Talking to parents

@Melancholia2000 First off, it is wonderful that you want to make the first move in feeling better. :) What I did when I started feeling that way is talking to the one parent I trusted most. I spoke to my mom and told her I hadnt been feeling the best lately and that I wanted to consider going to the doctor to see if we could figure out what was going on. It's all about what you feel the easiest way to start the conversation is.

@Melancholia2000

Welcome! Im Lizzy and Im currently a trained listener and intern. I hope you find what you are looking for here in 7 Cups. Please feel free to message me whenever. I will usually reply within the day and if Im online, you should expect a reply straight away! I specialise in anxiety, panic attacks and loneliness mostly but you are always free to message me for other reasons!

https://www.7cups.com/15248074

@Melancholia2000

This is a tough one, because of course, it would be great to have the support of your parents in making such an important decision. You do not mention it in your post, but I feel like it is important to remind you that if you are over eighteen, you do not need their permission. Sometimes it can be empowering to remember that even if we do not get the support we want from family or friends, it does not have to stop us from doing what we feel is right for us. If you need the financial support of your parents to seek counseling, that is another story. You might even be able to find a therapist that would work with you at a reduced rate though that you might be able to afford on your own. When talking to your parents, you might want to educate them regarding what exactly therapy is, and how exactly you feel like it is going to help you. Having a few therapists picked out in advance might help too. I feel like all of that will help show your parents that you are serious, and that you have thought the decision over. They might also have their onwn misconceptions about how therapy works and what the benefits are, so it might be helpful to clear some of that up for them. Good luck!

@Melancholia2000

Congratulations about 1. Identifying you have a problem and 2. Planning to seek help. The third step is usually difficult especially if you want to consult a mental health professional offline when you are under 18, so we understand how difficult the situation is. I actually had the same problem, but I managed to get both a therapist and a psychiatrist. This is what I did.

First of all, it took me a lot of time before I could actually get the help I deserved, but thankfully my parents were surprisingly really supportive and got me the help as soon as they could. I first talked to a teacher. When it was time for a teacher-parents meeting, my teacher discretely said that it is better that he sees a physician and talks about potential problems of anxiety he might be experiencing. I agreed that I would like that and my parents took me to a General Practioner. I told the doctor about my problem with anxiety and he decided to refer me to a psychiatrist, which my parents understood. Then, when I talked with the psychiatrist, I mentioned everything that has happened to me in the past(all the trauma) and he told me that it is best that I seek therapy, so he referred me to a therapist.

Basically, I had to do all that within steps, telling them directly that I want a psychiatrist and a therapist might not convince them, but with time, support and help from different people, I managed to get the help I deserved.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,
Prio.