I’m Struggling - But Do I Need to Consult a Psychologist?

The world has seen great advances recently in openness about mental health issues. It has become a topic of conversation rather than something to be swept under the carpet, and much of this is due to information about famous people and their struggles. When an internationally famous tennis player, for instance, pulls out of a tournament because they have a mental health issue, we may look at them and think how much we have admired them, not just for their talent and expertise in their sport, but for their ability to deal with the pressure involved in playing in such a competitive, high-pressure environment, with the eyes of the world on them and witnessing their success or failure.

The tendency for athletes over the years has been to “bottle it up”, keep a poker face and try to exude confidence and positivity, even when they are going through a bad patch of form, which happens to everybody. They, and we, will use those very words: “it happens to everybody”, plus other handy pieces of glib wisdom through which we hope to persuade others, and ourselves, that all is well and we are ploughing ahead, confident that the tide will soon turn. Consult a psychologist? Me? I’m okay.

While this is still a valid attitude up to a point, when matters don’t improve and our bad situation weighs on us ever more heavily, there comes a time when the sensible thing to do is admit that we need help and then actively go and get it. We need to consult a psychologist. So the tennis star says they’re not playing in Melbourne next week because they’re taking a break for the sake of their mental health. And what do we, the public, think about that? We think “Good for you, having the courage not only to seek help but to admit it openly, rather than giving us some old flannel about a recurring knee injury or whatever.” We appreciate their honesty and wish them well. And when they come back as good as new, how do we view them? Most of us enjoy their return and perhaps wish we had the guts to do the same.

Don’t Underestimate Your Problem

Now is the time for the private individual to take the same route as the celebrity because we’re humans too. As the rock singer Neil Young once noted in the title song of his On The Beach album, recorded when he was in the depths of despair following the drug-related deaths of two close friends and his own struggles with addiction and the pressures of stardom, “Though my problems are meaningless, that doesn’t make them go away.” If we have a problem, first we need to recognise that’s what it is. Then we can take practical steps towards resolving it.

Perhaps part of the difficulty of this is that the very word problem has been all but outlawed. We are urged to think of them as challenges or downgrade them to issues and just battle on. Now, fortunately, the world is becoming wiser and more accepting, so the stoic, macho masks we hide behind can be torn off as we get help.

What Kinds of Problems Do I Need to Consult a Psychologist For?

The list of potential mental health issues is long, varied and often interlinked. Why are you drinking too much or taking drugs that only make you feel worse when the high has worn off? Why are you eating too much or bingeing on junk food to the point that you’ve put on a lot of weight? Why are you denying yourself sensible levels of food and drink, to the point that you’re losing weight and feeling and looking unhealthy? Why are you losing your temper, flying off the handle at the slightest provocation? Why do you get so easily hurt and offended these days? Why are you nervous when there is no reason to be?

If you’re “not yourself” and it is causing concern to you and/or those around you, you should think about consulting a psychologist to see if, between the two of you, you can get to the bottom of it. You’d do it if it were a physical thing. If you were getting dizzy spells or starting to limp because your knee hurt; if you had constant ringing in your ears, persistent diarrhoea or constipation, or a thousand other things, you’d go and get it checked out. Issues of the mind should be subject to the same assessment and action. If something is beginning to affect your relationships, your work, your ability to sleep or your quality of life in general, the way to identify the underlying problem is to consult a psychologist.

How Do I Go About Consulting a Psychologist?

If you have medical insurance that covers mental health, you can go directly to a psychologist. If not, you can go to your doctor and ask for a referral. This might not be something you’ve done before, but the process is quite simple, so why not do something about it? Go and see a psychologist and get your problem treated.