'Freud Intensifies' has amassed a whopping 1 million followers who enjoy scrolling through the memes that make them feel seen and understood. It covers anything from mood swings, current difficulties, past trauma, depression and anxiety, which no one is immune to. By adding a touch of humor to the mix, this page is the place to be for anyone who enjoys a refreshing and even soul-soothing outlet that makes them feel less alone.
Although the page has gathered enormous popularity, therapy still appears to be a taboo topic in the eyes of many. However, we at Bored Panda are firm believers that all of this needs to change. After all, seeking professional help comes with a host of benefits, from helping you work through past trauma to arming you with healthy coping mechanisms and guiding you to a more fulfilling and happier life.
So to gain more insight on the topic from an expert, we spoke about the stigma of therapy and taking care of our mental health with Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, performance coach, and creator of Mental Drive. Klapow works with individuals and organizations across the globe to help them improve productivity, health, and achieve their goals.
Being the founder of a psychological well-being initiative that helps people access the best-in-class psychological tools to live healthier, more fulfilled, and successful lives, Klapow was more than happy to shine some light on the matter and assure us that the situation has been improving over time.
"We have come so far in reducing the stigma of mental health conditions and problems. But mental health conditions are silent," Klapow told Bored Panda. "They can look like everyday challenges, and it can be difficult to know when is it time to get help and when is it time to try to manage on your own."
Although the vast majority of people can benefit tremendously from counseling, "there are also strong cultural stigmas around mental health problems." The realm of therapy still remains quite mysterious to most, and one of the greatest challenges about this is that only the mental health professionals and the people going to therapy actually know what it is about.
"I always tell people that you may think you are the only one reaching out, but because of confidentiality, you don’t know that your friends, co-workers and family are also reaching out," Klapow added. "No one knows who is reaching out and who isn’t, so it becomes a secret. The reality is that despite the stigma, millions of people are actually reaching out."
While there are legions of negative labels put on therapy by society, one of the most common ones is that seeing a professional means you must be, well, "out of your mind." But, as Klapow always says, "'crazy' people don’t reach out when they have a problem. The most 'normal' and healthy thing you can do is reach out for help."
The clinical psychologist noted that when people are struggling, they should make the effort to tackle the issue: "Sanity is addressing the problem. Insanity is ignoring it."
The creator of Mental Drive also mentioned some of the reasons and motivations that make people reach out for help. "Typically, when problems with emotions, thoughts or actions are starting to impact our daily functioning, that is the cue for people to reach out."
"When we can’t do the things we want to do or need to do, when our friends and family are impacted, when we feel like we can’t manage, we tend to seek care," he continued. "The most common reasons are feelings of anxiety, depression, challenges with substances, emotional control."
Getting an unbiased perspective from a professional can be a wonderful step in taking care of your mental health, but opening your inner world for a stranger to dissect can feel a little bit scary. While it’s normal to be nervous about counseling, especially about your first session, a good therapist is bound to put you at ease. And remember, even when it may seem hard to tell your story at first, you’re probably going to feel much better for having told it, and leave a bit lighter than when you first came in.
Of course, one of the challenges of counseling is that there is a cycle of ups and downs as you get better. "I always tell people to give therapy at least 5 sessions before you make up your mind," Klapow added.
