Is Therapy over used?

sbeBen

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njqt I'm sorry but you are being impossible. Instead of jumping down our necks maybe you could explain in a calm manner what is reality. I have never made out that what is said in the media is true. I said "that is the impression we get" You are very much on the deffensive and for no reason!

Thank you Think Kink for your honest and very personal answer. Sorry I did not notice you were from Canada - no offense.
 

Not_Punny

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The pursuit of happiness is written right into our constitution! It's our mission as Americans!! :biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:

If something as innocuous as therapy helps someone feel happier, why not? Sure beats moaning and groaning.
 

sbeBen

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The pursuit of happiness is written right into our constitution! It's our mission as Americans!! :biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:

If something as innocuous as therapy helps someone feel happier, why not? Sure beats moaning and groaning.
Do you moan and groan as part of your therapy though? (telling your problems to some one)

Do you think we in the UK are missing out as we don't use therapy as much as America? (so I am lead to believe, before nqt has a dicky fit at me)
 

Not_Punny

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Nope. I have only seen one a few times and she was very wise and got me to look at myself so I could see what I was doing.

You're soooooo.... British? (I went to school there for 8 years)
 

sbeBen

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Nope. I have only seen one a few times and she was very wise and got me to look at myself so I could see what I was doing.

You're soooooo.... British? (I went to school there for 8 years)
Do you ever think what they say is "obvious" and you could do that yourself or is it just a good thing to hear it from a "professional" to give it more gravitas?

Yes of course I am sooooo British - I was born here. I'm not always proud of it as some Brits let us down.
 

simcha

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OK, I'm going to admit my bias here. I'm Simcha and I'm an American and I'm a psychotherapist intern. *Hi Simcha* LOL!

Anyway, I work in the field and I can tell all of you that psychotherapy is greatly under-utilized. Too often people medicate themselves with work, food, sex, alcohol, mind altering substances, psychotropic medication, shopping, drama, television, music, etc... and don't deal with what is actually going on.

We have stressors the likes of which our ancestors never dreamed. Technology has far outpaced our intellectual, ethical, spiritual, and emotional abilities and responsibilities to use it.

Also, there is the stigma of being labelled as "mentally ill" that keeps too many people away from psychotherapy. Society in general discriminates against those who suffer from emotional and mental illnesses. How many times do people tell people who are truly depressed, "Oh, snap out of it!?"

Please don't judge the USA by our media. I know there's all that noise it makes, but we, as a people, are not our celebrities. Most people are not like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears. We do not consult our psychotherapists (most people have never been to a psychotherapist) for every decision.

Also, one of the points of psychotherapy is helping the client to acheive independence and individuation. Good psychotherapists encourage clients to make their own choices. We guide our clients, we don't give advice, unless absolutely necessary (i.e. with suicidal clients). Those I consider really good psychotherapists have treatment plans that include the following phases:

Assessment
Building a Therapeutic Alliance
Treatment Planning
The Treatment Itself
Preparation for Termination
Termination

Therefore, I believe a good psychotherapist plans for an eventual termination of services. Terminations are extremely important in psychotherapeutic treatment. Most people don't do endings very well. Guiding a client through an ending in a positive way can be a powerful corrective experience for the client.

I work with homeless 18-25 year olds. I get 24 months maximum to work with them that can be extended for 6 months. At the end of 24 months they need to be able to move on to the next thing, hopefully independent living. That's the goal of treatment. Most of my clients don't need the full 24 months. Some take eight months and leave for a year or two and come back only to leave again and finally "make it." So, I am biased that there should be an ending to psychotherapy planned into the Treatment Plan...
 

DaveyR

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Please don't judge the USA by our media. I know there's all that noise it makes, but we, as a people, are not our celebrities. Most people are not like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears. We do not consult our psychotherapists (most people have never been to a psychotherapist) for every decision.

