Discussion [Poll] Are you receiving therapy/ professional MH care?

[The J0ker]

MH team and meds for a few years now - nothing has helped and I'm getting to the end of my rope!

 

[Subhumano]

No, I dont fall for that scam

 

[hang in there]

Therapy never helped me and I consider all "careers" in the field of "psychology" to be pure unfiltered quackery.
Meds work and force my body to function like a marionette whether I the puppet want to or not

 

[burneverybridge]

Nothing. Refused a diagnosis for my bpd, offered to go on wait list for counselling but after admitting using weed they refused to help. And that is the NHS. Just come off anti depressants cos they don't work and I can't afford them anymore. Sometimes I think if I went and killed a pedo I'd get a little help?

 

[Izolita]

therapy and pyschriatry. It hasn't changed my desire for cb

 

[imitoto]

I've been with a therapist for 5 years and it has helped, but in a way that I feel peaceful/ resolved enough to ctb anyways

 

[iridescence]

I've been in intense therapy for nearly a decade now, tried multiple different medications, treatments, and recently spent time at a psychiatric unit in a voluntary program. Still taking medication, this time a mix of two different antidepressants, though it's been so long since I've been without anything that I can't even tell the difference anymore.

I think since the hospital I've lost most hope of ever being able to live rather than just survive. I mean, I've known of this site for nearly a year, but only just made an account. If I can't turn my life around, then I might as well CTB, right?

I think it has the potential to help, really. People have done so much for me, but it can't help if I don't bother to cooperate. Kind of sucks, but, like, whatever. That's life, and it's my own damn fault.

I have a lot more to say about how the mental health system is designed to fail us, but I'll try to keep the scope of my response limited to just me.

I was in therapy and on meds throughout my entire adolescence and gave up on all of it in 2022. I have been through 10+ different therapists, was on 5 different meds, and was hospitalized twice. None of it helped. I'm autistic, and very few therapists know how to handle that, even fewer who actually work with adults. The ones I talked to had a very surface level understanding of it, but was still guided by CBT/DBT (which are proven to be not effective or counter-effective for autistic people). You have to jump through so many hoops to even get a chance at getting help, and the chance of it being effective is considerably low.

It's painful. I wanted to get better. On some level, I still do. But I always end up back in the same place no matter what I try or who I talk to, so why even bother anymore? The statistics for mental illness and suicide don't indicate things getting better either...

I actually never knew that DBT wasn't very effective for autistic people, I just knew that I never liked it and it was practically shoved down my throat at the hospital I was at. I'm autistic, so this might actually help to look at other alternatives. Even now, people are trying to get me to look into DBT, and my grandmother (who I live with) suggested today we take a 6 week course my therapist is offering on DBT crap.

I've never liked it, and it's never been effective for me. I doubt that anything will change even if I research alternatives, since they all think I'm taking my autism too seriously, and that I'm just more sensitive, not that I think in completely different ways from others. But I'll still try.

Yeah, therapy is (still) really CBT-coded and I, as someone with autism, have never found it effective. I remember that I could never really do the exercises well because my thoughts weren't irrational (with more evidence in favour of them) or there was no way of proving them wrong with objective evidence.

Even for neurotypicals, CBT is overhyped and portrayed as a cure-all, when in fact it's just not super effective for most mental disorders, including depression.

I have tried a few other 'third wave' therapies myself (from books) such as ACT, Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Behavioural Activation (BA). There is a lot of overlap between them, and I found these more helpful because they don't focus on the content of thoughts. More helpful is relative though, a lot of (autism related) problems can't be fixed.

Yes, this actually explains it really well! I remember trying to explain to the psychologist that, no, my anxiety doesn't revolve around 'worries'. I don't think people are staring at me, I don't believe that everyone thinks I'm useless or that they're always judging me. My anxiety isn't irrational, but it's still debilitating, and it was so hard to convince her of that for some reason.

I'll also definitely look into those—they sound like they could help.

(Also, sorry if this doesn't get grouped up with my first reply. I am new to this, and I read the guide for this site, but it didn't say if it was manual or not. I didn't realize you could press reply on others posts and it'd group it all up before I sent my other post <3)

 

[matchalavendercake]

not at all and i don't want to, because i know nothing will help me at this point. i am now completely hopeless about my life in this reality getting any better, since it recently got even more worse to the point i genuinely can't take it anymore for real this time.

 

[St. Jimmy]

I've been in recovery for quite some time now. Initially my plan was to drop things that weren't good for me: alcohol, drugs, casual sex. I realized that wasn't cutting it for me, so I began seeing a therapist. That also wasn't enough, and so I started taking medication for both depression and anxiety.

Eventually I evened out and no longer needed the medication and also stopped therapy.

