Indeed they're very different.

I don't know how this work on other countries, but here in Spain psychologists can't prescribe drugs. Psychiatrists do.

PS. source: half my life going to therapies and parties of all kinds
PS2. Nah, Just that my sister is a psychologist
PS2. Actually, both of them

 

Yes Sir,
In fact a psychotic patient will never admit he/she being suffering from any ailment. It is the definition of psychosis itself.
One who has seen patient suffering from mental illness closely will surely be able to comprehend the toll it takes upon an individual/family and the consequences of it.

Yes, but they are not what is meant by mainstream Psychotherapy, which mainly includes being treated by a PSYCHIATRIST with medicines in addition to PSYCHOLOGISTS.

The outcomes of treatment varies because unlike physical illness the pathology of mental illness is least understood as of today and so drugs approved are based on outcome based theories rather than on absolute mathematical cellular lavels and noticeable symptoms are only detected in advanced stages most of the time, when it becomes difficult to treat successfully.
BTW now a days with increased awareness the situation has improved so people seeking treatment has increased significantly.
One thing still remains. The pathological basis is still not understood fully and all the postulates are theories which are still open for debates even within the medical fraternity

 

Me, myself and I actually approve Carl Jung's approach:
"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you."

 

Last edited: Jan 26, 2024

I find all of your premises to be highly debatable. That being said therapy isn't an easy solution or an easy fix, therapists are people after all and they're prone to mistakes and unreasonable judgments. I've been through therapy my whole life and finding a good therapist or the right therapist for the task isn't easy at all, it's almost like finding a soulmate, so taking into consideration the relationship between patient and therapist is as important as the therapy methodology imo. At least that's been my experience, I haven't been through therapy for a long time now.

 

That's the domain of psychiatrists, not psychotherapists! At least in my jurisdiction (continental "western" Europe) those are two distinct professions.

 

Last edited: Jan 26, 2024

False

Thats True of any Profession, so what, you never care for your teeth or car or insurance
even Shopping needs some Level of Trust.

So? again thats true of any Profession. Even run of the mil Doctors, and you dont even know about docs. who finished with less then stellar credentials.
Still better than someone without training

i Suggest you learns something about the Field before you stumble some more into hearsay or half truths.


Modern Therapy Solutions come from the Scientific Approach to healing,
everything is measured, proved, unproved, argued and Tested!

There are schools of thought that you can look into if you are interested

 

Shame that some people actually have to pay someone the hourly fee a private attorney would charge just to have someone who listens to them and pretends to care! Isn't that actually one of the most perfidious business models ever invented, if you really think about it?

 

Last edited: Jan 26, 2024

I think your mistake in this first argument is that you see brain chemistry -> psyche as a one-way street. Thoughts change your brain chemistry just as your brain chemistry influences your thoughts. This interaction doesn't end inside your skull, but potentially affects all your organs. Sometimes this interaction creates a cycle that leads to an entrenchment of problematic behaviors and bad habits that should be broken. How this should be broken depends on the problem. This is exactly why psychiatrists and psychotherapists exist. Of course, therapists and diagnostic procedures are not infallible, so it's certainly not a bad idea to get a second opinion - as with other disciplines.

 

That depends on how health care works in your country. And how expensive it is to study to become a psychotherapist. In my country, nobody has to pay for psychotherapy. Self-employed people have to advance the money and get it back from their health insurance. For employees, the health insurance company pays directly. But health insurance is not cheap... and it's compulsory in my country.

 

No things happen in life! You will never get over! & things you will take to the grave! Im no psychiatrist! but life is a dodgems ride!

 

Let's face it . . . It's all Mom and Dad's fault. So, move on.

 

Taking into account that people can always personally grow, then it is not very far-fetched you can stimulate said 'growth' by using certain techniques.

 

Social Media fooks peoples head up today! keep ya family safe!!

