Min terapeut

Min terapeut

Should I consider going into therapy?

Inner unrest, low mood or despair

The question of whether you should consider going into therapy is best answered by looking at how you feel in daily life. If you often experience strong inner unrest, a heavy low mood, or have long-lasting, painful conditions or patterns of behaviour that create problems for you or those around you, and if these conditions prevent you from living a reasonably normal life, you should consider talking with a skilled professional about your situation.

Disorders and disturbances

Common types of disorders you can get help with at Min terapeut include depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Common types of disturbances you can get help with include emotionally unstable behaviour, compulsive behaviour, avoidant behaviour and dependent behaviour.

It can be difficult to know whether one has any of the disorders or disturbances mentioned above, and it can feel frightening and stigmatising to read about diagnoses that may resemble one's own difficulties. Do not let that frighten you. Together we will work it out. An important reason why such disorders and disturbances arise is circumstances for which you are not to blame. You are not alone, and a skilled therapist is with you all the way.

It should be noted that the terms disorders and disturbances are not exact concepts, but are used in mental health care to indicate that there is a set of clinically recognisable symptoms, or a behaviour, which in most cases is linked to emotional distress or which affects personal functioning. This clarification is taken from the preface to the diagnostic handbook ICD-10. (ICD-10. Mental disorders and behavioural disturbances. Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 2000).

Public treatment services

It should be mentioned that if you have a serious mental disorder, you will most likely be entitled to necessary healthcare from the public health service. Such healthcare can then be obtained at your local district psychiatric centre (DPS), which is part of the state-run hospitals or hospitals that have agreements with the state. Such healthcare can also be obtained from privately practising specialist psychologists and privately practising psychiatrists with operating agreements with the health regions. Such treatment is free, or almost free in that you may be asked to pay a co-payment up to an annual maximum corresponding to the free card threshold. You must contact your GP for a referral to a DPS or to privately practising contracted specialists. You will find more information about public treatment services in mental health care by clicking the link in the left-hand margin.

Suicidal thoughts and plans

Anyone can experience defeat, accusations, abuse or other adversity that triggers strong despair, guilt, shame or low mood. Others may experience an indescribable inner pain that never seems to end. Sometimes this can feel so overwhelming that "disappearing" by taking one's own life appears as a possible way out. And talking with someone about such situations can become difficult, because one may then feel that it becomes visible to others that one is struggling, and that it becomes a new defeat. One may react by shutting down emotionally, instead of reaching out and asking for a little help.

If this concerns you, it is important that the content of this section reaches you. Suicide is never a solution, but can rather be seen as an extreme form of psychological defence mechanism against emotional pain. The pain can feel so unbearable that it may feel easier to take one's own life than to live with the difficult thoughts and feelings. But your life is valuable, and a skilled professional can help you see that, and find your way back to a meaning in life. You may think that you have done something irreparable, but you are after all only human.

If you have thoughts or plans of taking your own life, you should seek the public mental health services. There you will most likely be entitled to necessary healthcare. And there you will find a range of combined services that can help you in a difficult situation. You can also start by contacting your GP, and begin treatment there. Your GP can refer you further if that feels necessary.

If for some reason you do not wish to seek the public mental health services, you are welcome to contact Min terapeut. You will meet a skilled therapist who looks at this together with you, who is with you all the way, and who challenges you to approach feelings and pain that you usually cannot bear to feel.

Useful websites and phone numbers:

Below you will find a list of some websites, organisations, self-help groups and other useful services that you or someone you know can contact if you or they are struggling psychologically.

  • Acute suicide risk? Call 113 when it is acute and life is at stake
  • Call the emergency medical service on tel. 116 117 for rapid help
  • hjelptilhjelp.no – a clear and practically useful website
  • SOS-Chat – Many find it easier to chat than to talk on the phone about suicidal thoughts. Open 18:30–22:30 on weekdays and 18:30–01:30 on Fridays
  • Kors på halsen (Red Cross) tel. 800 33 321. It is also possible to send email (reply within 2–3 days)
  • Youth telephone tel. 40 00 07 77
  • Alarm telephone for children and young people tel. 116 111
  • Angstringen tel. 22 22 35 30
  • Alcoholics Anonymous tel. 91 17 77 70
  • Narcotics Anonymous tel. 90 52 93 59
  • Ombudsman for Children tel. 22 99 39 50
  • Dixi, resource centre for rape survivors tel. 22 44 40 50
  • Helpline for gambling addiction tel. 800 800 40
  • Kameratstøtte – support for soldiers, veterans and their families tel. 800 48 500
  • Kirkens SOS, crisis telephone 22 40 00 40
  • Kirkens SOS anonymous chat service: soschat.no
  • Nationwide telephone for incest and sexual abuse survivors tel. 800 57 000
  • LEVE, National Association for Suicide Bereaved tel. 22 36 17 00
  • Mannstelefonen Reform – resource centre for men tel. 22 34 09 50
  • Mental helse – Helpline tel. 116 123
  • Mental helse – sidetmedord.no
  • National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NSSF) with good advice at med.uio.no/klinmed/forskning/sentre/nssf/ – click on “Information about crisis help”
  • Relatives’ Centre in Oslo tel. 22 49 19 22
  • Rustelefonen – talk with us about substance use tel. 91 50 85 88
  • Rustelefonen – chat service at rustelefonen.no
  • Advice line for relatives in mental health tel. 22 49 19 22
  • Advice line for eating disorders tel. 94 81 78 18
  • Unghjelp tel. 98 80 61 20
  • ung.no – the public information channel for young people tel. 46 61 50 00
  • Protection for the elderly – national contact telephone tel. 800 30 196