How much help have you had from "professionals"?

[holohound]

The mental health services where I am are literally such a joke-do better, don't they need me around to be a good tax payer ?

"Go exercise and socialize with people more uwu"

Wow thanks I am no longer anxious and depressed, another therapy win! My minimizing my problems, they have disappeared and I'm cured!!11!1!

In all seriousness I do think there are people who geniuely care working out there, but they are few vs the general apathy to see as many people as possible and the overwhelming number of people that need help. I should go seek help again but at this point I've been burned by so many people I've reached out to my limit's been completely overshot.

 

[Linda]

Myself: Fuck all help.

They just section me, when my overdoses are extreme, but that's it.

No therapy, no care co-ordinator, nothing.

How about you?

I have no expericen of psychiatrists myself, but I have known a lot of gay men and I know about thir experiences with psychiatrists in the past. Psychiatrists are often unable - or unwiling - to comprehend that not everyone is Mr. Average, and that not everyone functions in the ways that our society considers "normal". They are too prone to claim that there is something wrong with you when in fact you are just being yourself but they don't like or don't uderstand the way in which you are being yourself. It's always easier for them to blame things on their patients than to examine their own prejudices. Unless you very obviously have some kind of mental illness, it may be best to be wary of psychiatrists. You may get better assistance from other ordinary people who are in a similar situation to yourself. And don't assume that there is "something wrong" with you, simpy because you have problems. It is quite likely that you are experiencing a perfectly normal response to difficult circumstances in your past.

 

[Belle1990]

I'm from UK and have a cmht.
Care coordinators have always been supportive and kind. Don't expect them to be able to cure me etc but knowing that I have someone that listens to me and wants the best for me helps a little bit and sometimes feels like a glimmer of hope. See them weekly, got an amazing gp as well who see fortnightly who genuinely cares. Seems I'm one of the lucky few. It's a postcode lottery with most nhs services in particular mental health they get less than 10% of the budget and the long term goal from the tory government is to make the nhs be on its knees so privatisation looks like the only option and it's being happening for years.

 

[ikadasui]

They were all very helpful in relieving me of my money. real stellar work in that department

 

[bunnii]

I see a psychologist weekly, all she's really good for is officiating my diagnoses and getting my GP to up my meds. I did CBT for a long time, between the ages of 13-18, but now that I have my BPD diagnosis I'm in DBT. I have to say, some of the coping mechanisms I've been taught really do help (with practice), but at the end of the day they aren't stopping me from SH-ing or attempting CTB, so they aren't really THAT helpful. Mostly helps me de-escalate myself during a breakdown.

 

[CTB Fella]

I see a psychologist weekly, all she's really good for is officiating my diagnoses and getting my GP to up my meds. I did CBT for a long time, between the ages of 13-18, but now that I have my BPD diagnosis I'm in DBT. I have to say, some of the coping mechanisms I've been taught really do help (with practice), but at the end of the day they aren't stopping me from SH-ing or attempting CTB, so they aren't really THAT helpful. Mostly helps me de-escalate myself during a breakdown.

I'd love DBT, as it's the number one treatment for EUPD, but they give me nothing.

 

[Roseate]

The psychiatrist are completely useless. All they do is give medications and my psychiatrist couldn't even keep with that. I had to deal with their rudeness. "Oh but your life is fine, why are you depressed" and like you would EXPECT them to understand how depression works. I mean I'm a psych major, not even a degree yet and I know people life can be decent and they can be depressed. Also my life is not even good for him to have used that. I just didn't want to open up to someone I barely know. I didn't want to deal with a guy but that really pushed me over the edge. I was very angry. Don't even get me started on these therapists. Their talk really is cheap like someone else mentioned. But their advice is so useless. They want you to stop thinking too much, stop feeling too much, distract yourself. Like nothing that's actually helpful. Distractions don't help because once you're alone, everything rushes back. At least for me and it's so much worse. And the medications makes me feel really sick and you would think with how progress medicine is that they could fix that but no. I am so tired of all of it. I keep giving them chances and chances to help me. And at first, I am open to the idea. I try to listen but they are all a cheap way to shut you up. I honestly feel like therapy works for people who either are going through something like loss, mild or moderate depression and etc. I don't want to hear one more hang out with friends outside like that's going to solve all my fucking depression.

