By Dylana Milobar

Mental health awareness highlighted this month with increase in therapy appointments

Jan 20, 2019 | 4:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Local therapists in the area have noticed they are busier than usual for this time of year.

Shawn Michaud is a therapist with Twin Rivers Counselling Services, and says she’s seen a definite uptick in the number of clients coming in to seek help this month.

She says that increase could be due to the rise of mental-health awareness on social media campaigns, and the yearly winter blues people experience after the holidays.

“What I’m noticing more of than anything is clients presenting with anxiety issues and wanting to change that,” She says, “Improve their quality of life, and realizing that their anxiety is affecting many facets of their lives.”

Michaud says suffering from mental health problems can have an impact on more than just a person’s mental well-being.

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“For example, if somebody is feeling particularly anxious they may sweat, they may tremble, they may have nausea, they may have digestive issues,” She explains, “Anxiety can do a number on the stomach and the digestive system.”

Along with physical symptoms, Michaud says anxiety and depression can even create a dent in the economy.

“They’re so common that actually the Conference Board of Canada is saying lost productivity in Canada due to depression and anxiety costs the Canadian economy over 50 billion dollars per year.”

While the stigma surrounding mental health issues is still there, according to Michaud, it is improving. 

Even without the stigma, Michaud says people getting a handle on their well-being can be tricky, as those suffering from mental illness often don’t realize it.

“They’ll just write it off as ‘I haven’t been exercising enough’ and that sort of thing,” She explains, “And 50 per cent of people who struggle with anxiety and depression or post-traumatic stress typically do not seek help.” 

Its not that people don’t want to get help, she explains, often people don’t think their problems require assistance.

“If they’ve lived with it long enough, they just see it as baseline functioning,” Michaud says, “This is how I’m supposed to function, this is how I’m supposed to feel, this is what life is supposed to be all about. And then they stay stuck there.”

For initial treatment, Michaud says people often see their general practitioner who can prescribe medication for treating depression.

“The numbers support that the best recovery from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress is usually a combination of medication and psycho-therapy at the same time. With the hopes of eventually weaning off the medication,” She explains, “Most people don’t like being on medication, but if its bad enough for them and they’re just not functioning, they may give that a try for a while.”

Though she does acknowledge how beneficial seeing a doctor can be, Michaud says she does have concerns around misdiagnosis, given how quick some appointments are.

“I’m familiar with that. There was a situation in our family with a misdiagnosis for many years,” She explains, “It was my mom. She has passed away, but she was treated for depression for many years, and not properly diagnosed by a psychiatrist until later on in life. And she was actually bipolar.”

Finding a way to treat mental illness is not going to be an easy path, according to Michaud.

“There’s so much that’s still unknown about mental health. And we’re just still trying to get it on the map scientifically.”

If anyone is experiencing anxiety or depression, she recommends reaching out to the many counsellors in Kamloops for support.

“What I’ve learned through my education is you’re going back to whether people feel supported, safe, secure, and accepted.” She says, “There is help available. You don’t have to struggle, and you’re not alone in this.”