When the Help Hurts: What We Miss in Mental Health

We tell people to get help. Go to therapy. Take your meds. Do the work.

But what if the help is part of the harm?

There’s something especially cruel about seeking treatment and walking away worse. Not because you didn’t try—but because the system didn’t listen. For some, it’s a missed diagnosis. For others, it’s the right label but the wrong solution. A pill like Vyvanse that sparks mania. A therapist who treats your symptoms but never your trauma. A program that teaches coping—but not healing.

And when the “help” backfires, it leaves something behind: mistrust. A belief that no one will ever really get it. That maybe the pain is permanent.

We don’t talk about this enough. About the kids who do ask for help. Who try the doctor. Who take the pills. Who show up to the appointments. And still fall.

This story isn’t about blame—it’s about warning. Because we’re too quick to write people off when “treatment doesn’t work,” without asking: Was it the right treatment? Or just the first one offered?

Have you ever felt unseen by a doctor, teacher, or therapist? Share your story—or follow us as we explore what gets missed and why it matters.