Recently I got back into therapy, feeling that I still hadn't quite resolved some of my issues that stemmed from my lifelong baggage.

However, I've had to take a hiatus from therapy, due to having surgery done for my back. Since I'm only receiving a portion of my paycheck thanks to short term disability, I can't even afford the co-pay to see my therapist while I'm on leave.

Consequently, I've been having a lot of anxiety over the future and things that are out of my control. Thankfully I have leftover anxiety medication if things get too overwhelming, or in the case a straight up panic attack hits me.

 

[TheUnkown]

Yes, i am receiving both.

 

[WantingOut2]

My former therapist left me to rot. FAR too much isolation but she doesn't care. When she knew she was quitting she should have tried to find me someone. I hate her.
And today, "Mother's Day" - what a joke. We're supposed to celebrate the day of the person who brought us into this world.
LIFE IS NOT A GIFT.

 

[Emma Goldman]

Tons of therapy, tons of medication. The only good thing is that after all these years, nobody can blame me that I didn't try.

I have had quite a bit of therapy; i feel some benefit whilst i am undergoing this; however this falls off a cliff when it ends. I am on medication for bi-polar; too early to say if this is effective, but i am having more frequent thoughts and intentions to end my life.

 

[K2PE]

No, I´m not. I prefer to be like this.

 

[hopeless302]

nah

 

[plytiene]

Without reiterating everything everyone has already been saying, yes to both, but while some talking can help get perspective or what have you, it fundamentally did not address the root issue whatsoever. Meds, for their part, can't treat it either - they can deal with the symptoms to some extent, but never without side effects, some crippling. I've had... half a dozen different prescription types, later on combinations of them, and I'm still here. I followed four different therapists for months at this point, and I'm still here.
Well, hopefully not forever.

 

[SomewhereAlongThe]

The therapists give you the most automated robotic answers to your issue. Not to mention they are a fan of all the empty platitudes.

Therapy has not worked for me, personally. I've had some therapists say some pretty rough stuff to me like "life goes on", and I just moved on from having them as a therapist.

Medication definitely helps my bipolar, but I'm struggling with my psychiatrist to get medication to sleep properly.

 

[AnEpilogue]

I am in therapy, but I wish I weren't. People just don't understand what I mean whenever I say anything, therapists included. Making assumptions about how you feel, focusing on all the wrong stuff in your life, misconstruing your words. I hate it, but I keep going to keep my mom satisfied so she isn't breathing down my neck about my inability to land a job. Finding another one would be a pain, so I don't bother trying.

Medications make me feel terrible, make me feel so unlike myself. I am just an inherently depressed and anxious person, and I absolutely hate feeling forced to be happy. Plus, they tend to make my dissociation worse. So I refuse to take them.

 

[ignorableaurochs]

Since I last responded to this thread I have started compassion-focused therapy which it transpires I deeply despise

 

[manicstreetbeeper]

therapy. i don't trust medications; too much of a control freak and need complete control over what goes into my body/what it does.

i like my therapist. i didn't for awhile, but i trust her more now and at least that her intentions are good. therapy is not enough, but i don't blame anyone on my team. i've been suicidal for over a decade and if i don't actually want to be stopped, nothing long-term will prevent it.

 

[suicidal jirai]

I'd like to get therapy, but due to an investigation to do with my abuser, I'm not allowed, although I hope to try and get therapy when I'm allowed to again

 

[seroquelmain]

medication only, but I'm starting dbt soon hopefully that helps

 

[tsumihoroboshi]

I was, but my mental health placed closed down, and we don't know where to go about starting over entirely so I've been unmedicated for a very long time. I hadn't been to proper therapy in a decade. I tried counseling recently but it didn't do me any good.

 

[Scenegirlshooter]

Yeah, but my medication doesn't work, also I'm about to quit therapy

 

[Squiggles3]

Tried therapy, going to support groups, taking medication, eating better and exercising, social transitioning, and none of it helped.

 

[g8r aid]

i can't even afford to talk to someone

 

[MaxWhoHatesKetchup]

I've tried different medications and they aren't improving my condition. it's not something medicine or learning coping mechanisms can solve, so I've given up on both

 

[tinyhotot]

Went to therapy and i got better, just not entirely better. Still hurting but its a different wound you know? I wanna go back but don't know how or who

 

[infinitiez]

Tried therapy for social anxiety, therapist just taught me a breathing technique and called it a day. $100

 

[SignatureRequired]

It's basically an open secret that if you want to try therapy, and you carry this state of mind with you on a daily basis, then you can't be entirely honest with what you're going through. But that just means you end up talking about something you have no interest in for the entire session. Besides, therapists are really expensive depending on where you live. :(

 

[Tord]

In my country you can be deemed not therapeutable. That's where I am at.