desperate for any kind of help, any kind of soft pillow for my hard feelings. 

Experiencing an unwanted and unexpected divorce, my life was falling apart and so was I. I was questioning everything I ever did and wondering what happened to lead me to this confusing place. 

I just needed to be in a room with someone compassionate who would listen to my sorrows, over and over and over. I wasn't even depressed - yet. And so a lot of thought didn't go into this choice.

Gratefully, the good Lord gave me a kind and gentle therapist who had probably listened to many other women cry their way through divorce and knew more about such things than I did. It was comforting.

That was before I became seriously depressed. Depression is an illness and not just a circumstantial mood. It needs to be treated like an illness by someone who knows more about that illness than we do. But because of the serious nature of such an illness you must be careful about choosing a therapist.

So let's just chat about whether you even need a therapist or not. I would not like to see you go to one and put yourself through the financial and emotional strain if it is not right for you.

There's lots of information out there to help you decide if it is time to see a therapist. I recommend doing a little research.

You may want to do this quiz "Do I Need Therapy?".

"8 Signs You Need a Therapist" is a thorough article covering just about all you need to consider before deciding if you are a candidate for therapy or not.

The simpler description of whether or not you should see a therapist I found in Psychology Today called "5 Sure Signs it's time to Seek Therapy".

"Psychotherapy is a wonderful treatment for many of life’s problems, with thousands of studies backing up its use as an evidence-based treatment. But sometimes a person doesn’t know when to go see a therapist. How bad should you let things get before you seek out help?

Psychologists know a secret that the research has shown — and one that I’ll share here with you. The sooner you seek out treatment, the faster you’ll feel better. It may sound obvious, but far too often people let their problems overwhelm them before getting help."
"So here are 5 sure signs that it may be time to see a therapist."

1. It causes significant distress in your life.

2. Nothing you’ve done seems to have helped.

3. Your friends (or family) are tired of listening to you.

4. You start overusing or abusing something (or someone) to try and help alleviate your symptoms.

5. People have noticed and said something to you.

This is just a summary. I recommend you read the entire article.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Have you ever tried therapy? Do you feel like you need some kind of therapy? Can you check off any of those signs above?

Don't give up! There is hope for depression.