Why So Many People Neglect Their Mental Health (and What to Do Instead)

Millions of people neglect their mental health, failing to identify or manage the symptoms that limit them from achieving true happiness or success in life. The benefits of addressing and caring for your own mental health are numerous, so why do so many people neglect it?

And what should a person interested in caring for their mental health do first?

Top Reasons Why People Neglect Their Mental Health

These are some of the biggest reasons why people neglect their mental health.

• Pure ignorance. According to Dr. Sina Saidi, MD, “Some people simply don’t know that they’re dealing with mental health issues. Perhaps they’ve struggled their entire lives, or perhaps they’ve been convinced that they’re imagining or overdramatizing things. In any case, they think there’s nothing wrong, so they don’t seek help.” If you don’t know you have a mental health condition, what would drive you to seek out treatment for it? Even if other people in your life have pointed out the benefits of therapy, you may not think it’s a good fit for you if you believe you’re already mentally healthy.
• Delusions of control. Some people refuse mental health treatment because they believe themselves to be totally in control of their own thoughts, feelings, and life in general. Unfortunately, a host of genetic and environmental influences make this unlikely. You might be better than average at controlling your thoughts and feelings, but there are certain aspects of your mind and emotions that are probably out of your control. Only by acknowledging this do people seek external help.
• Effects of symptoms. Sometimes, people with mental health disorders refuse to seek treatment because of the effects of symptoms related to those very mental health disorders. For example, people with depression often lose motivation and fail to see the point in doing anything, including simple daily activities like showering or brushing teeth. These types of people may have a very pessimistic or fatalistic view of therapy, or they may lack the motivation to make an appointment. This traps them in a self-perpetuating feedback loop in many cases.
• Lack of money. It’s also common for people to resist therapy and mental health treatment because they feel they can’t afford it. However, there are many viable options for people who can’t afford traditional therapy. Most health insurance policies have coverage for therapy, and most therapists have discounted services and financial incentives for patients in financial distress.
• Lack of time. Therapy and most other mental health treatments do take some time. But realistically, even an hour of therapy a week can make a meaningful difference in your life – and most people can afford to carve out an hour a week to work on themselves, even if it means rearranging or sacrificing some other priorities.
• Skepticism of results. Sometimes, people feel skeptical of the results of mental health treatments. They may believe that therapy is useful for some people, but not them, or they may believe that the entire fields of psychology and psychiatry are bunk. There is a host of scientific evidence to prove them otherwise, but often, these types of people refuse to see that.
• Fear of change. It’s true that many medications for the treatment of mental health symptoms come with possible side effects. After taking medication for a few weeks, you may start to feel like a different person, or you may think and feel in somewhat alien ways. For most people, this is a marked improvement, but it is somewhat natural to fear this type of change. That said, many mental health symptoms and disorders can be treated without the use of medication.
• Simple procrastination. And of course, some people delay mental health treatment in an exercise of indefinite procrastination. They keep telling themselves they’ll make an appointment eventually, but they never quite get around to it.

What to Do Instead

If you find yourself in this situation, here’s what you can do instead:

• Start now. Instead of procrastinating or finding excuses to avoid addressing your mental health, get started now. Take 15 minutes out of your day and take the first step toward a healthier mind.
• Make an appointment. Finding a therapist is easy. Look for an experienced professional in your area and set up an appointment. Once it’s on the calendar, you’ll be much more likely to follow through.
• Begin a journal. Journaling is good for your mental health, and for several reasons. Perhaps most importantly, it will help you document and better perceive your symptoms. In the future, you can also use this as a way to chart your progress.

Mental health treatment can be positively transformative as long as you’re willing to make the time and effort for it. Don’t allow yourself to get trapped in a cycle of refusing treatment for yourself.