Discussion Talked to a psychiatrist, and it really was not helpful.

[doublecupj]

I basically asked a professional psychiatrist, "why is life worth living?"

I laid out all the problems I personally had, along with problems that many people share like financial difficulty, incarceration, mental illness, and so on. His answer was of course, yes life is worth it. His reason?

"We are here to learn lessons"

All I could think to myself was "wow, that is incredibly weak". Lessons? For what? I mean if I have a math exam coming up in a week, I need lessons, because I want to pass the exam. But there's no final exam when it comes to life. You're just flung into this existence and then you have to figure everything out on your own, you suffer all the time, and the payoff in the end is that you die anyway. What's the "lesson" in that? It's just nonsensical and I was almost in disbelief that this is the best a psychiatrist with 20 years of experience has to offer.

If that's the best reasoning the mental health industry has, it's no wonder suicide rates are at an all time high and climbing. I don't need "lessons" to understand life sucks, it's right in my face.

 

[perfect_stranger]

I've had that exact same experience throughout all my teens. Most shrinks are clones of one another.

Someone I very much admire summed it up concisely "...Get off your high horse, shrink. All that your profession does is privatize responsibility to suffering individuals, in a world where multinational companies and governments act with no responsibility."

The mental health industry is just that, an industry. It's all a business first and an aid to lost souls second (if at all).

 

[hikikomorizombie]

yeah that's why i stopped/gave up on 'professional' help awhile ago. therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors. i've seen them all & they're all the same. same talking points, same advice, same bs. at the most, they're good for venting, & even then i'd usually leave feeling 10x worse than when i came in bc i just rehashed years of bs & left w 'try breathing exercises, journaling, & being present.'

 

[casual_existence]

There's plenty of philosophies you can have on life. It's up to you to determine which one you want to have.
Also see here

Therapy Methods Explained

"If you want to help someone you need to know something about them" - 'It's A Wonderful Life' Considering therapy but don't know where to start? Hopefully this can be a starting point about what all those different terms mean, and help to pick the right therapist. There are also options further...

sanctioned-suicide.net

There's many therapies out there. Also look at "
But I tried traditional therapy and it didn't work - now what?
"
In that thread

 

[Forever Sleep]

Did you ask him if his answer was based on religion? It sounds like it might have been. I would really want to grill him on that! Exactly as you said- Why do we need to learn these lessons? What is the end goal? Does he believe there is some exterior force keeping track of what we're doing? Does it throw up obstacles to push us in a certain direction? Does he think that force is benevolent or malevolent? Why?

If it's more of a self improvement thing, again- Why? Who are you supposed to be improving for? Yourself? But- you've just more or less told him you don't have much hope (I'm guessing.) You maybe don't believe in a bright future for yourself enough to think it's even possible for you- no matter how may lessons you've learned (I'm imagining.) So- Who are you supposed to be doing this for? Him?!! Your parents? God?

I don't know. For a long time, I've thought therapy is only really going to work if you truly want to be helped. Like- some people want to hold on to hope I suppose and the 'everything happens for a reason' card just about covers any shitty thing! But yeah, that answer would have annoyed me too. I reckon I'd end up arguing with a psychiatrist!

 

[ijustwishtodie]

That answer would have pissed me off too. Firstly, I know that the only reason as to why I'm here in the first place is because two people had sex. That's all. Also, what's the point of these lessons? I never asked to have lessons in the first place; those lessons got forcibly imposed on me. I'd rather skip the lessons and go straight to death where I don't have to suffer via learning lessons ever again

 

[SilentSadness]

Psychiatrists are often out of touch and delusional, a lot of them just want money and others don't have any idea. I think that's a lackluster response from your psychiatrist and it's insensitive to insist that life is "worth it".

 

[Argo]

Ask them what lessons the person who was born, suffered a horrible accident that left them in pain, disability and isolation, has to learn? And why this person, vs. the person who is comfortable with relatively few issues? The more you question bullshit like this, the more it falls apart.

 

[digitalsociety]

Psychiatrists are often out of touch and delusional, a lot of them just want money and others don't have any idea. I think that's a lackluster response from your psychiatrist and it's insensitive to insist that life is "worth it".

They have no experience or actual understanding of the true ugliness of life, they think that because they had their own personal problems that they understand what we are going through but they are sadly wrong.