Doctors

[AlmostEasy]

Does anybody else have a tough time trusting doctors???

This includes mental health professionals, who, for the sake of time and relevance, will be my focus here.

Believe me, I've been shopping around for years, so it's not for lack of trying... but I've yet to find a single psychotherapist that's been of any substantial help.

Psychiatrists and psychologists alike... I'll admit, some have been better than others. But what irks me about the vast majority of them is the one-size-fits-all approach they take to treatment. It doesn't matter what I say (or fail to say); they're always going to respond in the same, scripted way, more or less. It's impersonal, if you ask me, and sometimes even patronizing. They're quick to label, so much so that I've received multiple misdiagnoses over the years. I understand that most of the disorders in the DSM have some overlapping symptoms, but this is still no excuse. I never once sensed a real desire to be understood.

What's more, I can't tell you how many times their so-called advice has sounded something like: "Have you tried meditation?" "Maybe go for a walk the next time you're having these bothersome thoughts." "Be sure you're eating healthy and keeping up a good sleep schedule!" etc.

...Yeah, no sh** ^ There are plenty of habits and coping mechanisms that are effective in managing stress and improving general well-being---for a regular people! What about those of us who are truly mentally ill? Gosh, and it's honestly pretty concerning that several of the clinicians I've worked with, including those supposedly specialized in CBT, were clearly unfamiliar with OCD. Do they just issue a license to anyone nowadays?!

As a way to sum up, I'll emphatically admit that the mere act of writing this post proved more therapeutic to me than any of my time sitting across from a shrink.

[SCC1]

I agree with you on everything, especially when you said, "Maybe go for a walk..." etc. And "no shit..." The therapists (even with CBT training), don't know how to effectively help. My therapist has said we will re-visit the things we talked about (today), next week, but we really don't.

The therapists have had me do exercises (CBT), but they don't help and are not even worthy of trying. I walk out of the office almost every week, wondering why I'm even in therapy.

I've been in it for so long, all of my adult life and a few yrs before that, and have only remembered a few things I've been told, because nothing else has been helpful.

What do you do when you're out of their office and have to deal with the issues alone? I haven't learned many skills I can actually use to help me. If I had, I'd remember them!

The therapists I've been to want to talk about how my week has been, what did I do, how did I feel doing those things. Ok. Let's get down to actual therapy.

I like my therapist a lot, just like I have other ones, but where is the help? People say to find one that is trained in specific things needed to help you, but after so many tries to get any therapist to "listen", it's getting old and tiresome to keep doing my part when they don't do theirs.

I'm now at a point where I don't even care; I just go and talk about whatever- maybe I'll learn something, maybe not. (I know this sounds really stupid, but after so much time of not really being helped, I just leave it to chance now.)

If I did search for another therapist and made an appt, and went to the sessions, how do I know that therapist will help me? If I don't see results after some time has passed, do I wait for another few weeks to see if maybe I will be helped? I could be going for weeks and hope I get help, but if it's not of any benefit, then what do I do? Find another therapist?

I wish I could go to therapy knowing that (this) session would be beneficial. To actually have something to work on. Not rate my depression when I'm doing the dishes.

Thank you for posting this. It was good to get this off my chest as well!

[AlmostEasy in reply to SCC1]

Thanks for replying - I relate to everything you wrote as well. Your second to last paragraph (ending in "rate my depression when I'm doing the dishes") definitely hit home... super accurate. I wish I didn't have to think of therapy as a waste of time. I wish it were as redeeming as people hype it up to be. But it's yet to prove itself to me. It's honestly really sad.

[PinetownTree]

Oh yes, that's been how it's gone for me too, the person I'm seeing now doesn't specialize in OCD but they understand it well enough it's been OK with them...

I've been to several sessions with "specialists" or done phone consultations which go like this, " oh, OCD, that's that cognitive thing right?...eh, just got to work on your thoughts...eh, you ever tried pills?"

Someone here in the replies said therapists tend to just small talk, yep...they're not consistent from one session to the next?...yep, which leaves no continuous progress...remember, you're not supposed to get well because there is no money in people who don't need help