VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

The fact that psychotherapy is useful in the treatment of mental disorders is well known, but it is less known that it can also be used by people who do not struggle with mental disorders. Difficulties in interpersonal relationships, lack of self-confidence or problems with making decisions - all these and other problems can be solved just by going to the right therapist.

Psychotherapyis a very general term. many of its types, such as psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychoanalysis. Individual therapy, as well as couple therapy or family therapy are possible.

In general, psychotherapy is generally believed to be assessed very differently. Specialists have no doubts that it is a good method for solving various problems. However, many people believe that talking to a therapist has no real way of helping them. There are various reasons for this thinking. One of the possible options may be … the simple fear of opening up to a stranger. These fears are not unfounded - in fact, psychotherapy is not easy at all and during it the patient may feel more or less discomfort. However, psychotherapy is there to help the patient solve the difficulties they face on a daily basis.

Psychotherapy and mental disorders

Psychotherapy is one of the methods of treating various mental disorders. It can be used by patients with depressive disorders, but also by people struggling with some anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety disorder with panic attacks or specific phobias.

Therapy can be very helpful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorders (obsessive compulsive disorders), eating disorders (such as anorexia and bulimia) and various types of personality disorders.

Sometimes psychotherapy is a method of treatment supporting pharmacotherapy, and sometimes it should be the primary method of treating mental disorders. The latter situation can be seen in the case of personality disorders, but also in the case of autism spectrum disordersor hyperkinetic disorders (ADHD).

Psychotherapy can be used not only by people with mental disorders, but also by people who struggle with other types of difficulties.

Psychotherapy and difficulties in interpersonal relationships

Nowadays, various types of interpersonal relations seem to shape a bit differently than a dozen or so years ago. Many relationships fall apart after a very short time, divorces currently surprise few people. The pace of life, striving to climb the next rungs of the professional ladder as quickly as possible or even the emergence of a pandemic result in the fact that interpersonal relationships simply suffer.

More and more people nowadays find it difficult to communicate with both their loved ones and other people around them. It happens that they feel downplayed, they have the impression that the partner does not want or is unable to meet their expectations, and their colleagues and superiors do not appreciate their commitment.

When a patient feels tense due to such difficulties, he begins to lack motivation and begins to feel that he is completely alone with his problems. In such a situation, it is worth considering using psychotherapy.

Together with the therapist, it will be possible to objectively look at the difficulties faced by a given person, but also to develop such patterns of conduct, thanks to which they will be able to openly communicate their needs to others.

Psychotherapy and difficulties with making decisions

Some people have difficulty making different decisions. Sometimes these are decisions regarding the choice of studies, and sometimes the place of residence, going on vacation or getting married.

Just as problems with choosing the right product in the store do not make it difficult for people to function, the choice of which field of study to choose and what to do later in the future can be very difficult.

It is not uncommon for a person who has problems making decisions to be ultimately guided by the opinions of other people - parents, partner or friends. She may eventually decide to do what does not quite suit her. Finally, it may come to the point that she will feel bitterness, anger at herself or frustration.

When making any decision is very difficult, it is worth considering psychotherapy. Together with the therapist, it will be possible to search for the reasons why the patient is unable to decide on anything, and then make his decision-making finally possible.

Psychotherapy and various failureslife

Modern times can hardly be considered friendly. One can mention here, for example, the pandemic, which negatively affected the lives of the majority of the population. Losing a job, relationship problems or school difficulties have become a reality.

Just as some people start looking for another job after being terminated, others find it much harder to come to terms with. The same happens with relationship breakdowns - some recover quickly, while others experience the breakup for a very long time.

The above-mentioned problems can lead to various difficulties - in some they result in withdrawal from interpersonal relationships, in others they develop depression, and in still others the consequence is excessive use of psychoactive substances.

When you have the impression that nothing is going well in your life, you should think about using the help of a psychotherapist.

Together with a specialist, it will be possible to analyze why the events had such a strong impact on the patient, but also to find solutions for dealing with difficult emotions in a different way than by drowning one's sorrows in alcohol or masking them by taking other substances.

Psychotherapy and excessive impulsivity

A trait of some people is impulsiveness - it doesn't take much for minor problems to really make them explode. The occasional situation is hardly a problem. However, when a person is tense all the time and a wrongly bought product by a partner leads to a row that lasts several hours, the problem should definitely be looked at.

It may be difficult to convince an overly impulsive person to visit a therapist. However, it is definitely worth doing, because psychotherapy can not only help find the cause of excessive irritability, but also help find ways to make the patient experience outbreaks as little as possible.

Psychotherapy and problems with drug use and other addictions

In the context of addiction, the most common problems until recently were alcoholism and drug addiction. Currently, however, more and more is said about other addictions, such as addiction to the computer, gambling, pornography and shopaholism.

These types of problems can have a destructive impact on both the family and professional life of the addicted person.

So you have to fight addictions. The method by which they can be overcome is precisely thispsychotherapy. Both group and individual therapy are used. Their main purpose is to find out why the patient has lost control over his / her behavior and to support him / her in maintaining abstinence.

Psychotherapy and lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem

The media still promotes the image of successful people, who are beautiful, rich, and even when they have five children under their care, and they always have time to make a perfect make-up, and after the apartment they walk in high-heeled shoes.

Most people know perfectly well that the reality of the media is somewhat false. However, it still happens that communing with her leads to various types of complexes or lowered self-esteem.

Some people struggle with low self-esteem from early childhood. There are different reasons for this. Sometimes it is the parents' incorrect behavior to blame, sometimes school problems or repeated failure in relationships.

Low self-esteem can also be associated with self-appearance complexes, which are not always justified. Theoretically, the lack of self-confidence is not a major problem, but in practice it can even make it difficult to fight for your right in everyday situations.

We are talking here, for example, about the difficulties with enforcing the proper performance of works by the hired renovation team or obtaining compensation from a travel agency when a dream holiday trip, bought for a large sum of money, was far from perfect.

In a situation where the patient notices that his lack of self-confidence simply hinders his functioning, you can go to a psychotherapist for help. With it, it will be possible to focus on the causes of this condition, as well as strengthen the patient's self-esteem and build his self-confidence.

Psychotherapy: what to do to benefit from it?

There are two options for using psychotherapy. Psychotherapeutic help is available both within the National He alth Fund and private therapeutic centers.

In order to benefit from psychotherapy under the National He alth Fund, it is necessary to find a mental he alth clinic (PZP) or a mental he alth center (CZP). In addition, you must have a referral to start the therapy - you can get them from any doctor. They are most often issued by primary care physicians (family physicians).

As it is not difficult to guess, however, psychotherapy at the National He alth Fund - unfortunately - is not easily available. Queues are often long, and there may be two or even two meetings for thatonce a month only. Such frequency - especially when the patient is struggling with significant difficulties - is definitely too low.

For this reason, many people eventually decide to resort to commercial psychotherapy. The cost varies in this case, usually the price of one session of psychotherapy is in the range of PLN 100-150.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Category:

Psychology