 

[EmmaD]

Psychiatrist at 16, CBT, psychologist, private counselling, then last year a place in a Therapeutic Community for people with personality disorders.

 

[user_name_here]

Myself: Fuck all help.

No therapy, no care co-ordinator, nothing.

Okay so you've just stated you received no help from anybody. Let's place a bookmark here

I hate that there's no diversity in the staff who are meant to be helping.

Most of them are from Africa, when the people offering support should reflect the service users.

Most of them are lazy, too.

Umm.. so your previous post was bs then? So you have received help? So you're lying just spout some racist stuff?

 

[LigottiSchopenhauer]

My most recent "therapist" violated confidentiality and told my mother I was having suicidal thoughts. That confirmed for me that therapy and "mental heath care" is bullshit and that you can never trust a therapist (or similar things like crisis hotlines or support groups).

 

[SpiderLink]

Myself: Fuck all help.

They just section me, when my overdoses are extreme, but that's it.

No therapy, no care co-ordinator, nothing.

How about you?

So many people. But currently I have a psychiatrist, a mental health nurse and a social worker

My most recent "therapist" violated confidentiality and told my mother I was having suicidal thoughts. That confirmed for me that therapy and "mental heath care" is bullshit and that you can never trust a therapist (or similar things like crisis hotlines or support groups).

It's because it's a safety issue, they r legally by law supposed to report that. They can be held responsible if they knew something but didn't say anything.

 

[SexyIncél]

Sorry if this is a thought dump, but someone might find it useful. Tagging @Holu and @Roseate, who said interesting things in Recovery subforum

I have a humanistic therapist. Very helpful. In many ways, I think better in conversation. (Rogerian person-centered therapy. For more boring details, here and here)

To cover my therapist's ass, I threaten to execute a suicide pact immediately if they tell the state about my suicidal thoughts. In the unlikely case they get in trouble. So I can be as open with them as I am on SaSu, it's all good. Competent therapists can't be government spies. They can't prioritize politics over me, and all options must be considered

This therapy has a well-known downside. Relies on the client's conscious thought. But most of my mind is unconscious and I can't introspect it. Workarounds:

• Psychotherapy (about unconscious mechanisms):
  • I try to figure out these unconscious mechanisms, with my therapist. Obviously, it'd be nicer to have an ideal psychotherapist who together with me will theorize and experiment. Haven't found one yet
  • I looked for psychological theories that might apply to me. Sam Vaknin has one. I'm not a narcissist, but can adapt his theories. Because they're surprisingly general
    • Sam is a narcissist, and I'm told a psychopath. I don't care. I'd take him over a normie any day. If people need normies, stay away from Issac Newton
• Cognitive therapy (effective thinking):
  • I don't use CBT. But it's probably repackaged stoicism. I'm fairly familiar with modern stoics, and a bit of past ones. Maybe I underestimate CBT
  • I've studied logic and rational thinking. If people want more info, I can DM
• Group therapy (mo' people, mo' better):
  • Did a bit with psychodrama and group therapy

There's also flaws with all of them. Suppose you're mentally ill because you're locked in a box. None of these will cure its root cause. Except by telling you the obvious: escape the box

That is, your collaboration is on the psychological level. But your actions can be on various levels: physical, biological, social, psychological... and other levels I know little about, like spiritual

 

[Roseate]

Sorry if this is a thought dump, but someone might find it useful. Tagging @Holu and @Roseate, who said interesting things in Recovery subforum

I have a humanistic therapist. Very helpful. In many ways I think better in conversation. (Rogerian person-centered therapy. For more boring details, here and here)

To cover my therapist's ass, I threaten to execute a suicide pact immediately if they tell the state about my suicidal thoughts. In the unlikely case they get in trouble. So I can be as open with them as I am on SaSu, it's all good. Competent therapists can't be government spies. They can't prioritize politics over me, and all options must be considered

This therapy has a well-known downside. Relies on the client's conscious thought. But most of my mind is unconscious and I can't introspect it. Workarounds:

