psychologists

[Azalee]

You definitely have to be willing to go, and to want to talk about your issues. If you go because you think you need to go, but you aren't willing to open up fully, it is a waste of yours and your doctor's time.

[Darus Grey]

If you don't think you need professional help then good for you.

However I agree it's irresponsible to make the comparison between friends and trained professionals in terms of getting advice. You ask both of them different things for different reasons.

[Ksandra]

kinda interesting this thread came out. My mom's family has a huge history of anxiety disorder. Heck for years and years my mom couldn't drive over bridges, (fun for us going backroads everywhere we went). For years she put it off going to see someone, 'cause off course it's the common idea that psychologists/psychiatrists are for the nutties/suicidals. She finally broke down though and went to see a doctor, she was subscribed a pill, which she doesn't mind because she finally feels like she's living her life the way she wants, instead of around her fears.

I feel sometimes that I must have inherited her disorder too. It's not that bad as the way she was but my dad said it seemed to get worse for her over the years, and I feel its the same with me. Things that used to not bother me at all seem to give me jitters now without any sense or reason. So I feel sooner or later I'll have to get it taken care of. But of course I still have a hard time thinking I have to go to see someone about it. I think many people with these types of disorders feel it'll go away with time, or that it's their responsibility to control it. It's getting harder and hard to control though.


Like some have said I'm realizing more and more, even if it's not a physical need, many people have mental needs that are not easily delt with a friend. Me calling my best friend on the phone saying "omg I'm too scared to get on the highway!" He might be able to help me calm down that one time, but for long-term help a professional could help me be calm enough everytime.

[archibaldcrane]

Total aside, but the whole "weak-minded" thing always bugged me.

If my arm is broken, i'm "weak-armed". If I blow out my knee, I'm "weak-kneed". If my mind has a chemical imbalance causing sub-optimal performance, guess what? I'm "weak-minded". The key isn't to say "no, no it's not weak-minded, that's ignorant" - it's to remove the stigma of something being "all in your head". Your head is borked? Go see a doc and fix it. Weak-mindedness is only a pejorative if you see it meaning "imaginary" or "self-inflicted".

Also: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BYLMTvxOaeE

[Yuri-G]

Therapy is a wonderful thing. The reason psychologists are different from your friends and family has already been gone over in this thread, so I won't go over it again, but it's not the same. Your friends and family can do more harm than good if you have a serious issue, even if they're smart, even if they're well-intentioned. They simply do not have the training a professional psych does.
However, don't take that to mean that all psychs are equal. There are good ones and bad ones, and among the good ones you'll find some that fit you and some that don't. Shop around a bit if your insurance will let you, I hated psychs for a long time until last year, and it was only because the first two I had tried just weren't good for me.
Bottom line is, if your problems are mundane and ordinary, like being sad about a break-up, then yeah maybe you should save some money and talk to your friends and family. But honestly, odds are if you've gotten to the point that you're seriously considering seeing a psych, then you can probably get something out of it. People say they're nothing more than listeners and anyone can do that, but think about it this way: They're professional listeners, they went to college to listen, their freaking life's work is to be the best goddamn listener they could possibly be - do any of your friends have that distinction? And that's not even getting into the medical aspect of it, the science behind why you feel the way you do and what you can do to feel better. They understand that, if they're a good psych, and odds are your friends don't.

[sephir]

Therapy can help, but its on your willingness to change yourself. They can prepare you for certain situations and can teach you how to react to situations (anxiety, stress etc.) Sometimes results can be seen instantly, but these are few and far between. Other times it can take months to years to see results, it all depends on what the problem is and your willingness to change.

[Woozie]

You definitely have to be willing to go, and to want to talk about your issues. If you go because you think you need to go, but you aren't willing to open up fully, it is a waste of yours and your doctor's time.

Not really. The doc still gets paid.

[Azalee]

Not really. The doc still gets paid.

They still get paid, yes, but they could be helping people who actually want help. =P

[Jefe]

W/e you do, don't vent to coworkers.

[archibaldcrane]

W/e you do, don't vent to coworkers.

What, I love hearing the accountant at my job crying on the phone every single day as she attempts to cope with her boyfriend breaking up with her.

It's really awesome. And when I say awesome, I mean super uncomfortable. What do you say to that?

[thestalkmore]

ITTN: Truth


You have nothing to lose, and you have a lot to gain from it. Go see a psychologist.

My money =\.

More on topic. I have absolutely zero faith in "psychological medicine" so to speak and don't see a penny worth of value in it.

[wyrmtung]

When I first saw that someone had made a topic about psychologists, I feared that the OP would be basically jumped on, mocked and shot down. From what i can see though all the replies have been helpful. I wanted to know more about the subject myself so thanks for the replies.

We have the makings of a new slogan: "BG Forums. Sometimes it's a good thing."

[Yuri-G]

Therapy can help, but its on your willingness to change yourself. They can prepare you for certain situations and can teach you how to react to situations (anxiety, stress etc.) Sometimes results can be seen instantly, but these are few and far between. Other times it can take months to years to see results, it all depends on what the problem is and your willingness to change.

This is definitely true, the therapist can't just fix what's wrong with you. What he can do is teach you how to think, in a sense. And this brings me to one of the biggest reasons a psych is not the same as venting to a friend: Their goals are different. The therapist is trying to fix the way your thought processes work, the friend is just trying to be a shoulder to lean on and make you feel better, maybe give you advice. Therapists ask questions, friends make statements.

