i am worthless and the situation
is
helpless with these thoughts
a person comes to you.
Being a therapist how will you help him to think in a positive way
Answers
Answer:
Worthlessness can be described as a feeling of desperation and hopelessness. Individuals who feel worthless may feel insignificant, useless, or believe they have nothing valuable to offer the world. People diagnosed with depression often report these feelings, and children who were neglected or abused may carry a sense of worthlessness into adulthood. When worthlessness leads one to experience thoughts of suicide or causes other immediate crisis, it may be best to contact a crisis hotline or seek other help right away.
UNDERSTANDING WORTHLESSNESS
Worthlessness, a feeling that may cause an individual to feel as if they have no significance or purpose, can have a significant negative effect on emotional health. A recent study conducted by researchers at Seoul National University found that feelings of worthlessness were significantly associated with lifetime suicide attempt in adults who reported major depression and had also experienced trauma. The study concluded that, among symptoms of depression, worthlessness had the strongest association with lifetime suicide attempt.
Circumstances such as job loss, divorce, or financial difficulties can quickly cause someone to become overwhelmed, and those who experience one setback after another may be more likely to experience feelings of worthlessness and find themselves questioning whether their lives have any meaning. People who experience worthlessness may find it difficult to see any aspect of life as positive and may believe there is no prospect of improvement. This perception is generally a distorted one and is often likely to result from underlying conditions such as depression, anxiety, grief, or stress. The longer one experiences feelings of worthlessness, however, the more difficult it may be for them to overcome these feelings without help.
Feelings of worthlessness may develop into a prolonged state of negative mood, but they can also affect physical health. A study evaluating the relationship between mortality and worthlessness in Chinese men 65 and older found worthlessness, out of all other symptoms of depression, was the only independent predictor of non-suicidal mortality in the approximately 2,000 individuals studied. Five years after the study, 18.2% of the men who had reported feelings of self-worthlessness, but only 9.9% of the men who did not report feeling worthless, had died. This may be due to a variety of reasons, such as the likelihood that individuals experiencing feelings of worthlessness may be less likely to seek preventative health care or engage in health-promoting behaviors and may be more likely to smoke or engage in other behaviors shown to negatively affect health. They may also be more likely to lack social support. The study's authors suggested worthlessness should be recognized as a risk factor in mortality, especially in Chinese men older than 65.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH WORTHLESSNESS
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, worthlessness is associated mainly with depression, but these feelings might also appear as symptoms of schizophrenia, anxiety, or on certain personality spectrums. Strong feelings of worthlessness in children may be indicative of peer conflicts or neglect or abuse and should be taken seriously.The feeling of worthlessness may also be related to other feelings, including hopelessness, guilt, persistent sadness, or loss of motivation.
Worthlessness may present in different ways. An individual might experience:
Heavy, dull pain in the body
Negative thoughts about oneself
Tearfulness, despondency
Social anxiety
Loss of life purpose, diminished interest in life
Thoughts of suicide
An individual who feels worthless may:
Withdraw from relationships
Abuse alcohol or drugs
Have diminished emotional expression
Continually verbalize negative thoughts
Become lethargic
Neglect self-care/activities of daily living, such as showering, eating, and washing one's clothes
THERAPY TO ADDRESS WORTHLESSNESS
When one's feelings of worthlessness go unaddressed, they may rapidly become overwhelming and interfere significantly with the ability to function. It may be difficult to cope with these feelings without professional help, and when worthlessness occurs as a symptom of depression or any mental health condition, other than immediate crisis, therapy is often beneficial.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of therapy that helps individuals adjust their thoughts in order to positively influence emotions and behavior, has been shown to be effective for treating feelings of worthlessness. Treating the condition that worthlessness occurs as a symptom of can also be a helpful method of treating feelings of worthlessness. When an individual experiencing depression receives treatment for depression, for example, feelings of worthlessness are likely to abate.