• Psychotherapy (about unconscious mechanisms):
  • I try to figure out these unconscious mechanisms, with my therapist. Obviously, it'd be nicer to have an ideal psychotherapist who together with me will theorize and experiment. Haven't found one yet
  • I looked for psychological theories that might apply to me. Sam Vaknin has one. I'm not a narcissist, but can adapt his theories. Because they're surprisingly general
    • Sam is a narcissist, and I'm told a psychopath. I don't care. I'd take him over a normie any day. If people need normies, stay away from Issac Newton
• Cognitive therapy (effective thinking):
  • I don't use CBT. But it's probably repackaged stoicism. I'm fairly familiar with modern stoics, and a bit of past ones. Maybe I underestimate CBT
  • I've studied logic and rational thinking. If people want more info, I can DM
• Group therapy (mo' people, mo' better):
  • Did a bit with psychodrama and group therapy

There's also flaws with all of them. Suppose you're mentally ill because you're locked in a box. None of these will cure its root cause. Except by telling you the obvious: escape the box

That is, your collaboration is on the psychological level. But your actions can be on various levels: physical, biological, social, psychological... and other levels I know little about, like spiritual

Ever tried creative therapy? As advanced as technology seems to be, when it comes to mental illness they are very behind. The pills for one, and then the fact that you are right. They aren't trained to cure the root cause. They're trained to find a trigger and work through that trigger. I feel like therapist is focused on ignoring your feelings rather than work through it. I was told I think too much instead of idk breaking down those thoughts and working through them individually little by little. I'm curious to see and understand the different ways other form of therapy work. I've only ever tried talk therapy and usually my therapists triggers me rather than find a solution. And I hate the fact that I can't talk about my thoughts and the fact that I will let my therapist know I'm not religious, that I am atheist and they will proceed to bring up god anyways which just usually leads me to believe that they have no idea what they're talking about. Especially if they can't give me a solid solution without the mention of some form of a god.

 

[Mortalist]

The question: how-much-help-have-you-had-from-professionals?

I went to 3 therapists over 5 years.

Nr.1, for my fist severe depression and suicidal thoughts at the age of 17. After less then a year he climbed the career ladder. Therefore:

Nr.2, replacement for my former. With her, I discovered I had Autism, yet wasted every session with her after that, because she wasn't a professional in that area. She also decided to go somewhere else after a year. Therefore:

Nr.3, replacement for my former, again... and honestly, why did I even go to him? I don't know what we did in our sessions. He was just someone to talk to, I guess, like the way I would talk with a close friend about stuff. At least this one didn't vanish too after a year xD
With him I did have some good experience. Got my first job, allthough temporary. Had some nice talks with some coworkers. I gained a knew close firend, who, as it turns out, shared many similarities with me.
But life happend... Employment reached it's end, I got screwed hard by a company I applied. They hired me as a trainee, then revoked that offer, because they decided to hire someone else... that really hit me hard. That was the time frame my therapy "ended". I had somewhat lost my faith, and I did not met compasison, but this "Go on!". He did not take any interest for me, thats when he became obsolete for me.
Last session with him was in July, last year. My emotional state has not declined since then, with an exeption. Thats a different story, however.

In the end I don't have any real negative sentiment towards them or would say anything bad. They all had good intentions, but ultimatly are also just humans, flawed in their own way.
I got into this system not by choice when I was 17. I never knew what I wanted from therapy, or what they could offer me. It allways just was this place where you heal mental issues. So when I "fell" out of this system again, finally, It wasn't a big deal. I dealt with worse.
Stoping therapy was a help seeing things the way I do know.

 

[ArchmagePrincess]

Been seeing mental health professionals for over 7 years now. Many of them caused more trauma at worst or were overall unhelpful or patronizing at best. I have had 2 therapists that were okay and helped a little bit, but they're more often the exception than the rule.

I think mental health treatment as it stands now is fundamentally flawed. How comfortable and trusting can you feel with someone you are paying to see, who will immediately stop seeing you if payment stops or insurance is changed and has a significant amount of power over you?

I hope it'll get better in the future, and a hundred years from now humans can look back on our time and think: wow they had no idea how to help people dealing with mental health back then. That it could one day be compared to bloodletting and leeches for healthcare.

I've been watching this former therapist on youtube and he honestly has a lot of good points and has helped me better understand what I went through.

 

[soolka]

It's half decent. I used to go talk to a psychiatrist and a psychological nurse, but they both ended up moving away. Talking to them helped me feel less anxious at times, but they often seemed dissappointed in me for not showing huge progression

 

[SexyIncél]

Ever tried creative therapy?