Something I've always been a very firm believer in is that true learning comes through the self, and this is why the above is so important. Say you're worried about something, for example. A friend might tell you not to be worried. A therapist might ask you why you're worried, then ask you if you think that's a valid reason to be worried, then ask you why you think it is or is not a valid reason to be worried, etc. The difference here is that one person is telling you how to feel, whereas one person is prodding you towards your own conclusion and challenging your self-doubt. I don't know about anyone else here but I learn so much better when I arrive at my own conclusions than when people tell me something, and this, in my opinion, is one of the biggest reasons a psych can do you good.

[Vuitton]

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/f...hich-is-better
http://depression.about.com/od/psych...counseling.htm

Counselors:

1. They don't have the power to write prescriptions.
2. Think of them as Advisors. They advise you and educate you on potential problems.
3. You basically have an exchange of opinions and ideas to effectively problem solve your daily living issues associated with your emotional, cognitive, or behavioral problems.

Psychologists :

1. They don't have the power to write prescriptions. They won't hand out pills!
2. They are a more in-depth and analytical version of a Counselor
3. Psychotherapy is a form of treatment for emotional problems in which a therapist establishes a relationship with an individual for the purpose of modifying self-defeating patterns of behavior and promoting positive personality growth and development. Psychotherapy is generally undertaken to gain self-knowledge. Most people come to therapy because defenses which have served them in the past are no longer working or useful.

Psychiatrists :

1. DRUGS. These people have the power to offer you prescriptions.
2. DRUGS. These people educate you on the potential drugs you may choose to take.
3. DRUGS. These people work with the Counselor or a Psychologist AND you, to figure out what the best course of action is: is medication necessary? If so, which medication?
4. DRUGS. These people manage your medication. They work with you and your counselor or psychologist to make sure you're benefiting and improving. If you're not then they will restrategize your medication plan until they find one that works best for you.

GOALS:

If you're seeing one a Counselor or Psychologist, your should also see a Psychiatrist. As these people work together to help you. If you don't need medications then you might only see that Psychiatrist one time only, and that would be the visit where its decided that you don't nee medication. But if you do need medication, then you will continue to see them in conjunction with your Counselor or Psychologist.

These three professions are working torwards a common goal: your mental health. You can choose to see only one of the three. Two of the three. or hell, even all three. I recommend you see at least TWO of the three if you need medications.

You want to approach mental health holistically. Work your problems out with a counselor or a psychologist and treat the problems while you still have them with medication. You'll receive a synergistic benefit that will eventually and hopefully relieve you of the need of medication and counseling.

If have a mental problem (anxiety/depression/ect) and only treat it with medication, you aren't healing the problem. You're masking the symptoms of the problem. You need counseling or psychotherapy to truly FIX the problem and make it go away. The drugs are then used not as lifetime bandaids, but as temporary crutches (or training wheels) to help you through your counseling or psychotherapy.

[Khamsin]

At what point are drugs needed?

As an example, I never take pills unless I really need to. That includes no tylenol or aspirin.

It's not because I'm anti-drug, but because my gag reflex makes it incredibly annoying to take anything. I'll try to swallow it, but it stays on my tongue and I'll have to down like four glasses of water just to get one little tylenol-sized pill down my throat. As for syrups and such, I just don't like the taste. None of it is worth it to me.

The only drugs I've ever taken are antibiotics, pretty much. I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out and refused to take pain meds (but took the antibiotics). I literally will not take anything unless it'll actually cure something or prevent things from getting worse. I don't take meds just to ease the symptoms.

Now, translating that into psychiatric drugs, do they actually cure anything, prevent things from getting worse, or just ease the symptoms to make it easier to cope with?

[Khamsin]

I sleep roughly 2-3 hours a night, and have for approximately 2 years.

With drugs, I can sometimes sleep up to 6, 8, maybe even 10 hours.

Take that for what you will. However, I sleep the sleep of the dead, where nothing, not even cops showing up at my door, will wake me, so I prefer to take them when I am sleeping with / near someone, so they can check on me periodically through the night, as I tend to sleepwalk and have fallen out of bed numerous times.

Just an example.

Sleep deprivation counts as psychiatric? I always just thought that was something to see a regular doctor for.

[Serif]

This might sound stupid but I go to Blockbuster/Hollywood Video and just rent a lot of movies. Usually when I am down or in a rut I find that I watch A LOT of movies.

Just got done watching 12 movies in a span of 4-5 days and just watched one earlier and about to watch another now.

Even though they are "fake," it is nice to watch something and help get your mind off what you are thinking about.

God did I love it when Blockbuster had the 25 bucks for 2 rentals a month. I would watch 2 movies take them back and do that sometimes 3-4 times a day.

[Khamsin]

Whenever I'm down, I just think of a happier time in the past, and anticipate the day when I'll feel that way again.

[Tricen]

Disturbed sleep patterns can be caused from psychological problems.

[Kazesan]

Psychology is an amazing field. I've only taken one semester of it and I admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. You learn some amazing facts about human and animal tendencies. For example, the conditioned response:

Step 1: Ring Bell -> Punch Subject A -> Subject A cringes
Step 2: Repeat process several times
Step 3: Ring Bell -> Subject A cringes

These things can be seen in game too:

Step 1: <call> used in pull macro -> pull target -> party gets ready
Step 2: Repeat process several times
Step 3: <call> used -> party gets ready