Title: Why Don’t People Seek Help for Mental Illness? | High Watch Recovery
Headings: Why Don’t People Seek Help for Mental Illness?
Why Don’t People Seek Help for Mental Illness?
Stigma.
They don’t think they need it.
Their conditions make it hard.
There are practical issues.
They are scared of treatment.

Content: Even if someone with depression thinks change is possible, finding a therapist and making an appointment might fall under the category of “impossible tasks”–tasks that aren’t a big deal under normal circumstances, but unbearably difficult when you’re depressed. Social anxiety disorder can make the prospect of telling your doctor about your problem or calling a therapist to set up an appointment extremely intimidating. Just as it’s almost impossible to drive yourself to the hospital when you have a bad flu, having a mental illness can make it extremely hard to seek treatment on your own initiative. This is why the support of friends and family is so important and why we need public programs to help people without that support. There are practical issues. There are a number of practical issues that can make it hard to get mental health care. One is simply availability. This is especially true in rural areas. These areas are often medically underserved and the situation for mental health care and addiction treatment is even worse. Older people are especially affected by this issue since many can’t drive and have trouble getting around.