How long does it take
to know that you need psychological support and then to take the first step in
seeking it? Only a fraction of people who know that they need psychological
support and want to receive support actually take the step in seeking it. A new
study published in Clinical Psychology
& Psychotherapy documents the processes in making a decision to seek
psychological support (Research Digest, The
British Psychological Society, October 7, 2015).
A European survey
published in 2009 found that 9,000 people showed evidence of significant
depression or anxiety, and only 33% thought that mental health services could
help them. The new 2015 study takes the research further by analyzing the
processes people go through when deciding that therapy could be useful – and
actually arranging an initial appointment.
Katherine Elliot and
colleagues assessed 155 people who had made initial contact with psychological
services at a university training clinic. The researchers asked the
participants how long they had their current mental health problem, how long it
took to decide that therapy could help them, how long it took them to decide to
seek help, and how long it took them to arrange their first appointment. The
participants were followed up after their third therapy session and again when
they completed their course of therapy.
The participants’
current mental health issues included anxiety, depression-related, anger
management, and sexual issues.
The results showed
that participants had their current issue for an average of 10.5 years. They
said the most difficult step in starting therapy was deciding that therapy
could be beneficial for them. They were undecided or not convinced that therapy
would work, and would therefore be a waste of time and money, and cause further
anxiety.
Once participants knew that their problem was at a stage
where they needed help and support,
it took 44% of them an average of 4 months to decide that therapy might help.
However 40% said it took them a year or more to take the next step, and 16%
said that they decided straight away, once they realised).
Once participants thought that psychological support and
therapy could help them, each
subsequent step in getting help became progressively quicker and easier. The
time it took to actually make an appointment was just a few weeks. But of those
who made an appointment, 25% did not go.
Once participants
began therapy, those that found it difficult to decide whether to make an
appointment, and found it difficult to initiate an appointment, also expected
the therapy to be difficult. In other words, they were still worried that it
would not help them because they thought their problem was insurmountable:
beyond help. However Elliot’s study found that there was no correlation between
expectations of difficulty in being helped and the participants’ level of
commitment in wanting to be helped. In other words, once in therapy, the
participants did not resist help, and were cooperative in receiving help.
There is no data on
whether the therapy was successful. There is also no data on those people who
did not seek help. This study was only conducted on people who did seek help –
i.e. people who made initial contact. Therefore there are no insights into why
people don’t seek support – and therapy is not the only solution to resolving
issues – so there is no study on alternative options and decisions. In
addition, this study of 155 participants is a small sample.
What the study did
show was that the most challenging and time-consuming part was: (1) arriving at
a point in deciding that the issue required a solution – i.e. recognising that
help was needed, and (2) arriving at the decision that therapy could be
beneficial to solve the problem.
Elliott, K.,
Westmacott, R., Hunsley, J., Rumstein-McKean, O., & Best, M. (2015). The
Process of Seeking Psychotherapy and Its Impact on Therapy Expectations and
Experiences Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 22 (5), 399-408
DOI: 10.1002/cpp.1900
http://digest.bps.org.uk/2015/10/the-psychology-of-realising-that-you.html
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