You don’t need to be “bad enough” to get help
A high-functioning individual living may be able to hold down a job, receive good grades, or have “high prospects” in life—even while living with a diagnosable mental health condition. They may be struggling with symptoms while still feeling “not bad enough” to see a provider.
This is considered the crisis-only myth or “mental health imposter syndrome.”
While you’ve certainly felt “worse” before in your life, you also may struggle with daily:
Feeling obligated to keep saying yes when you want to say no
Struggling to enjoy/feeling secure in your success
Unable to feel present due to feeling anxious
In a constant state of low-level burnout
These “minor” reasons would justify seeing a talk therapist or psychiatrist.
Isn’t talking to my family or friends enough?
The benefit of talking through your ideas and concerns with a therapist or psychiatrist is their confidentiality and neutrality.
Not only can a licensed mental health care provider identify your thinking patterns and advise you on new emotional management skills, but they can also listen to sensitive information without the risk of personal motive.
Talk therapy approaches can be distinctive from each other.
Some of the therapy types include:
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Psychoanalysis
At worst, consider treatment as preventative care
Functioning well in certain areas can still create dysfunction in others, therefore, if you think talk therapy or medications can improve your life, then it’s worth looking into.
While you may feel like you’re not “bad enough” to need a treatment plan, remember that your brain is an organ, and your mental health has a significant impact on your physical health.
Therefore, if you’re thinking of seeing a mental health care provider, you could consider this as preventative care. Making any decision for the betterment of your mental health is a step in self-care.