The Pros and Cons of Online Therapy

When seeking help for mental health and well being, there are many avenues one can take. For the most part, when someone is dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health struggles, they seek the help of a therapist or psychologist. However, going to a therapist’s office can be very expensive, even with insurance.

Due to the high expenses of therapy, many choose online therapy as a cheaper and more convenient option. However, there are some pros and cons to be weighed with online therapy:

Pro: Easier and More Convenient Access

Many of those living in rural and remote areas, unfortunately, do not have easy access to mental health information or treatment. With the convenience of online therapy, they are able to get the help they need. If there are limited or no mental health practices in their geographic area, they can rely on online therapy to treat and cope with their mental health issues. This is also a huge benefit so those living with a disability who have limited mobility can have access to therapy. It’s also much easier to work in a therapy session into a busy schedule when it can be easily done from the comfort of their own home.

Pro: Less Expensive Than Traditional Therapy

When going to a therapist’s office, they charge a large amount of money by the hour. Even when the patient has insurance, it can be upwards of $200 for an hour-long session. For those who are looking to treat and care for their mental health, money could be a major roadblock. However, online therapy can be a much cheaper option than seeing a therapist in their office. Those without insurance may even be able to find very affordable online therapists to give them the help they are looking for.

Con: Technological Difficulties and Security

While the world continues to become a technologically advanced place, there are still some who struggle with it. Although online therapy is convenient, it can also cause many technical difficulties. If the internet cuts out, your device dies, or you simply cannot figure out how to work the site, it can become a major inconvenience. While everything is online, there is a real threat of hackers and concerns over privacy. Although an online therapist still must uphold confidentiality, everything being transmitted online could mean privacy leaks and hacks.

Con: Unable to Readily Respond in a Crisis 

Even when openly seeking help and treatment for mental health issues, there can be moments of crisis during a therapy session. Online therapists are put at a major distance from their patients, making it nearly impossible to respond in times of crisis. For instance, if a client begins to have suicidal thoughts or threatens to cause themselves harm, it is near to impossible for the online therapist to respond and help them. In order to respond quickly and effectively at a time like this, it is more beneficial to have a traditional face-to-face therapy session.

For more information, check out the New Horizon Counseling Center!

 

This article was originally published on HerrickLipton.net

Coping with OCD During a Pandemic

In times of uncertainty and panic, it can bring out the worst of our mental health, especially when the world is gripped by a pandemic. Many people make the mistake in believing that individuals who have an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are better at dealing with a pandemic than anyone else because people wrongly assume their obsession with cleaning and organizing can help them.

On the contrary, having OCD can actually make it much more difficult to get through a pandemic. For those struggling with their OCD during these hard times, here are some coping techniques to help you through:

Limit News Exposure

While it’s imperative to stay informed on the latest updates of a pandemic to understand new guidelines and developments, it’s also important for your mental health to not overdo it. If you are a person who struggles with OCD, listening to news updates constantly can cause more harm than good. Create rules for yourself by limiting looking at the news to one or two times a day and make sure they are trustworthy sources like the World Health Organization (WHO).

Stick to the Recommendations

Many of the obstacles you have overcome with coping with your OCD can feel threatened when a pandemic strikes. When the experts say the best way of avoiding the virus is to continuously wash your hands, it can be an easy trigger for individuals with OCD. This is why it is important to listen to the advice of health experts and wash your hands, but only as much as they recommend. Make a conscious thought to decide whether your actions to wash your hands or clean surfaces is due to limiting the spread of the virus or if it is brought on by anxious thoughts.

Give Yourself a Break

Although your mental health should always be a priority, give yourself a break now and then. If you have a slip up in times like this it’s important not to be too hard on yourself. Know that it is to be expected. This is a situation that no one is truly prepared for so it can be difficult to cope with the presence of a global pandemic as well as your OCD. If you find yourself regressing and giving into anxiety, remember that to give yourself a break and that future will be better.

