Psychotherapy Consultation

Occasional grief, stress, and sadness are normal feelings and not necessarily signs that you need psychological counselling.

However, if you’re experiencing persistent or severe mental health challenges that interfere with your day-to-day life, it’s time to seek help.

The following might be signs of a mental health condition where you may need help:

• Frequent and persistent feelings of intense sadness, worry, fear, irritation, anger or anxiety
• Unexpected mood swings and emotional meltdowns
• Sudden changes in daily patterns and behaviours such as eating and sleeping habits
• Dramatic weight loss or weight gain
• Unexplained poor productivity at work or school
• Cognition problems such as confusion, lack of focus or memory loss
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or others, including suicidal thoughts
• Disturbing delusions, hallucinations or night terrors
• Withdrawal from social scenes, relationships or family
• Toxic drive toward rebellion and defiance of authority
• Uncontrollable substance abuse, drug addiction or alcoholism
• Unusual addictions or cravings, including sex addiction, obsessions and risky behaviour
• Unexplained physical ailments such as aches and pains, hypertension and gastrointestinal problems
• Persistent fatigue, drowsiness or insomnia

If you’re thinking about hurting yourself or someone else, get help right away.

If you note other symptoms on the above list, make an appointment with your doctor. Once they’ve ruled out a physical basis for your symptoms, they may refer you to a mental health practitioner such as a psychologist.