The best way to determine whether or not you are dealing with a psychological problem is to ask yourself a simple question, "Do you feel like you are in control of your own life?" Psychological problems almost always deal with the subject of control. Addiction is about being unable to control your impulses. Depression and anxiety are about being unable to control your emotions. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is about being unable to control your thoughts.

How do you regain control? It’s not an easy process, as anybody with a psychological problem or an addiction is well aware. That said, admitting when you have lost control is an important part of the process. Getting in touch with a psychologist can do wonders. Counseling allows you to get to the root of the problem, instead of thinking about how much you don't like the way the problem manifests itself. Medication can also help, since the evidence for a biological origin for mood disorders and addictions is strong.

The next step is to form a treatment plan. In most cases, the plan will include both medical and psychological intervention. It will involve finding out what the source of your emotional problems is. In the process, you will discover what makes you angry, afraid, or upset. You will find out why these things make you so upset. You may be asked to expose yourself to the things that you are afraid of. You might be forced to confront the things that make you angry and find out what changes you need to make to fix them.

Individual approaches can differ quite dramatically, but they all have the same goal: You must reclaim control of your life.

Why do we lose control? The answer to that question will depend on your circumstances, but there is a good chance that it has to do with self-doubt. On some level, most people who suffer from a psychological problem are dealing with some form of self-doubt. They have come to believe that they can't trust themselves to make the right decisions. When they do this, they lose control. Instead of controlling themselves, they surrender control to drugs, to their emotions, or to the people around them.

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