How do I know if I need a psychologist? The 10 most important reasons

Psychology is a world that arouses the fascination of many people, but at the same time, it is also one of the professional fields most surrounded by myths and other false beliefs about what psychologists do. For this reason, many people do not know that they should go to a psychologist, even if the problem that they could overcome thanks to that professional help has been affecting them for years or even decades.

So… How do you know if you need to go to a psychologist? Why should you see a psychotherapist? Let's see it.

The main reasons why you should see a psychologist

Without realizing it, on a day-to-day basis, human beings face multiple obstacles more or less successfully, putting into practice emotional management and behavioral self-regulation strategies learned through experience and that often help us overcome obstacles. challenges that life poses. However, sometimes these ways of behaving that we have internalized not only do not help us, but also aggravate our problems and make us enter into a dynamic of self-sabotage.

In some cases, this kind of experiences give rise to psychological disorders (which have part of their causes in biological predispositions and another in the actions and routines that we have internalized through experience); in others, they generate discomfort that technically does not amount to psychopathology. However, in both situations it is important to seek professional psychological support.

The psychologist is a professional who will help us to make aware of all those unconscious or semi-unconscious problems that we can harbor inside ourselves and reproduce over and over again without realizing it, helping us in the process of overcoming them and making us feel more confident. ability to adapt physically and emotionally to what happens to us.

Taking this into account, it is time to answer the question: how do I know if I need a psychologist? Let's see it by reviewing the main reasons why people go to psychotherapy.

1. Mood disorders

Mood disorders are emotional alterations that intensely affect a person's quality of life and the way they feel at a certain moment in their daily life.

These disorders include, among others, depression (states of sadness and very intense hopelessness) and bipolar disorder, characterized by alternating cases of depression and mania that significantly alter the mental health of the person who suffers from them.

Mood disorders are one of the most commonly treated alterations in the consultations of psychology professionals throughout the world and their treatment is essential to prevent them from becoming chronic and notably affecting the personal and emotional life of people. who suffers from them. In addition, the most severe cases are associated with suicidal ideation.

2. Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders are another of the star consultations that psychology professionals receive daily and consist of an alteration in the mental health of the person that prevents him from functioning correctly in his day to day life.

These types of disorders are characterized by generating in the person a series of physical and psychological symptoms based on high levels of anxiety , which can range from agitation and sweating, to general malaise, suffering, tachycardia, difficulty breathing, dizziness or fainting, in more severe cases.

Some of the most common anxiety disorders are: generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

3. Low self-esteem

Low self-esteem is not in itself a psychological disorder, but it is a significant problem that affects many people. For this reason, it is considered one of the reasons to go to a psychologist, since in therapy people are helped to get rid of those limiting beliefs about the "I" that leads us to self-sabotage.

4. Addictions

Addictions to both chemical substances and certain behaviors (for example, betting on games of chance) are alterations that affect the person's behavior and also their physical integrity, emotional integrity and autonomous decision-making in their daily lives .

There are many types of addictions that exist and all of them can have a very negative effect on both the person's mental health and their physical health, especially if the consumption of the harmful substance or addictive behavior is prolonged.

Some of the most common addictions are: addiction to marijuana, cocaine, alcohol or tobacco, gambling, etc.

5. Interpersonal problems

Relationship problems or the lack of social skills to interact satisfactorily with other people is also a query that psychologists can deal with with great success.

Some people may present certain difficulties when it comes to functioning naturally in social environments, and to overcome their problem there are psychology professionals specialized in the interpersonal field.

On the other hand, it may happen that the person does not have problems in all their social relationships in general, but only in certain contexts, such as marriage or the family of which they are a part. Faced with this kind of problem, it is also advisable to go to a psychologist, since an intervention can be carried out through couples therapy or family therapy .

6. Work stress and behavioral problems at work

Problems at work that can affect our mental health are a significant source of discomfort and suffering, which over time can be associated with other more serious disorders such as anxiety or stress.

Work stress is a growing problem for many workers around the world and going to a psychology and work stress professional is the best remedy to solve it from the root.

7. Existential crises

Life crises caused by job, family or even migration changes are also one of the most common reasons why it is necessary to see a psychologist.

These experiences are characterized by a sense of disorientation or loss of the meaning of life and the feeling of being unable to take a certain direction.

8. Eating Behavior Disorders

Eating problems and disorders are the order of the day in our society and affect increasingly younger people who are influenced by unattainable beauty canons and social pressures of all kinds.

Both anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or vigorexia , and any other disorder related to eating behavior, can be treated by a specialized psychologist.

9. Sleep disorders

Healthy sleep habits are essential to enjoy a healthy life both physically and psychologically; That is why it is so important to sleep daily the necessary hours to rest and maintain constant and balanced sleep patterns .

Sleep disorders can be caused by multiple reasons, the most common are usually cases of anxiety, stress, or any other psychological disorder, something that a psychologist will be in charge of resolving and identifying professionally.

10. Traumas

Traumatic experiences, such as traffic accidents, natural disasters or experiences associated with harassment and violence, can leave psychological sequelae that last for years or decades if they are not adequately addressed through psychotherapy . That is why it is important to go to the psychologist as soon as possible, to prevent these alterations from taking root in the person's life and it is very difficult for them to evoke those memories without suffering a crisis.