For
years, I have been crying out for help. I have been crying out for help since I
was 14 years old. That’s when my depression started. I knew I needed help. I
had been suicidal on and off since I was 16. We never found a good counselor, until I went to college. After
college, I was told we could not afford another counselor. Unfortunately, I’m still crying out for help, I know I need help, I
just have no way of getting the help that I need.
I
may not be able to get the help that I need, but I still want to encourage
those who may need to get the help that they need to go get some help. Did you
know that 1 in 4 people have a mental illness? I know there’s some stigma to
mental illness. You probably think people may think you are insane. You
probably think you’re insane. I know the feeling as I have a mental illness as
well. Trust me when I say, you are not insane. You are not alone. If you think
you cannot be helped, that is not true. No one is beyond the point where they
cannot be helped.
I
know what some of you are probably thinking. You feel like you cannot be helped
or even if you feel you’re willing to try, you might be hesitant. Why? There
could be a number of reasons. Maybe you’ve had bad experiences, maybe it’s hard
to trust someone, or maybe just trying to find a good counselor is just so
overwhelming, you do not know where to start. I feel I should really stress this, if you feel you are
a danger to yourself or others and/or if you are suicidal, let someone know,
get some help, call 911 if you have to, call a crisis hotline, I will give you
a link to some crisis hotlines in this post, just do not ever try to commit
suicide.
Going
to therapy is a very good thing. Going to therapy does not mean they just push
more medications on you. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, medications are not
in my area of expertise, my point is, there are other options that people may
or may not know about, but they still include getting professional help. There
are other therapies out there that may help in your situation.
I
did a little research to give you some good links to check out. This first link
lists all the types of therapies and it has links in that page for you to learn
more about the types of therapies.
This
second link shows you how therapy can help and gives you tips on how to find a
good therapist.
I
know, I know, these two links have a lot of information, right? It seems
overwhelming, doesn’t it? I cannot suggest one therapy over another because
everyone is unique. One therapy may work for one person but not for the next.
It is up to you to look through this information and get some help.
If
you’re not sure where to look or what to do next, how about asking someone you
trust to help you search for a good counselor? You may find a good counselor
that you trust on the first, second, or third try or you may not find one until
your tenth try, just don’t give up, it’ll be worth it.
One
other thing, I want to talk about emotional support. If you know someone is
depressed or anxious, don’t just brush it off. It can be hard to support
someone like this, but that’s a true test in life, that friends and/or family
members are willing to not give up on each other, no matter what. And to those
who are depressed or anxious, I encourage you to talk to those you trust, ask
them to help you. If you need help but you're not sure where to go from there,
talk to a friend, a family member, or someone you trust. Ask them to help you
find a good therapist. It may help to have someone go with you, for moral
support.
Here
is a link to a crisis hotline that you can call. It is available 24/7 and when
you call, you will be able to reach a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis
center near your area and it is free. But I strongly suggest that you do not
use this as a replacement to therapy.
I
guess what I’m trying to say is that you are not alone. There is someone out
there who cares. I'm probably just a stranger to most of my readers here, but
even of you think there’s no one in your life that cares, I care. I really do.
This is why I do this, I’m bringing the information to you, because I care,
very much, and I know how it feels, I've been there.
Until next time, God bless.
- Chloe
