Do You Need Therapy?: Notes from a Denver Therapist

If you’re like most people, you probably have ups and downs. You might even have wondered: Do I need to see a therapist?

But how do you decide? What is the difference between the normal ups and downs that everyone experiences and the kind of emotional problems that call for psychotherapy?

Experts say it’s time to get help when you feel so bad you are having trouble functioning: when your problems start interfering with your daily life, your job, or your marriage. It is also important to factor into your decision how long the problems have been going on. If it is more than one or two months, you probably could use some help.

Emotional problems often start when people can’t get back on their feet after a crisis: death, divorce, or loss of a job. Sometimes, though, a person begins to show signs of emotional stress for no apparent reason. In either case, emerging emotional problems usually show themselves in some of the following ways:

1. Excessive rage over small problems.

2. Increasing difficulty in getting along with others.

3. Physical symptoms: dizziness, fatigue, chest pains with no medical basis.

4. Inability to stop thinking about problems.

5. Increasing feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

6. Fearfulness or suspicion about certain situations or people that seems out of proportion.

7. Purposeful self harm behavior.

8. Erratic sleep patterns; loss of appetite.

9. Feelings of hopelessness about oneself or the future.

10. Inability to change unsatisfactory or destructive behavior.

11. Suicidal urges.

Remember: Help is available. Don’t face your problems alone.