Too Open?

[Daniel E.]

Is it the cost of therapy that is a significant issue? Does your insurance not cover it? If so, have you looked into university clinics or community mental health centers that offer lower fees, or places that offer sliding-scale rates?

Regarding lower-cost options:
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/showthread.php?t=2286
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/showthread.php?t=9907

If the cost isn't an issue, then I would say: What do you have to lose? I certainly have only felt better from therapy, not worse. It's not like you have to sign a contract saying you have to go to x-number of sessions. You can literally walk out at any time.

 

[Into The Light]

if it truly were a placebo then why do extensive programs exist to obtain degrees in psychology and psychiatry?

i have been in therapy for a while now and it has substantially improved my life. i went from severe depression and wanting to die to having a normal life again. this would not have been possible without therapy, i can guarantee you that.

 

[Jazzey]

Well, how much benefit you as an individual may derive from psychotherapy (or medication for that matter) depends partly on you, of course. If you start with the attitude that it can't and won't help you, and continue by rejecting everything your therapist has to suggest that might help you, you'll pretty much guarantee that it won't help - a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand, if you begin with what the Buddhist's call [GOOGLE]The Beginner's Mind[/GOOGLE], you'll likely have a very different experience.

The weight evidence from scientific research is quite clear: The potential benefits very clearly go far beyond what could be accounted for by a placebo effect alone.

I'm just quoting what Dr. Baxter has already stated Ed. No one but yourself can convince you of the benefits of therapy.

As for the placebo effect, I guess I just don't buy into this hypothesis of yours. Therapy has helped me to understand my thinking patterns - because I've allowed it to. It's helped me to get out of some pretty dark thoughts on a few occasions.

I see the benefits of therapy Ed. And I agree with Budoaki's ideas on therapy and it's offering you a different perspective on your issues. Having said all of this, none of us here can convince you of this.

I'm also a little perplexed as to why you would come to a forum where the foundational premise is encouraging and supporting mental health and question the veracity of psychology and/or psychiatry.

This forum is dedicated to educating people on mental health issues and supporting members through recovering all while encouraging them to seek recovery, often with the assistance of mental health experts such as psychologists and psychiatrists.

So for me at least I can't help but wonder what exactly you're seeking in this particular thread? Are you seeking an educational debate to help you elucidate why therapy can be helpful? Or, are you merely seeking any and all justifications to substantiate your position that people who seek therapy have bought into some kind of general misconception, seeking solace in what you've termed a 'placebo effect'?

One analogy that comes to my mind is the following: If someone is diagnosed with diabetes, should they forgo treatment for fear that it's a mere placebo effect? Is accepting treatment for the illness "buying into" what the medical experts are trying to make the patient believe?

I have surgery tomorrow. Should I forgo the surgery because I think that my surgeon is dishing out a pile of bunk? Of course not. The outcome could be fatal to me Ed. And for many of us, not seeking therapy (and or medications for mental illness) can have the same fatal effect. Nor would I ever dissuade a patient from seeking proper medical care, whether it be for a physical condition or a mental illness.

 

[Daniel E.]

Regarding effectiveness studies, Ed, you may want to search PubMed to see for yourself. You can find results by typing in your diagnosis along with terms like "CBT."