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There are several stereotypes or stigmas surrounding therapy. These include the belief that “therapy is for the weak,” “medication is for crazy people,” and that it should only be done as “a last resort.”
After learning about the basics of therapy, it is important to know how these stigmas are combatted.
GMA News Online spoke to mental health experts, who said that these stereotypes are “harmful and untrue.”
Therapy is not for the weak
Therapy is not for the “weak” or for “crazy” people, the experts said, as seeking it is a sign of “strength and courage.”
“It takes self-awareness and responsibility to care for your mental health,” Jon Edward B. Jurilla, MD, FPPA and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry of Makati Medical Center said.
Rowalt Alibudbud, a psychiatrist from Medical Center Manila, added, “Seeking help is a sign of self-awareness, not weakness.”
“Even happy people can benefit from therapy,” Anna Cristina Tuazon, PsyD, RPsy, clinical psychologist and professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, said.
Therapy is not ‘a last resort’
Therapy is also not “a last resort,” with Tuazon calling this “inefficient.
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