After a recent presentation I gave on anxiety and depression, an audience member approached me and said, “My 25-year-old son has many of the symptoms you described, and he has for the past year.” This woman went on to explain her son’s struggles, including his chronic sadness, lack of motivation, isolation, and self-medicating with alcohol.
She concluded by saying, “It’s obvious he needs help, and I know he would benefit from professional counseling, but he won’t go. I’ve tried to talk him into going to therapy, but he insists he can get better on his own. I’m worried. What can I do?”
In my role as a mental health professional and founder of a large treatment clinic addressing numerous issues, I hear pleas like this every week. And each story ends with similar words: “I’m worried. What can I do?”
Chances are that you, too, have someone in your life you’re concerned about—a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor—who is struggling with a mental health issue. This may involve depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma recovery, or other challenges. The fact is, there are millions of people struggling with serious troubles who don’t seek help.
- The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that one in five U.S. adults is currently living with a mental illness. Yet more than half of these individuals are not getting help.
- 30 percent of Americans struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, yet only one out of four of those individuals utilize mental health services to address their problems.
- According to NIMH, 21 million adults (age 18 and above) and 3.7 million adolescents (age 12 and 17) had endured a “major depressive episode” in 2021. However, 39 percent of the adults and 60 percent of young people received no treatment of any kind.
It isn’t only people with clinically diagnosed problems who could benefit from therapy. Many dealing with the more typical challenges of life—a marriage that’s hit a rough patch, raising a troubled teen, job burnout—would likely find counseling a source of support and solutions.
Perhaps you have already broached the idea of seeking therapy with the struggling person you care about, and the suggestion sparked resistance. Maybe you’re working up the courage to recommend therapy. As you consider ways to encourage your friend to pursue therapy, start by being aware of the most common reasons people resist therapy:
“If people find out I’m in therapy, they’ll think I’m really screwed up.” At the heart of this belief is the stigma attached to needing professional help. Thankfully, our society has come a long way in recent decades toward overcoming negative connotations about seeing a mental health provider. But there still exists a negative perception among some people and groups.