Yeah forgot about that! Weirdly, art therapy was the hardest for me. I'd always come late and sleep at a desk. Until 5 mins before everyone presented their art. Then I'd wake up, grab paper and just scribble something, or break a soft stone

Dance was much better, we'd do things like tie sheets in a loop and dance however we wanted, holding the sheets. Or grab objects like pingpong balls and somehow dance with them

My mind was mostly destroyed then. I think art was hard because I was so alienated from art. Many cultures have this depressing line between art and everything else. "Art" becomes sacred rituals, something unnatural. ("Artificial" haha.) Special art tools and places

They aren't trained to cure the root cause. They're trained to find a trigger and work through that trigger.

omg the dummies

Sorry to hear that they're pushing on you gods and magic little pills... Magic could work if they're also doing something substantive. But this sounds mostly like placebo effect and jedi mind tricks

 

[cgrtt.brns]

pretty much jack shit. i used to think therapists were genuinely helpful because of how revered they are in society, so i begged my parents to get me referred to one at 11 years old because of how painful my thoughts were. consequently therapist after therapist i quickly realised they're all as helpful as a snide 'just smile!' comment.

tried cbt and dbt, all just basically "remember your thoughts are unhelpful!" like yeah no shit i know. distractions can only help for so long. trying to challenge my thoughts when they are valid reasons for feeling suicidal just feels performative and pointless. and 'building a better life for myself' is impossible. that's all they ever say to do. actually just had my last dbt session yesterday and am so glad to be over with it. my therapist recommended me a book on bpd which i bought (out of fear of appearing rude if i didn't, anxiety lol) and everything i learnt in those dbt sessions i could've just read in the book. she was a nice person tho so i have nothing against her, just therapy in general and the system if that makes sense. other therapists, however, another story. one just gave me form after form to fill out of what i had eaten the past week, which just made me feel like shit when i saw how much id eaten and actually encouraged me to eat less. another straight up told me she believed i was lying about my gender identity, if i didn't have anxiety i would've told her to go fuck herself and walked out of that fucking room.

as far as psychiatrists, i /think/ ive only had one so far, who was somewhat helpful in getting me diagnosed with autism and tbd adhd. however also diagnosed me with bpd which i dont really agree with, i feel like they just gave me that diagnosis bc it's what they specialise in and just like handing it out to ppl lol. they upped my dosage of a medication i take for sleep from 25mg to 100mg even tho i told them my sleep was fine, but for some reason they think it'll help with my anxiety? which it hasn't and now ive become even more dependent on it to sleep as i feel my body is used to the higher dose and it was just a pointless change if that makes sense? also put me on an ssri for anxiety which doesn't do anything for that, although i have found it quietens my negative thoughts somewhat, which annoyingly ive now become dependent on because any time i forget or try to stop taking it im immediately back to thinking about killing myself 24/7, which sucks because it also ruined my ability to be creative which was one of my favourite distractions. now i just feel numb 24/7 and have no ability to do things that i enjoy. what a great way to beat the suicidal thoughts :D /j

as someone that can't talk about things to my parents and refuse to talk about them with friends for fear of hurting them, the only thing i found therapy useful for was getting my thoughts out of my head. unfortunately that comes with the risk of being thrown in a psych ward. forums like this can give me the same thing i got from therapy but without that risk. therapy is not tailored for chronically vulnerable people, i feel like it's only helpful for people with one or two temporary issues. and psychiatry is just a way to find out what's wrong with you and then get kicked out the door into the real world to face it on your own, or to drug you until you're a husk of the person you once were.

sorry this is so long agh i really appreciate if you've read any of this nonsensical rambling <3

 

[Roseate]

Yeah forgot about that! Weirdly, art therapy was the hardest for me. I'd always come late and sleep at a desk. Until 5 mins before everyone presented their art. Then I'd wake up, grab paper and just scribble something, or break a soft stone

Dance was much better, we'd do things like tie sheets in a loop and dance however we wanted, holding the sheets. Or grab objects like pingpong balls and somehow dance with them

My mind was mostly destroyed then. I think art was hard because I was so alienated from art. Many cultures have this depressing line between art and everything else. "Art" becomes sacred rituals, something unnatural. ("Artificial" haha.) Special art tools and places


omg the dummies

Sorry to hear that they're pushing on you gods and magic little pills... Magic could work if they're also doing something substantive. But this sounds mostly like placebo effect and jedi mind tricks

I mean the pills do help aside from that sick feeling. But I actually enjoy art. When I was in the mental hospital, art was really helpful. I felt so at peace and it was the first time I ever felt that peace. But thanks, sounds like art may not be your thing. I enjoy writing (for fun and maybe professionally) and drawing (for fun cuz I'm mad at it). I will definitely give art therapy a chance. Might help with the anxiety at least.

