People may enter therapy for a variety of reasons like relationship issues, job loss or change, divorce and career issues. They seek therapy for the sake of their mental health and solving the problems of their life. Even if people just need some form of guidance or support, they can seek therapy. It is not mandatory to be crazy and mentally ill to seek any kind of therapy. Even if people want to achieve their goals they can take professional help from a therapist.
Therapist and the client make a planner with all the goals and the sub goals and also the activities that have to be done to achieve those goals. Depending on the problem, therapy can vary in terms of its duration. It can be short term or long term depending on the problem of the client. Therapist helps the client to understand the problem, look at it from different perspectives and explore the solutions. It will lead to self-actualization, self-growth and decrease emotional distress.
Common issues treated in therapy
1. Stress
Stress is a feeling that occurs when a person is not able to deal with any demands or difficult situations. It can be long-term and worse if not dealt properly. Stress can come from relationships, financial issues, family issues or career issues. When these issues create a threat to mental peace and well-being and the person is not able to manage the situation effectively, then stress happens.
There are two variations of stress: distress and eustress. Distress is when the stress is causing harmful effects on a person’s mental health and motivation to do any task whereas eustress is when stress motivates an individual to their best level. It can cause physical problems in body like high blood pressure, sweating, rapid breathing, insomnia or hypersomnia, digestion problems, headache; immunity level decreases concentration issues, irritability, restlessness and sadness.
Stress affects everyone differently as everyone’s coping capabilities are different so therapist helps the client to increase their capabilities and improve their skills to deal with stress better. According to researches, people who think that stress has a negative effect on themselves are at a higher risk of heart diseases.
2. Anxiety or Phobias
It is a problem that can be seen as nervousness, sweating, shaking, drowsiness, restlessness, fear, worry, sleep issues and concentration problems. Any perceived danger can cause a rush of adrenaline which triggers anxiety in body called fight or flight responses. It is mostly experienced in difficult social situations which can be difficult to deal with effectively.
It includes generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic attacks, selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder. It can be due to environmental stressors like relationship problem or family issue, genetics or hereditary and medical factors. Phobias can be related to simple things like dogs, spiders, enclosed spaces or flying and complex things like leaving home or visiting a public space. This fear can affect one’s day to day life and decrease quality of life in general. Cognitive behavior therapy and behavior therapy are very effective for dealing with anxiety and phobias.
3. Depression or Bipolar disorders
It is an emotional state which involves low self-worth, extreme sadness, hopelessness, and negativity, inability to feel pleasure, reduced energy, loss or increase in appetite and insomnia or hypersomnia. Unfavorable life events, low capacity to deal with difficult situations and prone to negativity can lead to more chances of falling into depression. Death of a loved one, ending of a relationship or marriage, divorce or separation, abuse and career problems are more likely to cause depression.
Negative thoughts about self, others and situations can really lead to depressive symptoms. People with low self-esteem and pessimistic attitude are more likely to experience mood disorders. Psychosocial and medical factors can cause depression in many people. Happy hormones like endorphin, serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine if not functioning properly can cause mood disorders. A person who has bipolar disorder can experience both depression (low mood or sadness) and mania (elevation of mood) which should be managed well with the help of therapist.
4. Anger
It is an extremely powerful emotion and a very difficult one to control in various situations. It is a natural and automatic emotion which can be expressed in forms of physical and emotional pain. It mostly occurs in situations when they feel rejected, threatened, face failure and loss. When a person’s expectations doesn’t get fulfilled and experience unexpected situations then anger is a natural emotion to come. Sometimes, people even express their hopelessness in the form of anger to show their control and power and strengthen their ego. Therapist teaches the client anger management overtime in sessions.
5. Relationship issues
A good, healthy and long lasting relationship is very hard to maintain as it requires a lot of efforts. The most important thing is communication which is a two way street and both individuals need to consider each other a priority always. Arguments may happen and is very natural but should be handled properly. A person should take some time before responding to anything and try to understand each other’s opinions. Therapist helps the client to deal with all the relationship issues through couples therapy and teaching them important aspects about maintaining peace in relationships.
6. Divorce or Separation
Divorce is a decision that means the ending of a marriage. It can be very traumatic for both the individuals as it can have negative influence on one’s physical and mental health. Divorce is very common in western countries whereas it is not seen so much in eastern countries. It is considered a last option of ending the marriage. It can be due to various reasons like lack of commitment, infidelity, poor communication, differences related to finances, religion or lifestyle, unrealistic expectations, sexual incompatibility, parenting issues and domestic violence.
7. Body Image Issues
A person who has body image issues generally has negative perceptions about their body and a very low self-esteem. It includes how people perceive themselves, estimating body size and behaviors you do for your body. This problem starts from adolescence and interfere with identity issues. Our bodies differ due to many factors like gender, age, illness, color, etc. A negative body image can lead to harmful effects on one’s physical and mental health and for that therapy works best.
