When should you see a therapist or counselor?

When you are unable to cope with the problems you are facing. If you can’t get out of bed in the morning and would like to. If you are fretting about things and can’t get them sorted out in your mind and it’s driving you crazy. If you hear voices and there is no one in the room and the radio or TV isn’t on. Some times a friend can help. If that doesn’t work, you may need professional help.
Welcome to Fluther!

When you can’t seem to help yourself.

If you are clinically depressed.

When you need someone else’s insight.

I highly recommend therapy. It certainly helped me.

By the way, welcome to Fluther.

I think that any time you are having trouble clarifying the thoughts in your head, or figuring out how to proceed with something is a good time to hire an objective professional to help you process. (If you can afford it. )

If you have a problem you just have no idea how to deal with, you might go in for short term therapy. Maybe for a time or two. Therapists should be able to help you sort yourself out pretty quickly.

If you have a specific problem, such as a fixation on porn, or an inability to go to work, or are having trouble with a spouse, that would be good to see a therapist for.

There are also longer term, more serious issues. Others have mentioned them: mental illnesses of all kinds would appear here. Depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders, ADD and all kinds of other things are in this category. It’s where you have a diagnosis from a Psychiatrist, or you have a chronic problem that is bothering you. These kinds of conditions are a slam dunk as far as deciding that therapy is needed.

Thanks for the input.
How do you know if you’re depressed or just a very emotional person who feels deeply?

You can be a person who is very emotional and who feels deeply and it can be illness. The feelings, I believe, are a gift, but if they get to be too much, they can kill you. I know. I nearly died. When I got the feelings to quiet a bit, they became a blessing because I understand so much more now than I did before, including what it’s like to want to die.

It’s all an issue of manageability. But it is really hard for us to judge this for ourselves. I couldn’t do it. Finally my wife had to tell me I was sick.

I think as a basic rule of thumb, if you are wondering if you are depressed, you need to go get evaluated.

@Eroundy12 , that’s EXACTLY what a counselor can help you sort out.

I guess its easier to tell yourself theres no problem rather than dealing with it. I suppose I’m afraid to actually go talk someone about my problems. I don’t want them to consider me a crazy person or find out its worse than I thought and have a serious issue. I guess I’m afraid to find out whats wrong with me. And I sure as heck don’t want to be treated like I am crazy. Idk…

A counselor won’t treat you like you’re crazy. If the option is available to you, take advantage of it. I think everyone has times in their lives where a counselor can help them clarify their thoughts. Don’t worry about stygma. The only way to bust the stygma is for enough people to stre it in the face and say BOO!!

In this day and age, it’s really hard to get treated as crazy. People are very polite to me here (mostly) and yet, I am certifiably crazy. Some people even take me seriously!

Seriousness aside, there is a broad spectrum of mental illness. Most of the mentally ill do lead perfectly standard lives, and no one even knows they have a diagnosis. It’s really not that big a deal. Most people who need a little help do not have the kinds of problems we see popularized, like schizophrenia. Only a small portion of the mentally ill hear voices. Most are depressed, and few people in society are aware that one in five Americans has a mental illness. We are hiding everywhere. We do have to hide, but if you are discrete, no one has to know. You are not required to blab all over the place that you see a therapist.

There is no downside to going to a therapist (unless you’re very tight on money, I guess) so if in doubt, go. You don’t have to keep going if you don’t like it.

I knew I needed to go when one day I felt awful and I wasn’t even sure if I was in physical pain or if it was all in my head.