 

Last edited: Jan 27, 2024

Reality is a hoax.
So is "sanity"
Psychotherapy is a business, sometimes a religion

 

Regardless of beliefs

Unless the person is in a permanent state of amnesia, there is one thing EVERY psychiatrist / psychologist / therapist says in one way or another, which is they help you to help yourself.
I believe that the cognitive therapy they actually put forward, which you can truly do without any of them, is the most effective. This is of course taking into account that you have the constitution to be willing to help yourself, and/or are mentally and emotionally capable to help yourself.

Do you need them? This seems to be closer to what the core of the questions are. In many cases, people want someone they do not know to aid with grief, emotional dislocation and other things they are experiencing. I think it's a personal choice, not something I can openly disparage just because some of the practitioners do not have pure motives. Some do.

 

The options in your poll remind me of those corporate questionnaires that are looking for a specific outcome. Where is the 'No, absolutely not' option?

 

Its a tool for self improvement. IF... and thats a big IF, the practitioner knows what he/she is doing. Its not something that can cure mental health problems. I spend a lot of time and money, learning this simple truth. I also met a lot of people that spend 10 years on psychotherapy, without any result. So self improvement. Yes. For mental health problems (anxiety, depression etc). NO.

 

Totally disagree. I think the OP is reducing all psychotherapy to just psychoanalysis, which is a fallacy. We are now far from the guy on the sofa taking notes while getting you to talk about your mother cliché. It's 2024 not 1920. There are cognitive and conductual approachs to therapy that are more pragmatic, effective and less time consuming. One good psychotherapist can prescribe you a white noise generator to fight insomnia over night and totally suceed in his endeavor of fixing the problem and you never gonna see him again.

 

From the POV of psychoanalitical lacanian school - psychotherapy is a tool to return somewhat lost people back to whatever their society resembles. Job, studies, relations - all of that. Normalizing, and hence not treating the core of what the psychic illness is. Dealing with symptom, but not with the thing itself.

From my point of view - this is somewhat true, except for the fact that todays hyper-connected world shows us the difference between countries which have an established society (maciavellian "stato") and those which do not.

If you're american, western european, scandinavian or whatever else civilized countries there are - psychotherapy is OK, since you have a REAL WAY to develop in your life.

On the contrary - in the countries like Russia, those in Africa, or maybe Arabic or Asian states (which do not have a state in a western understanding of that word) - one simply does not have "where to return". What's the point of treating some neurosis if one day, after you successfully fought whatever you have in your organism, some rich shitter from an old communistic family ("boyar") will simply crush you like a can of soda? He will take your job, take your family away, put you in a prison or just leave no way to survive. How can you really be treating something, that is untreatable a priori?

P.S. Not to mention that the word "psychologi" is just a denotatum as the word "science" is. How many psychological schools there are? How to find out which one suits your needs the best? I'm sure your youtube bloggers will help you with that

 

Depends what you mean by 'hoax'. There's no real evidence that classic Freudian psychoanalysis, as practiced by the vast majority of psychotherapists over the last hundred years or so, has any significant impact on changing behaviour. That whole 'three hours a week, for years on end' that so many of them practiced was more about lining their own pockets than it was benefiting the analysand.

Modern psychotherapeutic interventions definitely attempt to be a bit more rigorous and there's fairly solid evidence for cognitive behavioural therapy. That said, it's hardly rocket science and most people could probably figure out the principles on their own, without the need for any professional assistance. People tend to spend the money because they've tried to make the changes that they need on their own and haven't been able to achieve them. That said, my experience of people who've undergone psychotherapy with professionals is that they tend to struggle to make the changes they need to make as well.

I think the bottom line is, if you've got an issue you're struggling to change on your own and you feel as though you'd benefit from professional help with it, you could try it and see if you'd get on with it. Personally, I've never felt any need to do so -- despite having had psychotherapists as friends and partners. The bulk of what they do has always seemed to me to be a bit like paid friendship.

The other thing I'd say is, I've met utterly brilliant and really insightful psychotherapists. But they're the exception rather than the rule. The bulk of them aren't very bright, they've gotten into the field in an attempt to deal with their own issues (often unsuccessfully) and they stay in because there's something about the therapeutic process that meets their needs, rather than those of their client. (Generally status or some sort, sometimes money.)

Avoid these people like the plague.