How to fight the social stigma of therapy?

[Eduardo]

Like I stated before, one of the reasons I left theraby was due to my familly.
My father always said mean things about it. I clearly remember him saying when I was a kid
"psychyatrists are for crazy people who know it, psychologists anre for crazy people who don't know it yet" (I dont know if there's a destintion between psychyatrists and psychologists in Canada, like there is here).
He just alowed my therapy after my doctor gave him a word, but even so, he was always against it, and after my therapist told him, there was nothing wrong with me aside a light depression, I eventually had to leave. Of course at the moment economical reasons would also stop me from it, but I'd like to ask how can one fight this stigma amongst the ones that are close to us?

 

[Retired]

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor M.D. who has taken special training, usually 4 to 5 years after becoming a doctor, to specialize in psychiatric medicine.

A psychology is the science of mind and behavior; and depending on the vocation of practitioner chooses, s/he may or may not become a clinical psychologist who offers therapeutic strategies to clients trying to deal with modifying their thought processes and/or behaviours. A psychologist is not an M.D and usually does not prescribe medications.

(others may have more precise definitions to better explain the distinctions.


Your father, with all respect, recites a narrow minded, uninformed view of a medical field that provides an important source of treatment and care to people who are afflicted with mental illness. It would sem that mental illness is a taboo subject, that is ridiculed in your family or community, resulting in the denial of proper care to people who need help.

As a 21 year old, you are now an adult and should be able to make your own decisions about not only your personal health care but your mental health care as well.

The opinions of your family can be interesting to listen to and to consider, but as an adult, you need to collect information from various sources, and make the decision based on what's right for you.

If seeing a mental health practitioner is what you feel is in your own best interests, then you must advocate on your own behalf, and as an empowered adult, make your appointments and seek the treatment you need.

If your family chooses not to support your efforts, as an adult, if you have made an informed, rational decision, your family should respect your decision as an adult decision.

At 21, the dynamic of your family should change, from a parent / child relationship, to an adult / adult relationship. The love and respect remains, but boundaries need to be formed, as they would be in any other adult / adult relationship.

Do you live outside the home? What is your current status..are you a student or employed?

 

[Budoaiki]

Eduardo,

Therapy is a choice one that is sometimes hard to make but ultimately if you break down why you are doing it (which is for your own well being) then the cursory judgement of others whom either doubt the validity of it or don't fully understand it are of little consequence whether they are family or not.

Having dealt with the reaction of my own family after beginning therapy I have to say discussing your therapy with your family may not be the best idea by which I don't mean that you should lie to them about doing it.

I only mean that talking about the things you've discussed privately with your therapist may cause fear them some fear resulting in minor conflicts within your family depending on your family dynamic of course. Which may change as your perspective and behaviour do and cause your family to either fear it or question you about it so although that may sound daunting remember why you are doing it for your own well being and that therapy itself can help you to handle these things should they arise.

 

[Eduardo]

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor M.D. who has taken special training, usually 4 to 5 years after becoming a doctor, to specialize in psychiatric medicine. A psychology is the science of mind and behavior; and depending on the vocation of practitioner chooses, s/he may or may not become a clinical psychologist who offers therapeutic strategies to clients trying to deal with modifying their thought processes and/or behaviours. A psychologist is not an M.D and usually does not prescribe medications.

So the definitions are about the same:

Your father, with all respect, recites a narrow minded, uninformed view of a medical field that provides an important source of treatment and care to people who are afflicted with mental illness. It would sem that mental illness is a taboo subject, that is ridiculed in your family or community, resulting in the denial of proper care to people who need help.

Don't worry. My father recites a narrow minded, uninformed view of many, many things. However, I don't think he means to the full extent of some of his many statements about a lot of things. He is always extremelly worried with image and the fear some things might damage my image (such as seeing a therapist).

Do you live outside the home? What is your current status..are you a student or employed?

I still live with my parents and I'm a student and uneployed. I've considered taking a part time, but I already sleep very little due to colledge work and study (for the last 2 weeks, only for 3 days I slept over 6 hours), so I'm quite dependent of my familly for the time being.

---------- Post added at 02:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 AM ----------

Eduardo,

Therapy is a choice one that is sometimes hard to make but ultimately if you break down why you are doing it (which is for your own well being) then the cursory judgement of others whom either doubt the validity of it or don't fully understand it are of little consequence whether they are family or not.

Having dealt with the reaction of my own family after beginning therapy I have to say discussing your therapy with your family may not be the best idea by which I don't mean that you should lie to them about doing it.

I only mean that talking about the things you've discussed privately with your therapist may cause fear them some fear resulting in minor conflicts within your family depending on your family dynamic of course. Which may change as your perspective and behaviour do and cause your family to either fear it or question you about it so although that may sound daunting remember why you are doing it for your own well being and that therapy itself can help you to handle these things should they arise.

I didn't talked to them about therapy. I think my father just didn't understand the need of it (well, I don't think he understood the therapy itself) and feared what impact it could have on how people would see me if they knew.

 

[Budoaiki]

I didn't talked to them about therapy.

I wasn't suggesting that you had and I take and mean no offence, I was only cautioning you against it because of my own experiences.

For me it came down to what's more important the opinion of others or my own well being. And if I put the opinions of others (Even when they have my best interest at heart) before my own then where would that leave me?

The things I have written are by no means a judgement of your actions or that of your family, these are the things I have dealt with in my own experiences with the social stigma of therapy. I am sharing these experiences with the hope that they will spare you and others from the same hardships and perhaps by viewing the problem in another circumstance help you to deal with it.

 

[Eduardo]

I wasn't suggesting that you had and I take and mean no offence, I was only cautioning you against it because of my own experiences.

For me it came down to what's more important the opinion of others or my own well being. And if I put the opinions of others (Even when they have my best interest at heart) before my own then where would that leave me?

The things I have written are by no means a judgement of your actions or that of your family, these are the things I have dealt with in my own experiences with the social stigma of therapy. I am sharing these experiences with the hope that they will spare you and others from the same hardships and perhaps by viewing the problem in another circumstance help you to deal with it.

No offense taken. It was just a statement, I didn't mean it to sound otherwise, just explaining myself. Sorry if made myself misunderstood.