Hi there, I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson. Welcome to episode 29 of the savvy psychologist.

I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

We'll use the best of psychology to help you be happy, healthy, and most importantly, yourself.

So in last week's episode, we covered five common myths about therapy,

including how to deal with macho men who think therapy is for the week, the three things

that can get you hospitalized, and a lot more.

This week, thanks to questions from listener Ellie Braddish of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as

several anonymous listeners, will answer five more questions

about how to talk to someone who you think could benefit from therapy.

Question number one, how do I know if he or she needs help? So maybe this is just a rough patch or maybe this is serious.

If it's hard to tell, you want to think about two things, distress and impairment. So first

distress, so look for signs of strong, persistent negative emotion like

prolonged crying jags, panic attacks, frequent angry outbursts, any kind of violence, a turn

for the worse in personal hygiene, or a general dropping out of life.

And you can also use your own distress as a proxy.

If you're scared or freaked out by your loved one's behavior,

like how many times they've lost their temper,

how many days they've spent in bed,

or maybe you've found something like a stockpile of pills,

let your own feelings be your barometer.

Go with your gut.

Deep down, you know if something's really wrong.

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