Tell me the worst mental health advice you've received

[nowheretorunto]

"it's not just you, everybody goes through it."
"Try to make friends"
"Do yoga"
"Sleep early"
"Do meditation"
"Go for a walk"
"Travel"

 

[throwawaygirl]

"Just don't worry about it" a psych about my cptsd

 

[grass]

Whats the most useless mental health advice that you've ever received?
(from mental health services/family/friends/random strangers on the internet etc...)

I'm not sure if its the worst i've EVER received but I remember calling a crisis mental health service in my country when I was actively suicidal with plans and the professional told me to calm down and have a bath and a cup of tea. I almost laughed

When my parents found out I was cutting myself, they weren't worried about me, just angry. Dad was annoyed that he "had to drive me around" to talk to a psychologist. They made me do more chores so that I wouldn't "be bored and do stupid things for attention". Also they said I'm going to hell because of it as if I believe in any of that.

 

[burninghill]

I told someone that my only joy in life is drugs and they told me to 'find something to live for, or don't'.

 

[booplesnoot34]

"Don't give up hope, it will always get better!"

"It never gets better, you just learn to live with it"

Tbh yeah, that is the most realistic advice. None of this false hope and empty promises about things getting better that most people love to spout at us. You either learn to live with it or choose to die with it.

 

[FluffIsJustice]

"You should be over it by now" (sorta funny considering the consequences still affect me everyday)

"it's just a phase" (which is why it hasn't gotten better after all these years lmao)

 

[Die.A.Ria]

"Just don't worry about it" a psych about my cptsd

Wtf?

 

[sifp]

Wtf?

You're gonna die anyway. Might as well do something in the meantime.

 

[valar_morghulis21]

Whats the most useless mental health advice that you've ever received?
(from mental health services/family/friends/random strangers on the internet etc...)

I'm not sure if its the worst i've EVER received but I remember calling a crisis mental health service in my country when I was actively suicidal with plans and the professional told me to calm down and have a bath and a cup of tea. I almost laughed

This is what life about and I should just get used to it like everybody else

 

[GardenGirl089]

Ive had two people tell me such terrible things that most people would it would have caused them to commit suicide. One was a religious site i reached out to in the beginning trying not to act on my SI. The person i got was super judgemental and pretty much said i deserve to die since having SI means im not godly. I couldnt believe what this person was saying. Again most would have attempted after a conversation like this. The other was my first counselor. The Christian counselor i had to hold my faith. She was so super focused on fixing me from the self harm of cutting and burning that she wasnt getting the subtle hints i was trying to give that i was suicidal and attempting. She was so proud i wasnt self harming daily anymore when all she did was cause cutting to not work for me anymore that i was attempting overdosing on medications about 6 times before i finally just opened up and told her about the attempts. Her face dropped and she discharged me from her practice sending me to another place for an iop program that i did not end up doing.

 

[PersonBeforeLife]

Suicide helpline.

"Suicide is a permanent SOLUTION to a temporary PROBLEM" so... They just admitted suicide is a solution and life is the problem?

Also the "fix yourself first before pursuing your own goals"... Yes because we heal in a vacuum... And healing in a life you hate makes perfect sense... Like... I'm trying to achieve a life I don't hate to get into that environment to heal from the life I did hate. How is this difficult to understand?

Ive had two people tell me such terrible things that most people would it would have caused them to commit suicide. One was a religious site i reached out to in the beginning trying not to act on my SI. The person i got was super judgemental and pretty much said i deserve to die since having SI means im not godly. I couldnt believe what this person was saying. Again most would have attempted after a conversation like this. The other was my first counselor. The Christian counselor i had to hold my faith. She was so super focused on fixing me from the self harm of cutting and burning that she wasnt getting the subtle hints i was trying to give that i was suicidal and attempting. She was so proud i wasnt self harming daily anymore when all she did was cause cutting to not work for me anymore that i was attempting overdosing on medications about 6 times before i finally just opened up and told her about the attempts. Her face dropped and she discharged me from her practice sending me to another place for an iop program that i did not end up doing.

Oh the religious types are awful. Religion benefits some I'm sure, but for me trying to cure me with dogma makes me very upset. (No offense to those of you who are religious)

My mom is like give god another chance and I'm just like... I've been 14 years in a cult... 4 attempts... I'm pretty sure those are plenty chances for him (Christ) to reveal himself to me if he actually cared... I countered by saying it's evident he wants me to take my own life to be with him in heaven by his inaction (she was not impressed)

 

[CareLessMeaningLess]

When my parents found out I was cutting myself, they weren't worried about me, just angry. Dad was annoyed that he "had to drive me around" to talk to a psychologist. They made me do more chores so that I wouldn't "be bored and do stupid things for attention". Also they said I'm going to hell because of it as if I believe in any of that.

When my did, they took the knife, got mad and then went on about their day. Acting like it never happend. Later Mom said that suicide was selfish. Yeah thanks for that.

People have also said to take a walk. I won't deny that it might help some people. But it feels belittling when I have been like this for over a decade.

 

[VirtualWorldIsBette]

"Go out and meet people" as if somehow this would help me

Fuck that. Whenever I see people outside I just feel even more depressed and alone. It's as if the world is mocking me

 

[PeaceSeeker83]

Whats the most useless mental health advice that you've ever received?
(from mental health services/family/friends/random strangers on the internet etc...)

