WHAT THERAPY TREATS
A wide range of mental health concerns are treated through psychotherapy. Some of the common ones are below
GENERAL ANXIETY
Excessive, ongoing, and intense worry that interferes with day-to-day activities may be a sign of general anxiety. Worries can shift from one concern to another and may even make you feel anxious for no apparent reason. General anxiety can also cause significant distress in social, work, or other areas of your life. Psychotherapy or medications can help improve general anxiety and also enhance the quality of life.
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
While occasional arguments and disagreements are common in every relationship, intense strain and conflict in relationships can lead to poor mental and physical health. A number of factors can cause relationship problems, including past experiences, life transitions and stress, different thought processes, and behavioral factors. Mental health professionals can help with relationship issues through tailored therapy and interventions.
SELF ESTEEM CONCERNS
Self-esteem concerns can lead people to have a low opinion of themselves due to comparing with others or self-criticism. It can lead to certain negative thought patterns such as imposter syndrome, rebellion, and victimhood. Over time, these patterns can be damaging because they become so frequent that they turn into facts rather than just opinions. Low self-esteem can then contribute to various mental health concerns such as social anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, etc. A therapist can, however, play a vital role in addressing these concerns and improving one’s quality of life.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person engages in repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) and feels an overwhelming urge to repeat them over and over. These symptoms can affect the individual’s daily functioning and interfere with all aspects of life including social, professional, family, etc. OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy, or both.
DEPRESSION AND BPAD
Depression is a mood disorder that can cause a person to experience persistent low mood, poor concentration, feelings of excessive guilt or low self-worth, hopelessness, thoughts about dying, disruptions in sleep and appetite among other symptoms. However, if the person experiences highs (mania) and lows (depression) in mood, lasting a number of weeks, they might be suffering from Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD). During a high phase or mania, the individual may feel overly happy, have excessive energy, seem agitated and impulsive, and have difficulty relaxing. Whereas during a depressive phase, the person will experience symptoms of depression. A combination of medications and therapy can significantly help with depression and BPAD.
PANIC ATTACKS
Panic attacks are sudden episodes of heightened fear and anxiety that trigger severe physical reactions in the absence of any real danger or apparent cause. These can be very intense reactions wherein the individual might feel like they are losing control or having a heart attack. Panic attacks can be managed with the help of psychotherapy and medications. Therapy can help identify triggers that lead to panic attacks and the individual can also learn strategies to manage these triggering events.
PHOBIAS
Phobias are intense and irrational fears of certain objects, places, and situations. These fears can range from annoying to severely disabling and are triggered when the individual encounters the source of fear. Such fears can potentially interfere with daily functioning and various aspects of life. Therapeutic techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy or medications, or a combination of both are used to treat phobias.
SOCIAL ANXIETY
It’s normal to feel nervous or tense in social situations but when everyday interactions start causing significant anxiety and distress, it can be a sign of social anxiety. In social anxiety disorder, the fear of being scrutinized or being judged negatively by others can lead to severe stress or avoidance that can disrupt an individual’s life. However, psychotherapy can help them learn coping skills that can improve their ability to interact with others.
HEALTH RELATED ANXIETY
Health anxiety is an obsessive and irrational worry about a perceived serious medical condition. If an individual’s body is sending signals that they might be ill, that’s normal to be concerned. However, illness or health anxiety can lead to disabling distress about imagined physical symptoms or illness. Psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, can be very effective in treated health anxiety because they teach the individual skills to manage their anxiety.
PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Long-term patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that differ from the expectations of culture and cause significant distress to the individual can be a result of a personality disorder. Various personality disorders include borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder among others. Personality disorders lead to problems in functioning and in various areas of life. In order to diagnose a personality disorder, mental health professionals look at long-term patterns of functioning and symptoms. These disorders can be treated through certain types of psychotherapies as they provide an insight about what is contributing to the disorder and enables the individual to talk about their issues.
ADD AND ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) involves inattention (inability to focus), hyperactivity (excessive movement that does not fit the setting), and impulsivity (acting without thinking). ADHD is most commonly seen in children but adults are also affected by it. ADHD can disrupt daily life and functioning. While behaviour therapy and counseling can prove to be helpful for children, the disorder is not so obvious in adults and they require comprehensive evaluation followed by medication and psychotherapy.
TRAUMA AND GRIEF
Trauma and grief can result from various unfortunate and unpleasant events such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, disability, etc. However, mental health professionals can help individuals deal with intense grief and trauma by helping them process their painful emotions in a healthy way. Like every other mental health concern, therapy for trauma and grief is tailored to the individual’s presenting problems.
EATING DISORDERS
Too much preoccupation with your weight, body shape, and food can lead to dangerous eating behaviours. These behaviours in turn negatively impact health, emotions, and the ability to function properly in important areas of daily life. Such persistent eating behaviours characterize eating disorders, which often begin during teen and young adult years. If left untreated, these disorders can significantly impact the body’s nutritional capacities and lead to issues related to the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth, mouth, etc. However, with appropriate psychotherapy and medical treatment, individuals can return to healthier eating habits and oftentimes the serious complications can also be reversed.
BODY-IMAGE ISSUES
Body image issues stem from a negative body image or a negative perception of how one’s body looks or compares to others. A negative body image can result from culturally driven beliefs of what an ideal body should look like or from an individual’s own negative feelings and evaluations of their body. These issues in turn lead to other psychological disorders such as depression, disordered eating, social anxiety, self-harm tendencies, etc. The good news is that effective treatments exist for body image issues and cognitive behavioural therapy has been found to be helpful in changing negative body image perceptions.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflicts are common between two individuals in any setting, whether it be couples, family members, friends, or colleagues at the workplace. While most conflicts can be resolved through proper communication or some form of settlement that could include adjustment, compromise, or avoidance. However, if the conflict escalates to unmanageable levels and causes significant distress to the individuals involved, therapeutic intervention can help resolve issues. Conflict resolution therapy applies a problem-solving approach to the core issues leading to conflicts and seeks to reduce distress as well as find solutions for the problem.
ADDICTION ISSUES
Addiction is a chronic problem that affects an individual’s brain and behaviour. While addiction is most commonly associated with alcohol and drugs, behavioural addictions like gambling, sex, shopping, playing video games, or excessive internet use also lead to negative consequences. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating addiction issues. As a result, various treatment options are available and mental health professionals can help you find the one that works best for you.
SEXUAL PROBLEMS
Sexual problems include medical, psychological, personal or interpersonal factors that impact sexual satisfaction. Sexual dysfunctions are common among both men and women and can act as a barrier to a healthy and fulfilling sexual life. However, sex therapy can be sought by individuals and couples to help them reframe their sexual challenges and increase sexual satisfaction.
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Anger is a very common human emotion that most people experience in their day-to-day lives. However, if an individual feels angry too often and displays uncontrollable rage that impacts important areas of their life, it might be a problem. To deal with such persistent angry outbursts and rage, anger management therapy is useful. Techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, and psychodynamic therapy among others can help minimize stressful or anger-provoking situations, improve self-control, and help the individual express their feelings in a healthy manner.