A large proportion of people who develop a mental illness still do not seek professional help. When it comes to therapy, there are many prejudices, expectations and myths that fuel fear of psychotherapy. Individuals fear judgment, change, the unknown, and what they might discover in therapy. Some people are too prideful to admit they need help. Others would like to have therapy but lack the monetary means to afford it. Or they have to wait forever to get into therapy.
Fears and stigma
Sometimes the way to psychotherapy can be complicated by thoughts like ” My environment will think I’m crazy”. Isn’t therapy only something for people who are crazy or simply weak? In fact, such prejudices still exist in society today. This can create a fear of being judged for seeking therapy.
On the other hand, the fact that the decision to undergo psychotherapy is actually a courageous step is rarely acknowledged – and certainly not in professional life. The sad consequence: psychotherapy becomes a taboo subject. Many people who are undergoing or have undergone psychological treatment try to keep this fact secret from their social environment. The prejudices associated with the word “psychotherapy” are too great, as is the fear of negative reactions
Shortage of slots
Even before the pandemic, sufferers waited an average of five months for a therapy place. During the pandemic, the need for psychotherapy places has increased further. Although the number of licensed psychotherapists is increasing, only slightly more than half are paid for by the statutory health insurance. This means there is a huge gap between demand and supply. This often leads to long waiting periods, which for some affected people are unbearable and for others are too great a hurdle to even dare to try.
Unaffordability
In contrast to doctors, where there is an agreement between the social insurance institutions and the doctors and therefore the use of a medical service does not cost anything at all, psychotherapy is basically a private service, which is NOT covered by health insurance companies.
Psychotherapy is therefore largely a private service. The fees usually range between 70.- € and 150.- € for a single session of 50 minutes. Deviations from this range of fees are possible and are agreed upon individually with the psychotherapist. However, for many people, especially young people and those with a low socio-economic status, these prices are too high and therapy is simply not affordable. Thus, the groups that are most affected by mental illnesses are the most disadvantaged.
Thus, there are many reasons why people do not seek therapy. Some are afraid of judgment or are insecure because of the stigmata attached to therapy. Others cannot afford therapy or fail to find a therapy slot. In the following blog entries we will discuss which creative, design-based approaches can help these people.
