Mental health disorders and mental illness have increased drastically after the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the pandemic overall was extremely unfortunate, it has given people a reason to talk more and more about mental health.
Thanks to the abundance of information on the internet, a lot of people tend to realise that the unusual feelings they have been having or going through are not normal and that they may be going through something that needs to be dealt with personally. This has nothing to do with someone who has gone through life-altering changes such as death or divorce; many others who don't have major reasons have also been realising that asking for professional help when things don't seem normal is completely fine.
The stigma around mental health is surely changing, which leads to more people thinking about taking therapy. People who recognise their mental health and want to seek therapy, on the other hand, appear to be concerned.There is a lot of nervousness and fear of the unknown.
About this, Priti Sridhar, CEO of Mariwala Health Initiative, says, "Mental health has been stigmatised for far too long. This has led to a lack of information about how and where to go. as well as apprehensions about accessing mental health support. While conversations on social media, in workplaces, and in mainstream media have helped to address such concerns people do struggle with finding out how and which mental health professional they should approach, and what actually happens in a session."??
So, what are the apprehensions people are feeling before they start therapy or even consider therapy?
Sure, we've all seen how people approach therapy in movies and TV shows. They are made to lie down on the sofa and talk about their innermost feelings while the therapist takes notes in their notebook. But is it always like this? Sometimes it isn't, and sometimes it is. When someone goes to therapy for the very first time, they are not asked to jump into their problems right there and then. That is why it is called a process. No matter how much one reads about it, it is different for every individual. The first session in general is about the therapist introducing himself and learning most of the basic information about the client. Most of it consists of questions that need answers. This can go on for multiple sessions, too, depending on the therapist and the client.
"When I first scheduled my therapy session, I was very apprehensive. I did not know if I had to start talking on my own or if she will ask me questions. But my therapist made me feel comfortable and asked me basic questions about things that are pretty general," says Aditya who is dealing with anxiety.??
Because mental health and therapy are relatively new concepts, they are expensive. This has several reasons, either because there are not a lot of experienced mental health experts or because there is too much demand at the moment. But mental health is now something that everyone considers. Good businesses have partnered with mental health portals to provide their employees with free therapy. Other than that, there are several portals nowadays that provide counselling and therapy for very reasonable prices considering the rise in people going for it.
"I remember when the Covid-19 pandemic was going on, I took some numbers of therapists and psychologists but that was extremely costly. Considering I am a college student I could do it once but not 10 times in a month, this is when I got to know about this website Mindpeers, I could select the therapist of my choice and it was not even costly, so I went for it for months," says Khushi, who is dealing with anxiety.
"Access to mental health services is expensive and therefore cost continues to be a big barrier to accessing mental health services," says Priti Sridhar, CEO, Mariwala Health Initiative.
That may be the most common apprehension anyone can have, and that is pretty normal too. When you start therapy, you are meant to talk to a complete stranger and talk about your deepest fears and anxieties. You may have several thoughts that if you tell them everything you're thinking, they'll think you're insane.But here's the thing: they are professionals for a reason, and there is probably nothing they have not heard of.
"I have a severe case of anxiety and depression, so when I finally decided to take therapy, I was so nervous that I didn't know how I would tell this stranger what was actually going on in my head. I have a natural tendency to overthink, so I totally could not open up in the beginning, thinking that she would really judge me, but I gave it several tries. It took me a while to actually share all of the things, but she made me feel so comfortable that I was okay with speaking my mind eventually," says Radhika, who is dealing with anxiety and depression.?
The point of therapy is to get you out of a painful mindset. But it requires you to deal with problematic things in life and then get better. For some people, talking about their painful past is extremely difficult. But, patience is definitely the key.?
"I lost my closest friend during COVID-19. I was not able to understand how to feel. I completely got numb towards things, but I also could not sleep or even eat properly. When I started with therapy, I knew I had to talk about it, but I just could not. It was too painful. But when I did start speaking about it and letting my emotions out, things did feel lighter and better for me," says Abhinav, who deals with depression.
That is one thing one wouldn't know before starting therapy. One could not connect in one try, and one could not feel after several sessions. But the great thing about this is that one could always switch until one finds a perfect match.
"When I started therapy, I really didn't feel like the first one was the right fit. I could not speak to her properly, and I felt she was not asking me the right questions. I tried another therapist, and I was satisfied. It is a little bit of a hit and try thing," said Dheeraj, who deals with anxiety.
So, here's to trying.