Psychiatric challenges are not always visible from the outside. You can go to work, spend time with friends, exercise, meet family obligations and keep up with your everyday responsibilities while privately dealing with anxiety, depression or overwhelming emotional pain. After hiding your difficulties for so long and so well, even the people closest to you have no idea of what you’re going through.
Talking about your mental health can be challenging, especially if you typically handle your problems independently. However, keeping complicated emotions bottled up will only deepen your feelings of isolation.
Why Do People Hide Mental Health Struggles?
There are many reasons you might hesitate to advocate for yourself, including worries about burdening your loved ones or fear of encountering social stigma. High-achieving people who have built their identities around being capable, dependable and successful work hard to preserve that reputation.
But mental health doesn’t work that way. Depression, PTSD and other behavioral health conditions can affect anyone, regardless of their accomplishments, relationships or circumstances.
Tell Someone How You Feel
You don’t necessarily need to tell everyone about your experiences. Start with someone you trust, such as your partner, family member or a close friend. Talking about complex feelings can reduce some of the isolation surrounding them. It also gives someone else the opportunity to notice when your symptoms seem to be worsening, check in with you and help you find additional support.
While you shouldn’t expect your confidant to diagnose you or solve your problems, having someone who is willing to listen and take your feelings seriously is invaluable. Likewise, if a loved one confides in you, resist the temptation to immediately offer solutions or minimize their concerns. Statements such as “You have so much to be grateful for” or “Everyone gets stressed” may be well-intentioned, but can make them feel even less understood. Listen, ask what they need and encourage them to seek professional counseling when appropriate.
You can also benefit from working with a trained therapist to explore your experiences in more depth. An experienced clinician can assess your symptoms, identify patterns, ask questions you may not have considered and determine whether you could benefit from additional treatment.
The distinction between well-meaning friends and your therapist is critical if you are struggling with your mental health. Therapy provides a dedicated outlet for broaching topics that may be too painful to discuss elsewhere. Unlike your loved ones, therapists are neutral parties with no personal stakes or hidden biases. Being candid about the severity of your symptoms, including thoughts or feelings that you feel are frightening or embarrassing, will allow your provider to recommend concrete solutions.
Technology Can’t Replace Human Connection
Some people have started confiding in artificial intelligence chatbots when they feel anxious, depressed or lonely. It’s understandable why this might be appealing – typing your feelings into a prompt can seem more comfortable than describing them aloud to another person, particularly if you worry about encountering prejudice or stigma.
However, an AI chatbot that merely parrots ideas and always agrees with you without pushback should never be an acceptable substitute for professional care provided by a licensed mental health professional. Technology also shouldn’t become the only place where you express yourself.
If you notice that it’s easier to tell an app or chatbot how you feel than to talk to your therapist or someone you trust, consider what holds you back. That discomfort is worth discussing.
Don’t Wait for a Crisis
The best time to talk about your mental health is before you reach a breaking point. Pay attention when anxiety, sadness, anger, substance use, sleep problems or other changes begin interfering with your relationships, responsibilities or ability to enjoy everyday life. Asking for help early can give you more opportunities to understand what’s happening and develop healthier ways to cope.
At Pine Grove, we understand that reaching out can be difficult. Our experienced professionals provide compassionate treatment for mental health and substance use concerns at multiple levels of care. You don’t have to have everything figured out to benefit from support. Sometimes, saying “I need help” is enough to start the conversation. Contact us today to learn more about our adult psychiatric program.
