The Los Angeles Times
The Importance of Psychotherapy
Many people suffer from mental health issues such as depression
and anxiety. Once they realized they needed help to improve their
mental health; they began to seek additional help from family,
friends and therapists. Therapy has been proven to help people cope
with their emotions in order to live a longer and healthier life.
“About 75 percent of people who enter psychotherapy show some
The chart above explains the suicdie rates by gender and age. As
benefit from it. Psychotherapy has been shown to improve emotions
shown males tend to have more suicide deaths than females. People
and behaviors and to be linked with positive changes in the brain
have always wondered why men are more likely to commit suicide.
and body. The benefits also include fewer sick days, less disability,
In an article by the Suicide gap, five years ago, Josh was standing on
fewer medical problems, and increased work satisfaction.” Even
a bridge, texting his brother a good-bye message. He had been
though there have been many positive results with therapy, some
severely depressed for months, and the counselling that he was
patients may feel no connection between themselves and the
receiving and medication he was on wasn’t helping much. Josh is
therapist due to the ethical boundaries they must follow.
okay and continues to get better. However, he stated “Before, I never
even thought of mental health in terms of what it means to be a man. counselling was not helping. There is a reason for that because his
Through my work I realized that I probably never asked for help therapist was not making a bond with him in order for him to feel
because of those male stereotypes. We have 11 story videos and a comfortable to open up his feelings. He was not getting the full
whole bunch of blogs on the site, and basically every time they experience of couselling. He was not feeling the weight lifting off
didn’t talk about their emotions with anybody, they wanted to figure his shoulders. As much as counselling works for those who seek the
it out on their own.” Josh’s story is only one of many males who do help, the ethical boundaries limiting the therapists to not create a
not seek help due to the male stereotypes. The typical male connection with their patients is refusing them to share their true
stereotype is to show no emotion or to figure out themselves as Josh feelings with them.
stated. “There’s evidence that men who adhere more strongly to
masculine ideals see getting psychological help more negatively. Suicidal people are not the only ones seeking out help. There are
That can result in their feelings building up without an escape valve tons of people across the world who suffer from depression.
– either a personal one, through talking with friends and family, or a However, people who suffer from depression do not seek the help
professional one, through therapy or other mental health services – they need. “People believe that depression is the result of personal
and can escalate to a crisis point.” For these particular reasons is weaknesses and the result of bad karma in a past life. Even worse,
why the male suicide rate is far more severe than the female suicide they don't believe they can be helped, he says — so they don't seek
rate. Men hold their emotions and are afraid to be seen as weak if treatment.”
they seek the help they need. However, Josh did seek help but the
met, seeing the therapist as a worthy ‘copilot,’ and recognizing that
the program had a flexible structure.” People need to enter the
therapy process by being positve. These therapists are professionals
in their specific field and know how to approach a client with a
specific mental health issue.
There are many other reasons as to why people with depression
don’t seek the help they need. Two of the most common reasons
besides that treatment would not help are: they couldn’t afford the
cost and thought they could handle it without treatment. However,
the poeple who did attend treatment said their feelings were met. A Above are the takeways from the three month therapy session. The
study conducted by MaruSue V. Heilemann on second-generation latinas felt an increase in confidence which can lead to positive
low income latinas who attended therapy after being diagnosed with outcomes in one’s life. As something positive occurs, a patient
depression. The latinas stated “ three things about the therapy slowly overcomes their depression. To add on, seeking
program helped them to engage in the treatment (engagement psychotherapy can have a positive effect on one’s life and the ability
enhancers) including feeling early on that their needs were being to change it.
