As mentioned in a recent article in the USA Today, a major government study found that a majority of Americans with mental disorders did not seek professional help in the past year. According to the report, about 20% of American adults (45.9 million) reported a mental illness and only 39.2% of that group sought treatment. Some of the reasons given for not seeking help are that people may be afraid they can’t do anything about it, but the major reason for not getting help was cost. When thinking about how to address the belief that people may be afraid that they can’t do anything about it, I think this is the first step. The article mentions that if you take the view that mental health disorders are like physical health disorders, like diabetes or heart disease, then individuals may become more hopeful about treatment. Similar to managing a physical health disorder, you may need to make lifestyle changes and the illness can be managed or reversible.
This is when finding a good therapist can be beneficial to help you deal with these situations quickly and effectively. As for addressing the cost of therapy, there are more options than in the past. For instance, some health plans offer flexible spending accounts and many professionals offer reduced fees to make services more accessible. So, if you are in the percentage that has not sought help in the past, maybe this is your year to make a change…
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