• Home
• About

Asking For Help

While there are varying statistics on how many Americans will suffer from anxiety and or depression throughout their lives, all of the numbers point to one real, sad truth: that nearly every one will be affected in some way by them both. Even those lucky enough to travel through life personally unscathed will know at least one friend, family member or colleague whose own private battles with one of both of these afflictions will impact their own lives in a negative way.

Some anxiety and depression can situational, or related to a single incident with a discernible beginning or end. The loss of a job, the end or a relationship, the death of a loved one, can all be impetuses for the onset of intense emotional duress. Through the passing of time and the seeming supernatural abilities of resilience, however, people are frequently able to get through these crises relatively unscathed. Sometimes, however, for reasons not all together known, they can’t and their grief becomes major depression, their poor adjustment generalized anxiety, and their pain unmanageable on their own. One of the ironies in this development is that the more their mental health suffers, the less likely they are to get help. A sense of hopelessness and fear sets in that makes calling a doctor, asking for assistance, or getting enough energy to get dressed and to an appointment overwhelming. It is often difficult as a friend or family member watching this development to know what to do or where to turn. Offers of help may be rejected, phone calls not returned, your own needs in the relationship unmet. Yet it is in these moments that help is at its most necessary and with a little tenacity and patience can be found.

As more and more people turn to the internet for information, mental health practitioners have begun to utilize this forum as a way to get out the word that help is available, that depression and anxiety are treatable, and that there is nothing “crazy” about not being able to buck up on your own. A simple Google search for psychotherapists in your area can not only retrieve a wealth of referral resources, but is often less intimidating and daunting than picking up the phone and calling hotlines or numbers culled from the Yellow Pages. And many of these psychotherapy websites have additional information on where and how to find help outside of their own doors. In Long Island, Five Town Psychotherapy just launched such a site, http://www.fivetownpsychotherapy.com. In addition to letting users know how to make appointments with their staff, their resource page is full of more information on the most common mental health diagnoses, types of treatment and links to other providers country wide that can provide more assistance to potential patients or their concerned loved ones. As sites like these grow, and more relevant and necessary resources are readily available, asking for and getting help may one day be the easiest part of mental health treatment. And that would be a relief for us all.

Five Town Psychotherapy, led by Vera Polyakova, LCSW, has provided mental health treatment and services to the greater New York City area. Five Town Psychotherapy provides individual, family, couples and group counseling to a varied clientele in a safe and comfortable environment. For more information, please visit www.fivetownpsychotherapy.com or call (646) 592-3317.

Comments