This article was originally published on HerrickLipton.net

Entertainers are not Exempt From Mental Health Battles

They say that money can’t buy happiness and apparently, it also can’t buy good mental health. It is easy to look at handsome, beautiful, wealthy and fit celebrities gracing the covers of magazines and assume that their lives must just be sheer bliss. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. Not only do celebrities struggle with all of the same mental health issues as everyone else, but in many cases, their issues are actually exacerbated by their very celebrity itself.

To begin with, the intense scrutiny that celebrities are often placed under gives them very little ability to have any type of private life. Another is the necessity of literally presenting a picture perfect image. Celebrities are a brand in and of themselves, and their very lives have to promote their brand. Individuals that struggle with depression frequently cannot make it out of bed, let alone bathe or groom themselves, let alone go through the rigorous regimen that the public spotlight demands. Therefore, instead of being able to be honest about their struggles, they often have to hide them away in shame, which only further complicates and exacerbates the issue.

Another complication that celebrity brings is never knowing who your friends really are or why (or even if) they genuinely like you. A celebrity merely wearing a certain article of clothing or driving a certain car can significantly increase sales. An aspiring actor or actress merely being seen in the company of a famous celebrity can significantly boost their own career. If everyone has something to gain personally by merely being seen in your presence, it can make you start to constantly question the motivations of everyone around you. It can make celebrities feel as if they are nothing more than a commodity, rather than an actual, genuine, legitimate human being.

Over time, this outlook can drive a wedge between a celebrity and every significant person in their lives. This, in turn, can have a seriously detrimental impact on their mental health and well-being. This is only further exacerbated by the fact that the non-stop glare of the spotlight often makes it difficult if not impossible to seek treatment without the entire world knowing about it. For a non-celebrity, people knowing about a mental health issue they struggle with can be embarrassing. For a celebrity, it can be a career ender.

This article was originally published on HerrickLiptonnhcc.com

5 Podcasts That Can Help Improve Mental Health

When coping with mental health, it’s important to have as many resources as possible. Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, or any other mental disorder, receiving help from any source can lead to breakthroughs and an improved mental state. Therapy, friends, and family are great resources to turn to, but if you’re looking for a little more assistance, podcasts have become a great resource for coping with mental health.

The Hardcore Self Help Podcast

For anyone dealing with depression, anxiety, or trauma, The Hardcore Self Help Podcast is an excellent resource. This podcast is hosted by psychologist Robert Duff who also goes by “Duff the Psych”. Duff offers his professional perspective on topics such as tackling misconceptions of mental health, finding the right therapist for you, postpartum anxiety, and more with an approach that makes his listeners feel heard.

The Hilarious World of Depression

Much like the title implies, The Hilarious World of Depression is a great resource for individuals dealing with depression to have a good laugh. This podcast is part comedy and part therapy and hosted by John Moe. It takes a lighthearted approach to deal with depression and other mental illnesses by having open and honest conversations about tough topics with humor. The show also welcomes many world-famous actors and performers to help bring down mental illness stigma and misconceptions.

The Mental Illness Happy Hour

One of the more popular mental illness podcasts is The Mental Illness Happy Hour and is hosted by comedian Paul Gilmartin. This podcast also takes a lighter approach to coping with a mental illness. The show welcomes fellow comedians, doctors, actors, and performers as guests to discuss their experience and mental health struggles. Some of the topics covered on this show are narcissism, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, social media addictions, and more.

By the Book

By the Book is hosted by comedian Jolenta Greenberg and culture critic Kristen Meinzer. It is a mix of a podcast and reality show, making it a very entertaining way to approach mental health. Host Jolenta and Kristen use each episode as an opportunity to live by the rules of a different self-help book and try to figure out the ones that might actually be life-changing and worth following. This is a great way to discover new coping mechanisms, wellness practices, creative activities, and even gratitude habits.

Bryony Gordon’s Mad World

With the tagline “It’s totally normal to feel weird”, Bryony Gordon’s Mad World is a great podcast for those looking to feel accepted when coping with a mental illness. Bryony Gordon uses each episode as an opportunity to break stigmas and help people cope with depression, OCD, postpartum, anxiety, and more. She brings in many famous people including Prince Harry, Gizzi Erskine, Mel C., and others to discuss tough yet relatable topics.

This article was originally published on HerrickLiptonnhcc.com