Also, one of the points of psychotherapy is helping the client to acheive independence and individuation. Good psychotherapists encourage clients to make their own choices. We guide our clients, we don't give advice, unless absolutely necessary (i.e. with suicidal clients). Those I consider really good psychotherapists have treatment plans that include the following phases:



Therefore, I believe a good psychotherapist plans for an eventual termination of services. Terminations are extremely important in psychotherapeutic treatment. Most people don't do endings very well. Guiding a client through an ending in a positive way can be a powerful corrective experience for the client.

Thanks for a full and honest answer. As SBE pointed out it is very easy for us NON Americans to come to the conclusion that you guys spend half your life with your therapists and cannot make a simle decision without them. That picture is built up by your media.

Your points about termination and encouraging people to make their own decisions dispel that myth. I'm pleased I asked the question and got this answer from you despite some people taking my question as a slur on American culture. If you don't ask then you can't educate yourself to the reality. Thank you.
 

simcha

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Thanks for a full and honest answer. As SBE pointed out it is very easy for us NON Americans to come to the conclusion that you guys spend half your life with your therapists and cannot make a simle decision without them. That picture is built up by your media.

Your points about termination and encouraging people to make their own decisions dispel that myth. I'm pleased I asked the question and got this answer from you despite some people taking my question as a slur on American culture. If you don't ask then you can't educate yourself to the reality. Thank you.

No prob.

There are no stupid questions.
 

snoozan

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OK, I'm going to admit my bias here. I'm Simcha and I'm an American and I'm a psychotherapist intern. *Hi Simcha* LOL! <snip>

Yay! I love you. This was a wonderful post, and you are doing something that is greatly needed in our society. Thank you.
 

Not_Punny

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Touche' ??????? It's not a fight my dear just a question.

LOL -- I didn't take it as a fight. I answered my first answer... and then your point sunk in (about "isn't that moaning and groaning?"). I laughed and typo'ed touche (I'm too lazy to look up the little marks)!:wink:

- - - -

Added: ANd yes, what they do say is obvious to everyone else except yourself. They help you see what you can't see.
 

sbeBen

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LOL -- I didn't take it as a fight. I answered my first answer... and then your point sunk in (about "isn't that moaning and groaning?"). I laughed and typo'ed touche (I'm too lazy to look up the little marks)!:wink:

- - - -

Added: ANd yes, what they do say is obvious to everyone else except yourself. They help you see what you can't see.
:biggrin1::biggrin1:Cool!
 

Principessa

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njqt I'm sorry but you are being impossible. You make silly assumptions about the behavior of an entire nation and I'm being impossible?!? :eek: :confused: WTF! Instead of jumping down our necks maybe you could explain in a calm manner what is reality. Your impression or inference from the media is false as I have already mentioned. I have never made out that what is said in the media is true. I said "that is the impression we get" You are very much on the deffensive and for no reason!
SBE & DaveyR you hit a major sore spot with me and I bet many others on this site. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder & Generalized Anxiety Disorder; in 1999 and Borderline Personality Disorder in 2004. I do not abuse the privilege or go to therapy just to moan and groan about some trite issue or imagined slight.

If I believed even half of what movies and tabloids have said about the UK I would think that there were only 5 dentists in the entire country and everyone of you has bad teeth. :biggrin1:We have heard countless tales of the antiquated British plumbing and heating, which of course leads to poor personal hygeine and lovely flannel linens. The Brits are said to have a very bizarre sense of humor. Brits are prejudiced and hate Jews. Apparently you blame them for The Blitz. The entire country stops at 4:00 PM for afternoon tea. Whereas in America we work so hard we often don't take a lunch break. For fun, when you aren't tooling about town in your Aston Martins or Citroens' you play rugby, cricket, or if truly posh you don your riding boots and jodphers and ride to the hounds. For special occassions every well dressed man wears a suit from Savile Row topped with a bowler hat. :smile:

Do you moan and groan as part of your therapy though? (telling your problems to some one)<===That is a snarky remark.

