do you think people with mental illness always need therapy/someone licensed to talk to?

Wow...

The last part is so very full of what you are getting at:


If I understand the community of those with such issues, I think this is a very common--and understandable!--trait. With the stigma with which mental health all too often has been viewed, and the way that it is typically more intimately interwoven with who we truly are than our physical health, this is not surprising. But I think you understand that it can get in the way of using ALL your resources to get further along the path of...finding the end-state which is best for each person.

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Traditional therapy does not cure many patients; it cures the need for therapists to have income.

But, while I'm inclined to agree, to say that "NOTHING good can come from therapy" is to put oneself with the "too broad a brush" group, as it uses the universal negative...and people using the "universal quantifiers" of logic (positive or negative) tend to be very wrong unless they are stating tautologies of category definition.

I think one needs to open to the notion that guided questioning might well lead one to new insights more quickly than one might arrive at them, oneself...

After all, it is hardest of all to see one's very own self with true clarity, regardless of what we might tell our Selves.

The utility of a professional friend guiding you would seem to lie in the combination of

• that professional's abilities, and
• one's own readiness to hear / listen to / accept the potential truth of insights which are not self-generated.

Both of these are critical and must be in synch with each other. Perhaps that is too often NOT the case.

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I hesitate to self-diagnose, esp. after seeing so many people on social media get so very much wrong about things external to themselves, it would be a surprise that they could get things right which are internal to themselves (esp. when their overestimation of their knowledge is often critically involved with their failure to get things external to themselves correct!).

While you are a specific individual, not an average of "everyone on social media", it's also the case that we cannot all be positive outliers, in spite of what well-intentioned mothers, etc., in our lives may have told us.


Perhaps. Did you generate all of them yourself? If not, you already know that others CAN be helpful in your quest to be the best you whom you can be.


...hmmm...no doubt, but are you talking with those to whom you need/ought to listen?

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This post makes me think of you as someone who is truly striving for honest clarity as you work our your own mental health salvation with fear and trembling; and this last statement proves that:


All of my gentle teasing about cupcakes full of poison aside--and those remarks were only ever made with an eye to wanting to get you to laugh; not from meanness, but from merriment--I think you have an amazing strength to be able to question yourself with such an unwavering gaze, bringing scientific skepticism right into your own musings about your own mind.

I am in awe of your candid ability to do this. I think you will take advice under advisement with weighting as you see fit; I hope my own scribblings here might merit a number other than zero as you put them on your keen balance.

If I can be of help, please know I will try to assist / encourage you in these endeavors.

Hmm 🤔 can I go the opposite direction with it...

And maybe say that ALL humans, even the ones without any illness (mental or otherwise) might all benefit from professional therapy.


That being said, NO, not all humans (not even all people with mental illness) need therapy... as some are able to cope just fine without it.


And I can speak from personal experience...

Sometimes you can go to professional therapy, and that person, or I've heard of people going through 10+ therapist and not finding the right one for them.

My worst one (at least for me), all he'd do is ask sort form of "Why?"... "Or why do you think that is"?

I begged him to try something different, or give me some feedback, as after I ran out of possible "Why?" answers, I had absolutely no idea where to go next, and he would just keep asking "Why", a trained bird would of been just as good as him.


That being said, I've also had some that have really helped me understand myself better.


Of course you can also get resources outside of the professional....


This is this one girl on YouTube that talks all about her ADHD... and she's helped me understand myself better in some ways, and she's not a professional, but just sharing her knowledge.

I’m so glad you have that self awareness. It’s vital in paving the way to help yourself, whether it’s on your own with the support of loved ones or with the guidance of a trained professional.

I was firm in my belief that having such a high self awareness and an extensive knowledge of psychology would be enough to tackle most of my mental roadblocks and trauma, but it got compounded so much and grew too powerful that I had to acknowledge that I was well out of my own depth. I knew I needed help. I didn’t like that I did, but that didn’t matter. I couldn’t escape the truth any longer.

My current therapist, and the only therapist I've ever felt comfortable with, explained the science behind trauma and mental illness. It's not always fixable without professional/medical intervention.

I can't fathom what having support is like, but I understand being aware. I understand the toll it takes to carry it around, to lay with it at night, to laugh despite it. It's complex and deep. It nags at you. It needs to be removed. Personally, I think that deserves help beyond what even the warmest love and care gives.

I think in some cases, self awareness is not enough. My OCD can become quite bad. And I was misdiagnosed. So I sought a professional that finally figured it out and it changed my life for the good. The brain is a complex machine. Sometimes we need a skilled person to help balance it..

I think that a lot of people confuse being introspective with actually being active about the issues you are aware of. This can falsely lead you to believe that there is nothing further to be done since the issue continues to exist despite you being aware of it. That is when a professional will actively work with you to help you built better systems to deal with those issues through actions , which is something that I think most non-qualified people cannot really support you with. Also I note you said that you know what actions need to be taken to help you, but if those issues persist ,then a professional would be able to revaluate those actions with you and design a better plan that works long term

Doesn’t it all depend on how a personal illness is interfering in your life. My best example would be, if you can’t keep a job you probably need help.
If you do seek help it is so important that you find a therapist vested in your positive outcome.
Some therapists will let you talk and talk and offer no real solution as long as they are collecting their money. You are bright enough to distinguish those that care.

