Five years ago, actor Ileana D Cruz admitted that she struggled with both anxiety and depression, which resulted in hours of crying. She was also plagued by Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and post-partum depression at different stages in her life. Ileana emphasised that acceptance is the first step to recovery, and women should not shy away from seeking help for their mental health issues.
One of the key tools in women’s mental health recovery is psychotherapy – which is sometimes referred to as simply ‘talk therapy’. It sounds simple, yet it is a layered and multi-pronged concept that provides a structured space by a mental health professional to study and understand an individual’s emotional challenges and behavioural patterns. Psychotherapy is used to enhance one’s self-awareness, and help them heal emotionally.
Why Do Women Need Psychotherapy?
Says psychologist Manjula MK, ‘Women’s bodies and minds are complex. In addition to psychological factors, they are also governed by social and physiological factors. Bodily changes such as childbirth, menstruation, menopause, and hormonal fluctuations can impact their mental health. Similarly, the weight of domestic burden, societal expectations, and in some cases even domestic abuse, can significantly increase the chances of anxiety, depression, and mental health disorders. Psychotherapy can help women find their identity, which often gets lost in the various roles they occupy. It can validate her experiences and choices.’
What Kind Of Methodologies Does Psychotherapy Use?
Psychodynamic therapy is a tool that addresses the influence of the unconscious mind and forgotten past childhood experiences. These can potentially can influence a woman’s personality, her traumas and her behaviour. By discovering these hidden insights, women can become more conscious and aware of the issues and beliefs that they have unwittingly nurtured.
‘Most qualified mental health practitioners use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), since it is a scientific and evidence-backed tool to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health issues,’ says Manjula MK. ‘This is goal-oriented and directly affects an individual’s thought process and behaviour. Your psychiatrist or psychologists will help you understand and address unhealthy and harmful behavioural patterns and thoughts, and teach you to cope with them. It can even be used to treat self-esteem issues, eating disorders, and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), which tend to be more common in women than men. I would ideally recommend one-on-one sessions with a therapist. However there are also options for group sessions, self-help methodologies, and online sessions. Group sessions can be helpful in the case of issues such as postpartum depression or relationship challenges.’
Manjula adds that trauma care should be prioritised as a psychotherapy option for women, disseminated in a safe, considerate and non-judgemental environment. This can use simple techniques such as narrative therapy or advanced medical techniques such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).
More Than Body And Mind
Intersectional feminism has never been more relevant than now. In addition to the unique problems faced due to gender, other factors contribute to a woman’s mental health and access to care and treatment. These include social and economic status, religion and ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and cultural background. It is important for mental health practitioners to understand the challenges and background of each of these women, and create psychotherapy treatment modules accordingly. The skewed workloads also lead to Governments and policy makers also have to ensure access to quality healthcare for women, since mental health is often put on the backburner.
Stigma is still a barrier for women to seek psychotherapy and other mental health solutions, but there are other significant factors such as the lack of time, childcare responsibilities, and financial constraints.
Psychotherapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. A trained and qualified practitioner must have the ability and the sensitivity to implement it so that it speaks directly to the patient, and gives them a personalised approach to growth and recovery. After all, mental health issues may not have any specific reasons to occur and recur. Then again, there may be a cocktail of reasons. Either way, psychotherapy can encourage either you or your loved one to rediscover their joy, and resume living the life they want.
Actor Stephen Fry said, ‘If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve to never ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather. Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest and best things you will ever do.’