I'm not sure if its the worst i've EVER received but I remember calling a crisis mental health service in my country when I was actively suicidal with plans and the professional told me to calm down and have a bath and a cup of tea. I almost laughed

Seems to be a common theme here in Oz. Beyond blue forum contributors have received the same advice from "crisis lines". When I was a teenager I was told to get a girlfriend lol. Or make more friends. That was from family members. Psychologists have told me to find my tribe or go back to uni as a mature age student. Yeah, I am going to fork out 20000 dollars a year at a time I was trying to access the disability pension. Contradicts the reasons for ending up on a pension. I was recommended a type of yoga too. Ended up in a female dominated class looking like a creep no doubt and feeling worse. Then there are the crisis lines. Rang one at 37 and felt horrible after the operator claimed I was still young with a long way to go. True but made me feel awful.

 

[VirtualWorldIsBette]

Seems to be a common theme here in Oz. Beyond blue forum contributors have received the same advice from "crisis lines". When I was a teenager I was told to get a girlfriend lol. Or make more friends. That was from family members. Psychologists have told me to find my tribe or go back to uni as a mature age student. Yeah, I am going to fork out 20000 dollars a year at a time I was trying to access the disability pension. Contradicts the reasons for ending up on a pension. I was recommended a type of yoga too. Ended up in a female dominated class looking like a creep no doubt and feeling worse. Then there are the crisis lines. Rang one at 37 and felt horrible after the operator claimed I was still young with a long way to go. True but made me feel awful.

Hey, similar to you but I live in NZ. I'm sick of that advice to. My whole life even my mum has told me that I "will find my tribe" in intermediate, then high school, then university. Well that never happened. I'm one year after graduating and I have never wanted more to die in my entire life. I don't have the motivation to "find my tribe" or get a girlfriend after so long of being in pain. I'm ready to die now.

 

[Captive_Mind515]

"Life always gets better, if you let it…"

Both utterly useless advice and very clearly untrue.

 

[PeaceSeeker83]

Hey, similar to you but I live in NZ. I'm sick of that advice to. My whole life even my mum has told me that I "will find my tribe" in intermediate, then high school, then university. Well that never happened. I'm one year after graduating and I have never wanted more to die in my entire life. I don't have the motivation to "find my tribe" or get a girlfriend after so long of being in pain. I'm ready to die now.

When I stopped drinking I was told by my doctor to visit alcoholics anonymous for interaction and to leave the house. As if I am a hermit. Went 3 times. Was the most depressing event each time. Made me worse. I was told to exercise for endorphin release as if I am stupid. The funny thing is I exercised already quite a lot.

 

[VirtualWorldIsBette]

When I stopped drinking I was told by my doctor to visit alcoholics anonymous for interaction and to leave the house. As if I am a hermit. Went 3 times. Was the most depressing event each time. Made me worse. I was told to exercise for endorphin release as if I am stupid. The funny thing is I exercised already quite a lot.

Yeah I go to the gym fairly regularly - maybe 4-5 days a week. I've stopped doing ketamine every day now and go to Narcotics Anonymous. But I struggle to feel any connection with a bunch of people and still feel so alone in this wide world. Other than the gym, NA, and food shopping, I just don't have any reason to leave my bed

 

[PeaceSeeker83]

You're gonna die anyway. Might as well do something in the meantime.

Yeah.......like figure out a peaceful method to not delay the inevitable. A guy at my swim centre always says "you only live once" yet whenever I ask him what he's been doing he says "not much, just working".

 

[violetforever]

one time someone actually used the line "inside you there are two wolves" when trying to give me advice

 

[idontwantthisplease]

"Read the bible"

 

[Nat.]

"you need to go outside more"

 

[Monotropa]

One time someone told me that going on a carnivore diet would cure my depression and had the power to treat the "root cause" most psychiatric illnesses. Genuinely ruined my fucking day.

Also when people tell me to just exercise, eat healthy, and sleep better (especially with anti-psychiatry subtext). It shouldn't piss me off as much as it does because its great advice for anyone, but like I couldn't be fucked to put a microwave meal in the microwave let alone get out off bed to begin with so what makes you believe I can just spring to life and start functioning like a normal person? No shit it would make my life better, but did you ever think maybe the reason I haven't been isn't because some moron was yet to bless me with this genius revelation? Just let me rot away for all I care.

 

[killjohnlennon148]

take a shower.

 

[whyshouldinot]

"You don't need help, you just need friends"

 

[IwantAexit]

The worst is when someone tells me "fix it with religion"

 

[PersonBeforeLife]

When my did, they took the knife, got mad and then went on about their day. Acting like it never happend. Later Mom said that suicide was selfish. Yeah thanks for that.

People have also said to take a walk. I won't deny that it might help some people. But it feels belittling when I have been like this for over a decade.

Ok that's ritch.

"By my own parents selfish desire for children was I conceived into this world" (Platinum end quote)

Suicide is selfish... So... Like taking all the chocolate which is seen as good she secretly sees suicide as desirable?

 

[DTWAFavor]

im not religious, at least not like my parents are. After telling them about my depression they called me manipulative and a devil before saying i needed to "stop allowing the devil to control me." I was probably 14 or 15 at the time

Another time is when i was caught selfharming at 11 because my parents went through my phone. They didn't mind that i was texting strangers, they wanted to know if i was selfharming because my white friends were doing it (they were racist)

 

[BearTreadingWater]

Psychologist told me not to worry if I was having a lot of sleepless nights, my body would know the amount of sleep I needed. When I challenged her on this I found out I was dour sessions in without her realising I'd been diagnosed with bipolar.

What I'm really fed up of is being told I'm catastrophising about things when I'm absolutley not. It's just that I know more about the topic than them, and even when what I've said happens I get told I couldn't know that it would for sure.

 

[ificouldlivewithout]

I can't think of one on the top of my head except an action of when my Psychiatrist gave me Xanax at 13. Did not end well.