# When should someone see a mental health professional?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/when-to-see-a-mental-health-professional
For: Patients | Mental health care | Last reviewed 23 July 2026

**Answer:** Consider seeing a mental health professional when emotional or behavioural changes last longer than expected, keep returning, feel hard to manage or affect sleep, relationships, work, school or self-care. Increased alcohol or drug use, withdrawal from others or hopelessness are also reasons to seek help. You do not need a diagnosis, or to wait for a crisis, before asking for support. Suicidal thoughts or being unable to stay safe need urgent help.

### Routine, prompt or urgent?

- Routine: concerns are stable and safety is not at risk, such as ongoing low mood or stress.
- Prompt: symptoms or daily functioning are getting worse.
- Urgent: suicidal intent, serious self-harm, severe confusion, psychosis, risk of violence or being unable to stay safe.

### Where to start

A primary care clinic can assess common concerns, check for physical causes and refer you. Counsellors, psychologists and therapists provide psychological support, and psychiatrists provide medical assessment and medication management. If you are unsure how serious things are, a qualified provider can help you decide on next steps. Family can encourage someone to seek help, respectfully and without threats.

> **Important:** Immediate danger, suicidal intent, severe psychosis, mania with unsafe behaviour or inability to stay safe requires urgent local support rather than a routine appointment.

> **Important:** If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency, contact emergency services now. In Kenya, call 999, 112 or 911. Outside Kenya, use the emergency number for your location.

## Related questions

- [Are psychiatric medicines addictive?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/are-psychiatric-medicines-addictive)
- [Can adults have ADHD, and how is it diagnosed?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-adults-have-adhd-and-how-is-it-diagnosed)
- [Can alcohol, cannabis or other drugs cause mental health problems?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-alcohol-cannabis-or-other-drugs-cause-mental-health-problems)

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**About Tymira Health:** Tymira Health is a healthcare technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya. It builds Tymira360, a practice management and EHR platform for mental health, physiotherapy and dental providers, clinics, hospitals, NGOs and insurers across Africa.

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