Seek help for psychiatric disease, as untreated issues like anxiety can worsen and convert to other problems like depression over time. Professional help is often beneficial, even if you feel you should handle it alone, to prevent worsening symptoms.
When discussing internal states, move beyond general terms like ‘depressed’ and describe specific, real-world examples of how you’re feeling (e.g., ‘I can’t even think about tomorrow’) to ensure clear communication and understanding with others or a clinician.
If experiencing panic disorder, utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to identify the early signs and cognitions that lead to panic attacks, and train yourself to derail them, as this is a very potent treatment.
Recognize that you can never truly know what’s going on inside another person’s mind, and rely on their words, behaviors, and actions as the primary feedback to understand them.
To facilitate complex, abstract thought, identify your optimal physical state; some individuals require complete stillness, while others find their best thoughts during physical activity like running.
Dedicate specific time each day to sit still, without distraction, for focused thinking and structuring your thoughts, similar to a meditative but thought-oriented practice.
When considering a potential psychiatric diagnosis for yourself or others, evaluate if the symptoms are significantly disrupting social or occupational functioning, as this disruption is a critical criterion for psychiatric diagnoses.
Understand that the brain learns from profound experiences, even those induced by substances, by showing what’s possible (e.g., extreme connectedness), which can then be integrated and applied to future behavior after the acute experience ends.
In therapeutic relationships (like psychoanalysis or good psychiatry), aim to build a deep connection that fosters learning and helps create stable, new mental models to instruct future behavior and improve other relationships.