I’m 22f and I’ve been struggling a lot with my mental health. I need help. Like I really need help at this point but I’m having a hard time finding the courage to reach out for help. I’ve been meaning to make an appointment with the counselor at my college but I keep putting it off. It just makes me so anxious. I don’t know if I could do this on my own. My college actually makes it pretty easy to make an appointment. Literally all I have to do is fill out a form online and I’m still can’t bring myself to do it.
The questions they ask on the form also makes me kind of nervous. They ask question like, “Do you have any suicidal thoughts?” and “Do you struggle with self harm?” Both of those are true for me and I don’t know how honest I should be. Like I don’t know if I should lie and downplay what I’m going through right now or if I should be completely honest. I know that I need help. I could just really use some support right now and someone to encourage me to reach out for help. I don’t really have much support right now besides my girlfriend. I haven’t told her about what I’m going through yet because I don’t want her to worry about me. I don’t want to dump all my issues onto her and I want to show her that I’m working on getting help before I do tell her.
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Yes you should be honest. What do you think would happen that is bad if you are honest?
Sharing your feelings is not “dumping” all your issues on her. Tell her you want to see a counselor, and ask her to hold your hand while you do the form.
Or don’t, and I will hold your hand through the internet. I’m a short wide mom of several queer kids (only birthed one, to be real) and I give really good hugs. I make cheesecake, grow plants, and drink too much coffee. There, we’re friends. Let me hold your hand while you tell the truth and get the help you need and that people want to give you.
Be honest.
I’m here. That’s me in my avatar, smiling from the far side of my less-than-intelligent dog.
Be honest. They are there to help you. You need to get that appointment made and get started. It’s scary and stressful filling the forms out, but IT WILL HELP.
OP, you are making progress, making sound decisions and being compassionate toward others. Find that same compassion and respect for yourself- you deserve it, too.
It sounds as if you are struggling with executive function, with doing what you know you need to do. Please don’t be hard on yourself and your brain which is struggling but doing its best. You are in your way to getting the support you need. And you will be healthier for it. Good luck.
You can do it!! The first step is always the hardest.
You should be honest, but you don’t have to go into detail on the forms. You can always talk things through once you’re actually in the therapy. If it makes you feel better, you should know that simply talking about suicidal thoughts does not automatically cause a therapist to send you to a hospital or anything. That only happens when it is a life threatening emergency, just like any other medical emergency. And often times the therapist will talk to you about it and discuss other options, not just send you away. Once you meet with the therapist they will tell you more about how that process works.
Think about why you want to do this. You want to be healthy, if not for yourself, than for the other people you care about in life. That’s a noble goal. It is a courageous thing you’re doing. Once you get started it will get easier.