Is Mental Health Stigma worsening the new norm of teletherapy?
During this global crisis, the majority of the human population has shifted their workspace to a digital mode. It started to take a toll on mental health, especially as the pandemic moved on to a second wave. As humans, we started feeling trapped because we had to stay indoors and prevent the spread of this deadly virus. This led to people realizing that mental health is becoming worse and as a result, the mental health professionals joined the other front-line workers. A lot of mental health facilities and organizations grouped mental health professionals to offer pro bono services.
This virus did not cause physical issues to all but it attacked the mental peace of every human. No animal or species is meant to spend this much time at home and stare at a computer screen day and night, every day.
Everyone who spoke on calls and other platforms with their loved ones spoke about nothing other than the mounting frustration, irritation, and wonderment of when this would all end. Every person had a lot of time on their hands to ruminate and think about all the uncertainties that life posed for them.
As Mental Health Professionals joined the front line, to battle the erupting mental health issues it came to attention that the stigma is making things worse. There is a lack of awareness of the importance of counselling and psychotherapy. People do not feel comfortable giving consent to switching on their cameras or talking on an online platform. The client does have a right to their fears and opinions but on the side of the therapist, we rely not only on voice but also non-verbal cues to facilitate the counselling or therapy process. Certain mental health facilities require clients to pull up their sleeves to check forms of non-suicidal self-injury. Non-Suicidal injury is harming oneself to escape emotional pain and with no intention to die. Lack of offline therapy services and providing online therapy makes the outcome lesser than the desired result.
With this prevailing situation making people frustrated, the false knowledge that counseling and psychotherapy provide immediate results and advice somehow strengthens. People are emotionally and mentally exhausted to try and that is the result of this devastating pandemic. Colleagues who share experiences on providing teletherapy speak about how sometimes the necessity to save our life during the global pandemic, out do the necessity to maintain mental health.
Psychotherapy and Counselling involve sharing with a professional any worry following which the professional along with the client work on a plan. The professional has training experience and the client brings the knowledge of themselves to the table. This collaborative planning and execution sum up what it is.
We can change this situation by understanding the importance of psychotherapy and spreading this awareness. Some people may deny their need for help but telling them that as a race we need to destroy the stigma to live a happier life may help. If you are someone who is finding it extremely difficult to hold on go ahead and contact help. This step makes us stronger than we think.
With most people being brought up in situations where they are taught to believe that acknowledging emotional needs make us weak, they do not want to accept that seeking professional help is good for them in the long run. Just as in biological medicine, where visiting a doctor is seen as a beneficial thing to health, the same goes for mental health. A therapist or mental health professional need not be only for people who need help, but can also be utilized by people who wish to grow as a person.
Every person has things they wish to work on in themselves and may not know how to go about it. The online therapy makes it easier to talk with a therapist in an environment that is safe to the client. Some child therapists let children be with their favourite toys in the session. The stigma is making it very difficult to talk and spread awareness on this new mode of providing help.
Mental Health help is for everyone and the pandemic is showing us that mental health is equally important during a global crisis. Online services are safe, American Psychological Association has put out a list of rules to be followed by professionals conducting sessions online. This is to make sure to help people in the best way possible despite the environmental limitations and making sure they have the same rights as an offline setting.
If anyone feels emotionally distressed and if it affects their daily functioning or if they want to grow as a person and know more about themselves, I suggest and urge them to visit a mental health professional. There are many kinds of mental health professionals such as psychiatrists who primarily provide medicine and psychologists who provide counselling and psychotherapy and have been trained to deal with any mental health issue irrespective of the severity. It is completely safe as there are strict and ethical guidelines to be followed by therapists in an online setting.
In a therapy session, the client can speak about anything as they please without fear of judgment and confidentiality will be maintained. A formal complaint can be filed if there is a breach of confidentiality.
Recognizing the stigma is the first step and making amends will become automatic when there is awareness of what is going on. Therapy is for everyone and people who seek help or visit a therapist are strong rather than what people think. The online version may even be more better in some ways the best during this pandemic.
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