 

[ForeverLonely82]

Enough to know it's nothing more than a farce. Oh boy let's talk about how our life is shit and leave with the same bullshit that resides in your life prior to a conversation AND have your wallet emptied. It's all a lie. Not to mention man made concoctions called "Anti Depressants" that do fuck all but either make the problem worse or affect your reproduction functions (masterbation is one of my copes). Professional help IMO is a farce, just to make money for those who suffer, if you got anything out of it then god bless, but finding some copes is really the better options. The mental health system is just a sadistic joke that feeds false hope while filling their pockets from reciting from a fucking book.

 

[SexyIncél]

I mean the pills do help aside from that sick feeling. But I actually enjoy art. When I was in the mental hospital, art was really helpful. I felt so at peace and it was the first time I ever felt that peace. But thanks, sounds like art may not be your thing. I enjoy writing (for fun and maybe professionally) and drawing (for fun cuz I'm mad at it). I will definitely give art therapy a chance. Might help with the anxiety at least.

Yeah! Hope it goes well. Basically my life is about making art for people, so I guess it was just a weird situation then... conflicting notions of art

 

[Roseate]

Yeah! Hope it goes well. Basically my life is about making art for people, so I guess it was just a weird situation then... conflicting notions of art

Oh so you are artistic? Interesting that is cool.

 

[sheepgirl]

I've had a lot of input from professionals. Lots of therapy, 3 rounds of DBT, many inpatient admissions. 9 months in residential treatment, and at some points had 2 case managers (I believe that's the equivalent to a care co in the uk?). Currently I have a cm but I have spoken to her in months, a psychiatrist and therapist

 

[peaches]

Ever tried creative therapy? As advanced as technology seems to be, when it comes to mental illness they are very behind. The pills for one, and then the fact that you are right. They aren't trained to cure the root cause. They're trained to find a trigger and work through that trigger. I feel like therapist is focused on ignoring your feelings rather than work through it. I was told I think too much instead of idk breaking down those thoughts and working through them individually little by little. I'm curious to see and understand the different ways other form of therapy work. I've only ever tried talk therapy and usually my therapists triggers me rather than find a solution. And I hate the fact that I can't talk about my thoughts and the fact that I will let my therapist know I'm not religious, that I am atheist and they will proceed to bring up god anyways which just usually leads me to believe that they have no idea what they're talking about. Especially if they can't give me a solid solution without the mention of some form of a god.

The imposition of god is the worst. Where are you (what country?) that this is prevalent?
I also am atheist/agnostic and I have been horribly abused by religion addicts.

 

[StaticCryBabye]

Im in a shit country where things like this are not taken seriously, i once tried getting help by calling the suicide hotline 7 times, and id say it was pretty useless, they'll usually just talk to me for hours, and when they feel like ive calm down that's it. they'll just send goodbye and wish me the best, there's some point they'll not even answer at all. friends are only the one that actually try to help me and nothing more.

 

[Roseate]

The imposition of god is the worst. Where are you (what country?) that this is prevalent?
I also am atheist/agnostic and I have been horribly abused by religion addicts.

In the US. They don't care. Also I hate the fact that they don't keep notes and will ask me the same questions I've answered multiple times. Like how can they help when they aren't listening? Ugh idk my insurance sucks but hey at least it's free.

 

[gogurtlord]

Myself: Fuck all help.

They just section me, when my overdoses are extreme, but that's it.

No therapy, no care co-ordinator, nothing.

How about you?

barely any. i would constantly switch therapists due to them leaving or other stuff like that, and it made me not want to do therapy anymore. i don't even remember how many i've had. at this point, i give up on connecting with therapists in fear they'll just leave again.

 

[asleepsomewhere]

I got prescribed an anti depressant, no diagnosis as far as I can tell, I wasn't informed of anything. Doctors ignore pretty much everything I say and brush it off as something else. I had a mental health nurse assigned to me and she was supposed to help and do regular appointments. She called once and then never again