8. Bullying
It is an act of intentionally hurting someone or forcing someone to do that they don’t want to do. It can be verbal, social, physical and emotional. It is very common at schools and workplaces where generally seniors bully their juniors for fun purposes and to boost their ego. Bullies are usually dominating and can make the victim’s life miserable and difficult. Bullying has many negative effects on the victim’s emotional, mental, physiological and behavioral aspects of life. Therapy can help the clients to deal with all the traumatic experiences of bullying that they experienced.
9. Career Issues
Career issues may include problems related to finding and choosing a career, finding a company for a job, comparing various available options for job, not able to perform at work, workplace environment problems, and many other issues. These problems have a major influence on a person’s self-esteem, overthinking and emotional aspect of life. Career setbacks or unemployment can leave a person to be frustrated and question their self-worth. Also, when a person wishes to change his/her career which is a big decision then also therapy might help in guidance.
10. Sexual problems
Therapy might help with problems like sexual dysfunction, sexual incompatibility among the couple, have trouble in getting erection or maintaining it, females can’t orgasm, premature ejaculation and pain during intercourse. For this, individual therapy or couples therapy can be done and sexual matters can be addressed. People need a safe and trustful environment to share their sexual issues and that’s what a sex therapist provides to them. Therapist tries to understand the cause of the problem and then help the client to overcome all the problems.
11. Grief or loss
It is experienced when important or close relationships are ended due to any reason like divorce, death, separation, or any same process. When the loss happens, it causes grief which is a difficult phase to experience in life. This happens when problems happen in relationships with family, friends, and spouse, significant others and the people we are attached to. Humans are social beings and when any inconvenience happens in their social world, it causes feelings of loss and loneliness. Sometimes, a lot of mental pain can convert into physical symptoms which should be managed well with proper therapy where therapist can help the client to deal with feelings of loss.
12. Midlife crisis
It takes place between the age of 40 and 60 where people face identity issues, question their choices and morality which we can say is a midlife crisis. In the beginning of this phase, many lifestyle changes happen which can cause a lot of mental pressure. According to researches, there has been a decline in life satisfaction and happiness in middle aged people because of lots of stressors in that age. A lot of responsibilities come which can be difficult to manage. So, to deal with the midlife crisis, therapy is proven to be effective as the guidance and support provided by the therapist is therapeutic.
13. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
It is a very serious anxiety related condition that is affecting people at a larger scale. People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder engage in frequent rituals due to their constant recurring intrusive and obsessive thoughts called obsessions. They are disturbing and destructive in nature and affect a person’s quality of life in general. People cross limits to engage in the compulsive behaviors which have severe effects on one’s mental health. This problem needs proper therapy sessions by a trained therapist.
14. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
It is a psychiatric disorder which can occur in people if they experience any traumatic situation or an event or series of events. It can be physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and mentally harmful for the person who experienced the trauma. Traumatic events can be natural disasters like earthquake and tsunami, serious accidents, rape or any sexual abuse, war, terrorist act and bullying. It can cause people to have an intense and disturbing thoughts, flashbacks and nightmares after the incident has ended. It also causes changes in mood and cognition which leads to negative core beliefs and distorted thoughts in mind which needs cognitive behavior therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.
Seek Professional Help from Medavas
If you think that you have any problem mentioned above then it will be great for you to seek therapy. At Medavas, you can seek professional mental help from various therapists available on the website. They are trained in various therapies and are knowledgeable and experienced. You can book your session with them at any time. They are providing best therapy services to a large population. You can choose therapists, language, mode of session and time according to your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which therapy is used for Overthinking?
Overthinking is a problem that causes stress as people live in either past or future instead of enjoying the present. They constantly worry about something bad happening to them. For this, Cognitive Behavior Therapy is best as it deal with irrational and destructive core beliefs and thoughts a person might have in their mind. This therapy corrects cognitive errors like catastrophizing, all or none thinking, minimization, and overgeneralizing, etc. Proper therapy, activities and worksheets are given to clients to help them deal with overthinking.
Can therapy help with addiction issues?
Yes, Behavior therapy is a very effective therapy for the treatment of any kind of addiction like drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc. It involves helping clients identify their maladaptive behaviors, set goals for desired behaviors and work hard to achieve them with support from the therapist. Constant guidance and motivation is given to clients which results in reduction of addiction. This helps the client to develop a sense of control and a readiness to change.
What are the symptoms of Panic Attack?
It is a feeling of sudden anxiety which has symptoms like shaking, drowsiness, dry mouth, rapid breathing, breathlessness and sweating. It might feel like having a heart attack or you are dying but it is a temporary feeling which goes away after a while.