Talk therapy is a crucial part of one’s overall wellness

Mental health and treatment for mental illness can be rooted all the way back to ancient Greece. Even though the Greeks didn’t get everything exactly right, they were the first recorded population to see mental illness for what it was: an ailment of the mind. Before then, and even still, many attributed the symptoms of mental illness to a demonic possession or a sign of malevolent deities. 

It’s understandable why people in the ancient times viewed mental illness as a procurement of an evil spirit, since that seemed to be the only logical answer at that time. However, through significant medical research over the years — especially over the past century — doctors and medical researchers alike have attributed the symptoms of mental ailments to a wide array of mental illnesses. In short, the Greeks were onto something and medical research and clinical trials conducted centuries later back them up.

With that said, there remains an ever-present heavy stigma that comes along with the treatment of mental illness that may be rooted to the age-old assumptions of demonic possession and similar narratives. It’s fair to say that most people in today’s world understand mental illness for what it is — an illness. However it’s the treatment that is still not approached in the same manner as, for example, a broken leg, and that is where the stigma lies.

Whether it’s a bout with depression,  lingering grief over the loss of a loved one, overwhelming stress caused by the school deadlines or even just symptoms of untreated mental illness, therapy is essential. Talk therapy is a completely normal and healthy approach to ensuring your overall wellness, and it should never be looked down upon or labeled as unnecessary. It is the first step to take in caring for your mental health and arguably the most crucial element to achieving overall wellness.

I know this to be true because I was 9  years old when I went to therapy for the first time. Most consider this to be quite young for therapy, but, over time I’ve learned that you’re never too young — or too old for that matter — to assess feelings. My mom told me that she was going to introduce me to “someone special” that I could talk to, and as a quiet 9-year-old with no concept of mental health or wellness (and an overwhelming need for my parents’ approval), I blindly obliged and said, “OK!”

It was pretty awkward for a while. For the first couple of weeks, I would just sit there and stare at the wall or fixate on the rug fibers below my feet, forcing my therapist to probe me to speak. After a few months, I started to open up and feel more comfortable talking about the surface level issues in my life — like the disagreement I had with my best friend or how sad I was that my crush didn’t notice my new outfit at school — but I still avoided touchy subjects.

It took years for me to be able to open up and talk about my trauma. Years. I had internalized all of this pain and anguish for so long that I had convinced myself that doing so would make it all just go away. What happened, though, was just the opposite. My mental health snowballed, and my issues became more difficult to articulate. I found myself to be emotionally stunted as a 9-year-old, and it took a lot of hard work to forge the long road of healing.

I am 20 now, and I try to attend therapy weekly. There are still things that, after 11 years, I struggle to talk about. With that said, I cannot imagine where I’d be, or even if I would be, without therapy. It’s a daunting thought — but nonetheless a reminder of the necessity of therapy and the importance of mental health to overall wellness. I am eternally grateful to my first therapist, Amy, for being so astute, patient, kind and understanding. I am grateful for my mother and her awareness in understanding that my trauma would only worsen without early intervention.

Therapy is a crucial component of mental health, and it’s essential to overall wellness. No matter how big or small you believe your problems to be — therapy helps give an objective perspective to these issues and provide insight to work through them. There is no “right” time or age to go to therapy, and it should always be approached free of stigma or judgment. 

I hope that, through this column, that sentiment will persist. Together, we can solidify a healthy and open approach to mental health and wellness. 

Adriana Zraly is a junior writing about mental health and well-being. Her column, “Piece of Mind,” runs the last Wednesday of every month.