Sharing – 47% Of Americans Believe Seeking Therapy Is A Sign Of Weakness
ARGH!!!! But not only is the number in headline frustrating so this:
Perhaps the most startling finding of all in the Onepoll survey was that nearly half (47%) of the respondents believe seeking therapy is a sign of weakness, yet only a quarter (27%) have never been to a therapist in their lifetime, which suggests that mental health care has become a more common experience for many Americans than previously assumed.
So, some of that 47% who think seeking therapy is a sign of weakness have, themselves, sought out therapy. I can only assume then that these messages about it being a sign of weakness are so ingrained that people will even view themselves as weak.
I know this feeling. It’s not easy to shake. We do, however, need to do it. It needs to be normalized to the point where we don’t view it as a weakness. That’s not helping.