Over the past few years, Malawi has seen some improvement in the way we view mental health and the discourse surrounding it. One of the most effective ways of improving one’s mental health is through psychotherapy.
The term may intimidate a lot of people, but therapy only refers to treatments that aim to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviours.
Although we live in a society that attaches a lot of stigma to mental health and its improvement, therapy has more good to offer than harm. Therapy improves communication skills.
People learn to share how they feel in a healthy manner in their sessions. This is very helpful with those who tend to let their emotions get the better of them with short tempers or those who keep things to themselves. Improved communication skills lead to expressing oneself without the risk of alienating others with poor delivery. It goes without saying that the most obvious reason for getting therapy is to treat mental health conditions.
Depression and anxiety are the most common, but they are far from the only ones that need to be treated. Most Malawians never even know when they have a mental condition because getting a diagnosis ties into the stigma that always hangs over our head with this topic. Getting a diagnosis, however, is the first step in battling the surge in suicide rates among the youth in this country. There is an element of self-reflection that comes with therapy.
Delving into one’s psyche with a trained professional allows people to understand themselves well. This means learning to analyse thoughts, feelings and understanding the motivations we have for doing some things. Being aware of our inner workings on such a level brings self-improvement in easy reach of anyone undergoing therapy.
The truth is that there are far more reasons to see a therapist. It benefits us more than some would like to believe. It’s not for everyone, but if you find yourself overwhelmed with the pressures of life often enough to ask yourself if you need it, one session couldn’t hurt.
