Some women are embarrassed to ask for help because it's seen as a "girly" thing to do, and being girly is embarrassing, apparently. This can be magnified several times when the person is slow to trust and is determined to appear resilient - in my sexual trauma group, for example, several women spoke of their gratitude for the way their closest friends would press them ("are you really okay?") when they'd give the generic "I'm fine, I'm fine" responses. It's a sign of intimacy, when you are able and willing to intuit the real meaning.

Oftentimes guys (many women too, but men especially) struggle to pick up on this. They think that what you say is what you mean, when most people talk a lot but say very little. But both genders fail to communicate as well with the opposite gender as with their own because of a lack of familiarity.

Sometimes it is a cultural thing - for example, certain Asian languages like Chinese and Korean are what I call contextual and 'listener-driven', because it's up to the listener to determine the true intent behind the words. The speaker has no responsibility to make as clear as possible exactly what they mean, because certain phrases are expected within the context and the speaker has to imply meaning underneath the rote words. This can be frustrating, especially for outsiders, but can also be a beautiful art form.

Best quote I've heard, kind of sexist but it holds true all too often: "Women don't want your help, they want your pity."