I was talking to my new tennis partner and great friend Alan yesterday about my idea of people seeing a mental health professional once yearly for a mental health check up. A preventive helath care idea. Alan told me that people are afraid of mental health practitioners because in part they don't want to be analysed. There are other reasons of course, although I wanted to address this specifically.
The fear is even greater of psychiatrist's as we can hospitalize against one's will and medicate also. All of these perspectives are the same fear and I hope these comments help. It is my opinion think that to be "analysed" is to be judged. This is something we as mental health professionals try to avoid in fact. Our job is mostly to understand, which as a technical term is to be "analysed" after Freud's psychoanalysis treatment. We do judge behavior that is harmful to anyone however. If I was in a session with a patient, and they informed me their young child had been left in the car, I would immediately stop the session and insist they attend to their child. That is judgement of one's parenting skills and necessary for a childs safety. It is rare in our business for this to occur (it has never happened to me) as the overwhelming majority of people we see, are especially careful and cautious. We are often trying to promote some fun in life and being less harsh in one's views as a frequent intervention. First and foremost, we want to treat people with respect and consideration, invite them to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe place where there won't be an automatic response of censure or disapproval.
Most of the people I have seen in my career have been treated as people that matter, people with courage to carry on in the face of adversity. Of course we judge, although it is rarely necessary. Almost without exception, judging is ultimately appreciated by the person we are serving if judgement is required, as it can involve saving their lives. I know that people have been treated harshly by mental health professionals in the past and I only hope that was not the intention, as it has certainly never been mine. Thanks for the insight Alan. I hope this helps and let me know what you think.
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7 comments:
Great topic! The fear is, I believe, the same as why people particularly men don't get regular phgysical checkups because we hang on to the hope of childhood, if we ignore it , it will go away. Some times "Tincture of time" works but not usually. Hopefully we make more judgements than we judge. I believe there is a real difference. Congrats on the blog Dr. Gorman, Woody Woodaman @ Synergy
I couldn't agree more. It amuses me that our so called strong men are often surrounded by people helping them. Case in point: The chairman of Exxon relies on more people than anyone. Isn't that a form of dependence. We get stronger by working with others rather than alone. Thanks for the insight.
I joked recently that I have about twelve people supporting me and that allows me to do what I do, help others navigate through their investments, live in healthy homes and form community. Ther person I was with looked at me strangely. I have biplar disorder and a proffessional job. I pay for most of my support except for my family and friends. So add up the babysitter, the cleaning people, my staff, my doctor, my therapist, group facilitators and so on and?
The point you make is important. There are many people we depend on and probably as many depend on us. I depend every AM on all the people contributing to my cup of coffee, including the people that grow it. Even though I am a big supporter of privacy and solitude, connecting to others makes us human. This is just one more reason to see a mental health professional or at least talk to your friends about your life. People would do well with a yearly mental health check up, as many people see their doctor yearly for a "physical." I am curious as to how you found this blog?
HI let me thanks you for let me post New York (MedscapeWire) May 22 — Nearly half of all surveyed psychiatrists suffering from depression say that they would rather treat themselves than risk a record of mental illness on their health insurance, and an even higher percentage say they would treat a depressed friend or relative. The survey findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New Orleans, Louisiana, last week. and enjoy a great Generic Cialis use this medication and enjoy this pill.
I agree with you when you say that being examined is being judged... which is one of the main reasons I don't like psychiatrists and I would rather spend the money on Generic Viagra !
Nicest information!!! I'll be enchanted to greatly help due to what I've learnt from here.carlo carandang
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