Counselling for psychological illnesses
The fast pace of our modern world
and the extremely competitive atmosphere prevailing everywhere creates
severe stress and burnout for many. Survival itself has become a major
challenge in all spheres of our lives. Unemployment and underemployment has
also become a major issue. All this, in turn, leads to several psychological
problems. People are finding it really difficult to cope up with their problems in a effective and healthy manner. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicides are seen to have reached alarming levels. As a result, psychological counselling and therapy has become a very vital part of our society.
It is very difficult for most people to work on their emotional and psychological problems on their own. In several cases, professional help becomes inevitable.
Let us look at the two of the most common psychological problems faced by our modern world.
Almost all of us tend to go through a lot of ups and downs in our daily lives.
Very often this makes us feel slightly low, dejected or even upset. However, these are
usually normal reactions to our life situations. It is only when these feelings escalate that
things take a very serious turn. Many people exceed these normal feelings of being upset or
dejected. Their negativity tends to get chronic and then reach alarming levels. They then
find it almost impossible to snap out of it all their will. This is when we can often conclude
that these people are most likely to be suffering from depression. It is imperative that we
seek professional help in such a scenario. If left untreated, depression can literally cause
havoc in the patient’s life and also for significant others in this life. Suicide is the extreme
step that many depressed patients might take.
Anxiety is another psychological illness that has a very significant and often all-
pervasive effect on the patient and his family members. There are many factors that can
trigger off anxiety. Anxiety can manifest in several ways. Panic attacks and agoraphobia are
very commonly seen now-a-days. Anxiety may also manifest itself through some somatic
symptoms, which is when we say that the person may be suffering from a psychosomatic
illness. Hypochondriasis is another very common form of anxiety. Social anxiety; which
may make a person averse to social situations and social interactions, is again a very
common form of anxiety, which is significantly more prevalent than we think of. The term
‘phobia’ is very popular in our society. Phobia is another very important manner in which
anxiety can manifest. People suffering from eating disorders also tend to suffer from severe
anxiety symptoms. Thus, any form of anxiety needs to be promptly addressed, and
professional help is undoubtedly the wisest and most effective approach.