Therapy Isn’t Just For Crazy People

Emotional Health for the Family

By Dr. Rachel Elahee

For a healthy mind and body, consider talking to a psychologist. Do you recognize that we take better care of ourselves physically than we do emotionally? If you had a broke leg, you would take care of it, prop it up as you were instructed. You would not be trying to run the Peachtree Road Race in a few weeks. However, when we have an emotional injury, we try to accomplish similar feats, often resulting in protracted suffering.

Stress

Stress is any change in your normal routine or health. Stress occurs when bad things happen, as well happy things. Getting a raise or promotion is stress, just as getting fired from your job is stress. Scientists agree that causes actual chemical changes in the brain, and these changes can influence the state of your health. Excessive negative stress can worsen existing risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Eliminating stress completely from your life is impossible. However, implementing some stress management techniques can subdue some of its' harmful effects. Stress management includes following

• a healthy diet
• getting regular exercise
• making time for uninterrupted relaxation

Depression

Depression has a greater impact on overall health than arthritis, diabetes, angina, and asthma, but it all too often goes unrecognized and untreated, a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests. Healthcare providers focused on physical problems may miss symptoms of depression. However, treating depression can have a positive impact on overall health. Some symptoms of depression include:

• Depressed or irritable mood
• Significant changes in sleep, sleeping too much or sleeping too little
• Significant changes in appetite, eating too much or too little
• Poor concentration, indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death
• Fatigue, loss of interest

Obesity

This is one of the nation's fastest-growing health problems. There may be emotional reasons behind why you overeat and unless these are addressed, you could be facing long-term problems. Obesity is often accompanied by depression and one can trigger and influence the other. Action steps to address this problem can include: tracking your eating habits by writing down what you eat.

• Record your state of mind or what you were thinking when you ate. For example, did you go through a stressful experience and felt the need for comfort food?
• Eat the same foods you enjoy but cut down on your portion size. What you eat may not be as much of a problem as what you drink. It is easy to ingest your daily calorie intake through a few too many glasses of juice, soda, and alcoholic beverages.
• Losing weight is easier with support from friends and family
• Weight loss is never successful if you have not begun to resolve the issues that cause you stress.

Common misconceptions about therapy

• “Therapy is for crazy people, and I ain't crazy.” Good news! You don't have to be crazy to go to therapy. Much like a medical checkup, you can benefit from an emotional checkup. Many of my clients come to therapy because they are going through a temporary “phase of life” problem and they need a fresh perspective to help them negotiate the issues.
• "Therapy is for White people” Everyone experiences problems in living and any ethnic group can beneft from therapy.
• “My faith is sufficient”, “Jesus will heal me”, “I take my problems to the Lord.” As a Christian I believe in these three statements, however, it is foolhardy to stop there. Do you use this same philosophy when going to see your physician or dentist? Nothing in the Bible prohibits the use of medication or therapy. Sometimes God uses medicine to heal and sometimes He uses psychotherapy.
• “Why do I have to pay for someone to be my friend?”, “How can someone who doesn't know me help me?”, “I don't believe in airing my family's dirty laundry.” Therapy is not a social relationship. Rather it is a private, therapeutic relationship with a trained professional who can listen to your situation and offer skilled and well informed treatment.
• “I just need to get over it.” Given time and space, some issues will resolve themselves while others will get worse. Sometimes people need a little assistance to “get over it.” It is not a sign of weakness to seek help, rather it is a sign of strength. Fear, shame and pride can prevent you from achieving optimal functioning more quickly.
• “I don't want people at my job to find out my business.” What is discussed in therapy is confidential, which means that only you and your therapist know. The details of your therapy are not reported to anyone else.

Did you know?

• Psychotherapy can have a positive effect on the body's immune system
• 20-60% of breast cancer patients experience symptoms of depression
• Nearly 50% of American households have had someone see a mental health professional
• 9 out of 10 Americans say psychotherapy helped them
• Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide and nearly twice as many American women are affected it than men.

Dr. Rachel Elahee is a licensed psychologist and professional life coach. A native of Cleveland, OH, Dr. Elahee has been practicing in the Atlanta area for approximately seven years. She provides individual, marital and family psychotherapy for adults and adolescents. Additionally, for nonmental health related assistance, Dr. Elahee provides life coaching. V i s i t http://www.novemgroup.com  for more details. Journey Girls, Dr. Elahee's non-profit, 12 week group for adolescent girls will begin it's next session in September 2008  http://www.journeygirls.org.