Transcript
The question of knowing when you're ready for treatment
really varies by the individual.
Some people are really open to recognizing
that they have changed
and they've changed in ways that they don't like.
They don't like themselves, they don't like their lives,
they don't feel close to people,
they can't enjoy the things that they used to do.
They know that something's wrong,
and they want this to change, and they want it to end.
And I think that when they acknowledge that,
when they acknowledge that the symptoms are, frankly,
interfering with everything that is important
about their life, their loving relationships, their families,
the workplace or going to school, when they find themselves
blocked because of these kinds of symptoms,
the avoidant behavior, et cetera, it's time to get help.
Nobody wants to go see a doctor,
much less to go to a hospital, and particularly for Veterans,
who see themselves as strong and self-reliant, to have to
lean on someone else, which is how people see it,
is a sign of weakness, is another unpleasant thing
about themselves or about their situation
that they don't really want to acknowledge.
So sometimes people have to hit bottom.