Do you think we in the UK are missing out as we don't use therapy as much as America? (so I am lead to believe, before njqt has a dicky fit at me) [/quote]
Given the fact your country is barely bigger than a postage stamp I can't understand about what any of you would have to be depressed.
Then again since England is the home of the worlds oldest psychiatric hospital I have to assume you aren't missing out on anything.
I'd rather be on medication and in therapy than in my grandfather's shoes drinking too much to self-medicate, ending up in psych wards, and getting shock treatments. As would I Snoozan! I am the first person on either side of the family to seek the help of a therapist. That doesn't mean noone else has needed it.:redface: :rolleyes: It just means they believed the bullshit lies about black people not committing suicide, being depressed, or needing to see a 'shrink'. Then there is the sometimes overwhelming stigma of mental illness in the states. Many people still think depression means bat-shit crazy. They think you are not fit for polite society and must be committed and have shock therapy, which is now called ECT and is light years different than it was 60 or even 30 years ago. Some picture scenes from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, or picture bedraggled, ill kempt souls who appear to have just escaped Bedlam.
Which is to say, I think we're lucky to have ways of dealing with psychological and psychiatric problems in our society, even if they aren't perfect. I'd rather them be overused while we're figuring out how all this works than not available.
Amen sister! I agree wholeheartedly! :smile:
I don't know, maybe some people use therapy as a crutch, or do it and get nothing out of it, but when it works, it can really help. There is some science behind therapy also. Where one used to talk to a pastor, priest, etc., in our increasingly isolated and specialized world they talk to someone who deals with issues of the heart, mind, and soul. Exactly! I would no sooner go to my pastor for help in treating my depression than I would go to my dentist for a Pap Smear.
None of it bothers me, really. I'm glad to have it all.
 

Principessa

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You inspired me to research the data on mental illness in America.

The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America

Mental Disorders in America

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.1

When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.2Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.1 In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44.3 Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity.1

In the U.S., mental disorders are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV).4
Mood Disorders

Mood disorders include major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
  • Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.1
  • The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.5
  • Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.5
Major Depressive Disorder
  • Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44.3
  • Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.1
  • While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32.5
  • Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.6
Dysthymic Disorder
  • Symptoms of dysthymic disorder (chronic, mild depression) must persist for at least two years in adults (one year in children) to meet criteria for the diagnosis. Dysthymic disorder affects approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.1 This figure translates to about 3.3 million American adults.2
  • The median age of onset of dysthymic disorder is 31.1
Bipolar Disorder
  • Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.1
  • The median age of onset for bipolar disorders is 25 years.5
For more information on various disorders
 

Not_Punny

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Whoa! Let's not be too hard on the Brits (even though I took the privilege of sticking my lovable tongue out at them in the Spice Girls thread):wink:

Lots and lots of wonderful things came from England -- the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Killers (just kidding!), the Mini Skirt, and my older sister who was born there.

:wink::biggrin1:
 

DaveyR

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NJQT not once have I tried to belittle or berate any sort of mental disorder in this thread or anywhere on this or any other board that I use.

I very rarely believe much in the media without giving what I read and see a lot of thought and making my own enquiries. Again, in this thread I have not said that I believe what is put in front of me I said it would be easy to make assumptions. My reason for asking the questions was so that I don't make false assumptions.

Fortunately a professional(Simcha) was able to see my question for what it was and answer me in a friendly and calm way without the need to turn himself into some sort of a victim. I accepted and appreciate his answer.

Please do not try to slur me for asking a question. I suggest you read my posts again in this thread and if you still think that I am trying to have a go at you then I suggest that something has got lost in translation.

Don't use a simple and honest question to attack me and make a drama where none needs to exist. I know what I meant with my post and have explained it a few times already. I wont be replying to you again because I wont get drawn in by a drama queen. That is all. :rolleyes: