Clients are more than just diagnoses on the page. We don’t seek to limit you or label you, but understanding some commonly-used terms can be useful in describing the types of struggles you’re dealing with.
Depression
Depression is the feeling of being stuck. People going through depression often experience difficulty feeling happiness and can lose interest in people and things they used to enjoy. They may feel like they have no motivation or direction, and they might judge themselves and feel guilt or shame. People also tend to feel isolated or different, making it hard to connect with other people. Often, people with depression experience changes in sleep (either sleeping too much or too little) and appetite (eating more or less).
Therapy can help by re-instilling a sense of hope. We can help clients challenge their negative thoughts about themselves and the world, freeing them up to change their situations and break out of the ruts they find themselves in.
Anxiety
Anxiety is best described as excessive worry. People with anxiety can experience racing thoughts and have a tough time slowing down or quieting their mind. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed, tension throughout the body, and difficulty sleeping.
Sometimes (but not always), the worry can take over, causing a person to spin out of control and have a panic attack. During a panic attack, the worry increases and the body reacts with symptoms like elevated heart rate, hyperventilation, dizziness, and chest pain. People having a panic attack sometimes think they’re having a heart attack (which creates more worry), and they may even go to the emergency room.
When the anxiety mostly has to do with how other people see you and think of you, we call it social anxiety. This intense worry can cause people to cancel plans and close themselves off from social situations.
Therapy can help clients by teaching them how to examine their anxious thoughts and counter them with a more realistic perspective. We also teach techniques to relax the body and mind when the worry becomes intense.
Men’s Issues
Although depression and anxiety can affect anyone, women and men each experience their own specific challenges in our culture. Men are taught that it’s “unmanly” to have feelings like shame, fear, doubt, embarrassment, and hurt – and that it’s “weak” to admit to those feelings out loud. Because of this, a lot of men aren’t taught how to handle those feelings, and when they come up, they show the one feeling they are allowed: anger. Fear of seeming weak also causes some men to put impossible pressure on themselves to always be a “soldier” – go to work, provide for your family, and don’t complain. Without healthy outlets, some men find relief in substances, workaholism, or cheating on their partners.
Therapy can help by teaching men that they have feelings whether they acknowledge them or not, and that understanding how to manage their emotions makes feelings a strength, not a weakness.
PTSD
When people experience or witness a violent or very disturbing act, or live under the threat of these acts, they can develop posttraumatic stress disorder. People with PTSD are haunted by the trauma: they may have intense intrusive memories or nightmares, and often avoid certain people, places, and situations to try to prevent triggering these intrustions. Some people feel constantly on edge – on the lookout for threats and always ready to react immediately. People might also blame themselves for what occurred and develop a sense of shame.
Therapy can help clients to more permanently move traumatic memories to the past, rather than having them intrude on their daily lives. Work also focuses on helping clients challenge the negative thoughts that tell them they are not safe or should be ashamed.
Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is commonly misunderstood to mean that people have mood swings (“an hour ago I was happy, and now I’m sad – I’m so bipolar!”). People suffering from bipolar do experience mood swings, but they are much more profound and longer lasting. Specifically, they experience mania, in which they feel elevated and invincible. During these periods they have boundless energy and may not be able to sleep or even sit still. People experiencing mania often engage in risk-taking behavior, including hypersexuality and spending large amounts of money.
After a manic episode (which must last two weeks or more), people suffering from bipolar disorder have a “crash” and experience a depressive episode, experiencing the depressive symptoms described above.
Therapy can help (along with medication), by teaching people with bipolar disorder to challenge their negative thoughts during a depressive episode and be more conscious and aware of warning signs of a manic episode.
Addiction/Overeating
Does it seem strange to have grouped addiction and overeating together? They have a lot in common. While using substances or bingeing may start out as genuinely enjoyable, addicts and overaters eventually come to depend on these behaviors as ways of coping with or distracting from other difficulties they’d rather not face. Eventually, their way of coping with one problem creates another problem.
Therapy can help addicts and emotional eaters by helping them challenge their cravings and stay true to their long-term priorities instead of using short-term solutions. Therapy can also help by helping people increase insight into why they use and help them find other ways to resolve their problems.