Why Your Mental Health Can Feel Worse Before It Gets Better in Treatment

Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Things often get worse before they get better?’ 

Perhaps you’ve heard this a few times over the course of your life, from a well-meaning loved one, online forums, or even a random stranger, and felt more than a little anxious or alarmed by the very thought of it.

No matter how uncomfortable this may be to hear, it can also be empowering, particularly for those in recovery who might feel hopeless or are worried that their treatment isn’t working like it should.

Feeling worse before feeling better can apply to all areas of life, not just our mental health.

Let’s say someone is dealing with a physical injury. The inflammation is usually at its most rife in the beginning – this is often where people feel the most pain and discomfort. 

However, as time passes, the break or fracture begins to heal – it may take a while, but the person likely felt a lot worse before they started to experience an improvement in their symptoms.

It’s important to remember that mental health recovery is not so different from the process of physical healing. Just as a broken bone may hurt more before it starts to mend, your mental health may worsen before it improves. 

So, what does ‘feeling worse before feeling better’ look like?

Feeling worse before things get better in treatment often means an increase in the frequency or intensity of mental health symptoms like panic attacks, a surge in depressive episodes, or a heightened sense of unease or discomfort when it comes to managing cravings for a substance use disorder.

This can trigger alarm bells for many, as they may think they are broken or beyond the point of healing, which, as you’d expect, can cause a lot of worry and anxiety for those in recovery.

Studies show that many individuals in mental health treatment in Canada alone are often surprised, perhaps even discouraged, when they notice their symptoms getting worse before experiencing an improvement. 

Rest assured – setbacks are an incredibly normal part of the recovery process, just as with physical injuries or ailments.  

Your mental health may often feel worse before it gets better, but this is a sign that your mind and body are working in the right way toward helping you overcome whatever emotional difficulties you might be struggling with.

Below are some reasons why this happens, along with helpful suggestions on how to take care of yourself during this time.

In the meantime, if you require further assistance or support, please get in touch with our experienced and professional team in Canada today.

At Centres for Health and Healing, we understand how uncomfortable it can be to take those first steps towards recovery. 

However, once you begin noticing an improvement in your symptoms, you will realize just how important it is to start this process.

You are not alone. 

We are here to guide you through the initial stages of treatment, all the way through to recovery and beyond.
Contact a member of our team today to discover more about our addiction and mental health treatment programs in Canada.

Why your mental health can feel worse before it gets better in treatment

There are some common reasons why your mental health may feel worse before you notice an improvement in your symptoms, which makes a lot of sense when put into context.

Although we know how concerning and uncomfortable it can be, here are some reasons why this may happen:

1. You’re finally facing what you may have been avoiding

If you’ve been grappling with a mental health condition like anxiety, depression, addiction or trauma for a long while, you may be familiar with the different coping mechanisms people use to help them manage the symptoms of these disorders.

You may have (knowingly or unknowingly) used some of them yourself.

These coping strategies are often unconscious, and many people don’t know they are engaging in these mechanisms at all – they think it’s just fate or believe this is how life is.

Common coping strategies include:

• Denial
• Distraction
• Emotional numbness
• Avoidance 
• Substance use or other compulsive behaviours

When an individual is in treatment, whether that’s inpatient rehab, outpatient support, or another form of therapy, the defence mechanisms they may have used for years begin to drop.

The individual may start talking about experiences they’ve never said out loud before. Or they may begin to process feelings, emotions, or events that may have been buried or suppressed for a long time.

If you imagine the cap of a Coca-Cola bottle, unscrewing it too fast may cause the liquid to fly out and fizz all over the place. 

In many cases, people have kept the ‘cap on the bottle’ for most of their lives, hoping that the experiences or memories they are avoiding or suppressing will eventually subside.

However, if they decide to lift the lid off, it will likely cause a lot of feelings and emotions to resurface, such as sadness, anxiety, anger or even shame.

This can often make the individual feel like they are getting worse, when in reality, it’s a sign they are starting to do the deep work.

2. Withdrawal and detox can impact mood

For those starting addiction treatment in Canada, or anywhere else in the world, for that matter, early recovery usually involves some form of medical detox to help rid the body of substances and toxins.

A significant part of the detox process that many experience is physical withdrawal symptoms alongside changes in brain chemistry, which can often cause symptoms like:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Physical symptoms like pain, sweating, nausea, etc

Although this stage is short-lived, it can feel profoundly unpleasant and uncomfortable, with many individuals experiencing a temporary increase in symptoms that make them feel as though they are getting worse instead of better.

However, once this phase of treatment is complete, and with the right medical support, hydration, rest and nutrition, your mind and body begin to regulate and stabilize.

