SUBJECT>Re: Ideal "Therapy" - Spoiler?
POSTER>Dreamer
EMAIL>abgale@earthlink.net
DATE>Wednesday, 26 January 2000, at 4:56 p.m.
I have a few rules of thumb I've put together re: mental health professionals after a good deal of experimentation and frustration:
1. When dealing with any mental health issue one should be initially assessed by an informed M.D. psychiatrist who is not afraid of medication and who is knowledgable about neurological conditions.
2. After one has been fully assessed by a decent psychiatrist (didn't say there are many out there), said psychiatrist should have meds recommendations and should either be capable of providing some therapy or if s/he is not (and *my* psychiatrist is a meds dispenser) should refer one to a psychologist, preferably a sane clinical psychologist for coping strategies.
IMO:
I see a changing face in mental health care that I am getting the best results from finally at 41.
1. Psychiatrists should be knowledgeable about mental/neurological illness and serve as diagnosticians, medicine prescribers and monitors, and be capable of referring to and working in tandem with knowledgeable Clinical Psychologists who really should have a Ph.D. Shrinks in theory have the ability to provide
therapy -- discussion of issues, coping, etc. -- but they are more expensive and nowadays more and more (the good ones) becoming as described above -- diagnosticians and medical/neurological professionals with knowledge of current meds and research.
2. The Clinical Psychologist should be able to help with issues that arise re: dealing with one's diagnosis and assist (as in my case) with handling weaknesses in personality formation and functioning.
3. I have lost all faith in "talk therapy", searching for "repressed memories", *psychotherapy* -- I'm sorry but I've concluded that that is essentially bunk -- I'm referring specifically to Freud and other variations thereof.
4. Behavioral therapy can be very helpful in addressing certain symptoms/issues head-on... and is often very helpful with say OCD where "exposure" to a feared contamninant, etc. can help one overcome the fear. Phobias, family problems, personal issues, sexual concerns, etc. can be worked out in such therapy. A book such as "Feeling Good" can be helpful as well, but it cannot "cure" DP, depressioin, severe anxiety... what it can do is help with distorted ways of thinking that can be related to one's life experiences and is a "self-help" book which is not always enough in and of itself. I suggest a minimum of a some sessions with a therapist of some sort to get a handle on issues and to decide if one-on-one would be helpful or if one has the discipline to "self-help"... it isn't always easy.
5. Steer clear of M.S.W.s, M.F.C.C.s, etc.... I have only found said individuals (often referred by help-lines in the U.S.) to absolutely ignorant of anything relevant to one's problems and never found one who even knew what DP was. They are good for working on very specific issues, of course family couselling for problems with family dynamics, marital difficulties, etc. Forgive, but I consider them low on totem pole though some can be very good -- haven't found one yet.
End of lecture for the time being.
Best,
Dreamer