Q: I am a 22 years old female. My question is that I cannot cry when I want to cry. Sometimes my heart feels the need to cry but I cannot. I feel I am useless and my life is a waste. What is my problem?

A:The stressful demands of life today are worse for many people because of lack of traditional family support. Social demands and the competitiveness of urban life can lead to feelings of inadequacy unless one develops major interests and nurtures inborn talents. For some people this is obtained through art or from writing poetry. For others, religion or a social club offer acceptance and support. Book clubs and theater arts offer opportunities to gain in confidence. For some people, helping in an orphanage or an old age home or a shelter for the chronic sick or dying will absorb and convert ones feelings of inadequacy and enable one to live a richer and more fulfilling life. Medical therapies may help in some more severe cases, but psychologic counselling by a professional therapist will be needed to accompany such drug usage.