3. Change feels uncomfortable before it doesn’t

As humans, we love the familiar; many of us may even crave the known and predictable. This is all normal and is often a survival instinct we unknowingly adopt to help keep us safe and out of harm’s way.

If we know what’s going to happen and how, then we can better prepare for what’s coming. However, life often throws a series of curveballs that even the most cautious individuals cannot predict or plan for.

When it comes to inpatient treatment, you may begin creating new routines, adjusting to a different environment and people, setting boundaries, and learning new coping skills—all of which may feel overwhelming or strange at first.

If you imagine how your muscles feel when you first begin a new exercise routine, they may hurt like hell or ache for days after an intense workout.

Although it may not always feel like it, the pain is a sign you are getting stronger. The same goes for your mental health.

4. Past trauma and old wounds may resurface

Many individuals, whether they are in treatment at a rehab centre or receiving outpatient support, will likely engage in behavioural therapy like CBT or trauma treatment such as EMDR to help them overcome any mental health challenges they are experiencing. 

However, as effective as these treatments can be, they can also be confronting and can often temporarily increase emotional distress and mental health symptoms as the person moves through the different treatment phases.

For instance, CBT encourages individuals to talk about their past experiences and explore new ways of managing negative thoughts and behaviours (which can be challenging and confronting for many).

It’s not easy to explore past feelings and behaviours that may have led to self-sabotage or emotional distress, and sometimes, even thinking about our history can intensify the very symptoms we are trying to improve.

On the same token, trauma treatments such as EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) allow individuals to reprocess past traumatic experiences that may have been stored in the body during a crisis or stressful situation.

By releasing these experiences from the body and nervous system, the individual can eventually look back on their past without feeling the same level of distress they once did, and may even find hidden strengths within themselves they never knew existed.

EMDR is a highly effective and transformative treatment for processing trauma in a safe and empowering way.

Still, it can often increase anxiety, depression or other mental health symptoms in the short-term as the individual processes their past and comes to terms with what happened.

Working with a trauma-informed professional ensures this process is done safely and at a comfortable pace that feels manageable, allowing you to integrate these experiences instead of becoming flooded or overwhelmed by them.

The bottom line? 

As effective and life-changing as the above treatments can be, individuals may experience an increase in symptoms as they work toward recovery. This is all normal and is not a sign of weakness or an inability to heal.

You are healing, but it’s essential to remember that effective and long-lasting recovery takes time and patience.

5. Setbacks are a sign of healing, not failure

Another vital point to mention here is that feeling worse for a little while doesn’t always mean something bad or that treatment isn’t working.

What it often means is that you’ve started to peel back the layers, touching old wounds and stirring up dormant emotions that may have been buried for a long while and have kept you stuck.

Recovery is not a linear process.

It’s filled with various ups and downs. Still, with the right treatment and support, you can begin to feel stronger, lighter, and more hopeful about the future and your capacity to recover and feel better.

Renowned motivational speaker Les Brown once said that ‘a setback is a setup for a comeback,’ and this is especially true for those in recovery.

Setbacks are not a sign of failure; they are a sign of change and growth, and although messy at times, they signal you are heading in the right direction, whatever that may look like for you.

How to cope when symptoms worsen in treatment 

Although it’s common to experience a worsening in your mental health symptoms before things improve, there are some things you can do to take care of yourself during this time, such as:

• Discuss with your treatment team how you are feeling and what can be done in the short term to help you cope. You don’t have to manage this alone. Your therapist is there to offer support and help, so make sure you speak with them about your concerns.
• Focus on your self-care – when symptoms feel worse, continue to maintain your self-care routine as much as possible. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat well, and engage in exercise that makes you feel energized or more like yourself.
• Lean on the support of friends, family and recovery peers to get you through the more challenging moments in recovery. Social support and human connection are vital aspects of healing, as they can make you feel seen, heard, and supported as you navigate the more challenging times.
• Celebrate small wins – no matter how small a milestone or achievement may feel, remember that every step forward matters. You have already taken the first steps to recovery, and you deserve massive commendation. Make sure you celebrate the small wins – they matter just as much as the bigger ones!

Next steps

If you or a loved one is worried about your mental health and would like to know what kinds of treatments can help, contact our professional team in confidence today, who will happily assist.

Centres for Health and Healing provide personalized, evidence-based treatment programs for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use.

We take a ‘whole’ person approach to recovery, meaning we consider all aspects of an individual, including their background, lifestyle, and lived experience – all those things that make you the unique, remarkable individual you are.

Treatment at our inpatient facility in Canada is always client-focused. 

We recognize that each individual has their own unique life history and experiences that have brought them to our centre. 

Therefore, our approach is tailored to your specific needs, preferences, and vision for recovery.
For further support and information about our mental health and addiction treatment programs in Canada, reach out to our team today, and begin your journey to health and wellness.