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Mental illness manifests in numerous ways, depending on the person, situation, degree of severity and diagnosis. A modest assessment is that at least 10 percent of the population will at some time experience a form of emotional disturbance or mental illness.

The list includes depression and other mood disorders as well as schizophrenia, anxiety, phobias, and trauma. Alcohol and other types of substance abuse add to the numbers. It’s possible to simultaneously have more than one problem, or a dual diagnosis.

Stigma associated with mental illness can be a barrier to seeking treatment. Emotional problems are nothing to be ashamed of; they develop from a combination of genetic tendencies, personality type and life circumstances.

Another deterrent to appropriate treatment is lack of knowledge. Many individuals struggle needlessly because they have no energy, can’t concentrate or experience frequent insomnia. They assume it is normal or have no idea they could feel better. Others feel too good, with too much energy and can’t understand what is wrong with everyone else. Still others have difficulty relating to people or experience abnormal fears they are reluctant to admit. Any difficulty with mood, functioning, or relating with others can be helped.

Not everyone with a mental health issue feels badly enough to seek professional help. In fact some people are so accustomed to pushing through the fatigue, sadness and low energy of depression it never occurs to them they might have a treatable condition. Others feel terrible but somehow “tough it out” until symptoms abate.

The purpose of this article is to help people know when to obtain help for a mental health problem and how to do so.

If you or someone who knows you well believes you may have a problem, first see your primary physician. After medical problems are ruled out you may be given a prescription for a tranquilizer or antidepressant. Ideally you should receive a referral for counseling as well, because medication and counseling together provide the best results.

You should leave with a follow-up appointment to make sure the medication is right for you. Too often people experience side effects or feel the medication is not working so stop taking it and struggle on as before. Psychotropic medications affect everyone differently and it is impossible to know what those effects will be. For that reason individuals on these medications often complain of feeling like guinea pigs. Close collaboration with the prescribing physician is crucial.

If you have been on antidepressants for several months and feel better do not stop taking them without medical supervision. Antidepressants are not addictive. However they change brain chemistry in such a way that a period of gradual tapering is necessary to prevent withdrawal that can be extremely uncomfortable.

Tranquilizers, which are habit forming, should not be prescribed for longer than two weeks. Anxiety that lasts more than two weeks is usually an indication of deeper problems that need to be assessed by a mental health professional, one who can determine the underlying cause of anxiety and prescribe appropriate medications.

Professionals trained in mental health perform complete social, psychological and medical histories in order to tease out all hidden factors contributing to one’s specific problem. So if you are having difficulty functioning in any aspect of your life and a prescription from your physician leaves you with questions find a counselor.

Freud said we all have the right to work, play and love. If one or more of those seems out of reach you’re not getting your money’s worth out of life and you deserve the help that’s available.

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Elinor Stanton is a psychiatric nurse practitioner on Marco Island. She has 30 years of experience as a therapist in private practice and with a large health maintenance organization in Boston. Send comments and questions to etseven@aol.com or call 394-2861. Visit her Web site at http://www.etseven.net.