More than 59 million Americans, almost one of five, seek the services of a mental health care professional each year. This statistic may seem staggering, considering the lack of discourse and the stigma that surrounds the topic of therapy.
But the truth of the matter is, people go to therapists. Millions of people go. But, many of those millions don’t speak about their therapy experiences because it’s stigmatized. This absence of conversation contributes to the stereotype among many Americans that going to therapy isn’t common or “normal.” Or even the misconception that people who own up to their mental health issues are “faking it” or “making excuses” for their behaviors or circumstances.
This all comes together to create a continuous, vicious cycle that leaves many people feeling isolated when seeking therapy.
In November 2018, I started to see a therapist for various family and mental health issues.
At the time, I didn’t know anyone my age who was actively seeing a therapist. Because of this, I felt isolated.
This loneliness persisted until one unlikely conversation arose with the people at my lunch table during my junior year. The subject of depression and anxiety came up and someone mentioned that they were going to therapy. I was surprised that someone would share a story of their mental illness, and even their experience with seeing a therapist, as these types of things were hardly ever discussed openly at school.
Right after this person mentioned their therapist, someone else at the table said, “I had a therapist.”
And soon after, a third person added, “I have a therapist.”
Finally, I pitched in and talked about how I was seeing a therapist, too.
Out of the five people who were at the table, four of us were or had been seeing a therapist. Right then, I realized that going to therapy was a common occurence -- people just felt too afraid to talk about it with one another. This fear of speaking out is far too common, and stems primarily from the fears of being viewed as different, losing friends, or getting judged by others.
Since that conversation at lunch, I’ve been a lot more open about my experiences with therapy. As a result, I’ve been able to connect with lots of people in the school and exchange stories of how therapy has ultimately improved our mental health.
It’s vital for people, especially teenagers, to be more open about their therapy experiences in a time where 450 million people face mental health issues across the planet.
I’m not saying a person should bring up therapy as a conversation starter everywhere they go, but if you know of someone who is currently going to therapy because of a mental health issue, or any other circumstance, consider sharing your own experiences.
This seemingly simple conversation could change someone’s whole perspective on the realities of seeing a therapist and make them feel like they’re less alone.
A resource that improves the mental health of millions of people yearly shouldn’t be stigmatized the way it is today. There’s nothing wrong with you if you go to a therapist; you’re simply improving your mental health.
So start having conversations with people. You’d be surprised to find that a lot of people are going through issues similar to yours.
Comments