My yoga teacher told me that an evil spirit is essentially bad thoughts repeating in a person’s head. I keep PRAYING, but the evil thoughts persist like they are out of my control. I read in a kid’s Bible, and one verse said to give up all of your possessions.”
The nonverbal student stood in front of his tutor meekly offering two different Star Wars space ships. One was big. One was small. The scribbled message, however, seemed to be a combination of something that was both big and small. A big worry, with a small offering for some kind of help. With his parent standing close by, the 14-year old Autistic student was clearly asking for help. Could the tutor, by accepting the offering of these Star Wars toys, rid the student of his rituals? Was there a way for the tutor to help rid the young man of the evil spirit that the young man was convinced was dictating his behaviors? Behaviors that found this young man and his family home schooling after a disastrous start to his eighth grade school year.
With tears in her eyes, the tutor looked toward the parent and hoped beyond hope that the family was seeking some kind of counseling for the young man who wanted to exercise more control over how his days went.
Do You Know Someone Who Is Struggling with Depression, Anxiety of Some Other Kind of Mental Conflict?
The holidays are a time of celebrations and festivities for many people. For others, however, the holidays are a stressful time of loneliness and anxiety. The fact that this week’s social media posts feature reminders of the suicide Prevention Hotline is just one indicator that the months of November, December, and January are not happy times for all Americans. Psychotherapy services and other counseling options are often a more important aspect of the holiday season than a gift under the tree for many struggling individuals.
Unfortunately, as many as 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by the time they reach the age of 18. How families deal with the conditions can determine whether or not that adolescent is able to reach a stable adulthood and lead a normal life. And while some parents do their very best to get the counseling services that their children need, these needs often continue for many more years. Understanding that mental health is really a medical concern that everyone needs to be concerned about is a challenge that seems to be ongoing in America.
As families sometimes struggle to get the treatments that they need covered by their health insurance providers, they also realize that the success of many of these treatments depend on the continued access to the needed counseling sessions and medications.
Even more unfortunate is the fact that as many as 50% of Americans with major depression do not ever seek treatment for their mental illness. Untreated, these individuals can suffer from worsening conditions and actually become a danger to themselves or to others. Events like this last week’s social media postings strive to help people know that others are available for help and that there is quick and easy access to the Suicide Prevention Hotline.
The fact that 350 million people around the world are affected by some form of depression is reason enough for the world’s population to concentrate on getting the necessary help to the individuals who need it the most. A concentrated effort on the part of government officials and the medical community would go a long way toward making insurance companies provide families the coverage that they need. Without efforts from all fronts, however, it is likely that many people will continue to go untreated for depressive tendencies that they have.
When a young man who is barely a teenager finds himself asking heart wrenching questions like how to rid of an evil spirit he fears is possessing him it is essential that this be recognized as a plea for help. The combination of loving parents, attentive educators, school systems, and counseling services may be able to help. By providing straight forward answers, the adolescent’s struggle may actually subside.