Eh, not everyone but your illness seems pretty severe and it seems copingly arrogant to imagine that a subject matter expert can't tell you something you don't already know. There's nothing immoral about not going to therapy, in itself, but you might be holding yourself back.

I've come to believe that frequent venting is a maladaptive coping mechanism, in addition to the toll it can take on other people if you're not careful. Not to say that's what you do but it could be useful to introspect on whether or not that's what you do and whether it's actually helping.

Hmm I don’t know you’re the best judge of that. Could be some avoidance. Could also be that talk therapy isn’t the right fit for you. Or even that’s it’s really hard and expensive to find a good therapist. Recognising the pattern of trauma dumping is good because that’s generally not helpful for you or your friend. That said if you feel well supported and function generally okay that might be all you need at the moment.

I think it depends on the person. As supportive as my parents and friends were, there were things I wasn’t willing to burden them with. It was just easier to work through those things with a detached professional. My youngest sister feels the way I do, but our middle sister can talk to her husband about pretty much anything, which is very cool.

I think there's a lot to be said for quantity and quality. Even in a willing exchange, if every interaction becomes mental support it can begin to wear on the relationship. But if the support moments are interleaved with fun/ positive moments as well, then it is part of the bond formed.

I think if you have a healthy support network with friends then therapy might not provide much. But if you are starting to strain relationships it might be better to channel effort into therapy.

I personally have that thought process often. I know what my problems are, due to being self-aware. I know how to research solutions and coping mechanisms. I'm not sure what therapy would be providing beyond those.

I have a large support system.
What I have gotten from therapy isn’t something my support system could have given me, nor would I have really wanted that from them.
Having someone who cares is not the same as having someone who understands, and neither of those are the same as having someone who can help me move forward.
I personally want all 3.

I am currently doing a medical science degree, alongside the certification needed to quite soon become a licensed educator, on top of certificates I already have in mental health, autism, and SEN.

My goal is to become a medical director.

We can always chat about what is bothering you, if you feel it might help.

Therapy isn't someone to talk to, it's actual work with a professional to help change how you think about and approach your life with your mental health concerns.

If you injure your back you use a physical therapist to recover your strength and movement. Think of it as health care not just a person to talk to.

I think it’s a “ see it for yourself kind of thing “ , you have to do it in order to come up with a conclusion that you don’t need it. Most people I know who have done therapy say it’s worth it. But I think it may be not the case for everyone idk.

I can’t speak for you but I have about as good of a support system as anyone and I found therapy helpful.

I think friends and family are full of projections sometimes and it helps to go to someone completely removed. A support system sustains you but it doesn't initiate healing regardless of how self aware you are.

Not always no, but if it's been something you've carried for a long time its worth trying. It helped me at the time, finding someone good is important though

I've helped myself far more than any therapist ever did.

For some, it's crucial. Others not. Depends on person

I believe therapy is a personal decision. I have had plenty of therapy and it probably saved my life.

NO! You’re better off not talking to them . They actually don’t know how to talk with you and help you process your trauma. They aren’t even allowed to validate your anger instead they just redirect everything back to “mindfulness” and coping skills. They aren’t even allowed to say stuff like “ you didn’t deserve that” or even try to help you understand toxic abusive behavior.
https://similarworlds.com/experiences/5445277-Another-reason-why-I-hate-therapist

I can only speak for myself but yes I feel like I always will need therapy. And I'm okay with that

Depends on the situation. Sometimes a simple chat on here with a friend or someone good at listening helps

I tried a counselor once. Twenty minutes in "relationship with Jesus Christ.". I immediately left and told the insurance company why they should deny that claim.

It is on me to figure things out.

In my experience with any health problems mental or physical DIY treatment rarely goes well long-term. There are multiple reasons for this.

And THIS!!!
Sorry if it’s a little confusing, but I hope it gets the point across

https://similarworlds.com/experiences/5434763-I-love-my-chats-with-ChatGPT-I-love-my-chats-with-ChatGPT

Im biased cuz of mine but i need it for sure i think its an individual basis sorta deal

There are always exceptions. There are a lot of people in the world to say always. But I think that most of the time it helps the outcome.

Some of us go through it completely alone, because too many people are counting on us.

Define 'mental illness' please. Nobody is 100 PCT neuro typical in my opinion.

Its a good idea to talk to a therapist. Try it. It cant hurt

Please do not delete this because I’m gonna answer this tonight when the kids go to bed so that there’s peace and quiet and I can concentrate lmao

It helps

Sweetie you shouldnt be wanting to enable your own suffering though 😔

No one needs a therapist if you have a good supportive family and friends

The secret to using non-professionals to assist with one's mental illness, is to immediately advise the non-professional that you are NOT seeking answers to your problem, but only looking for someone to listen you and not fix your problem. If you fail to tell them THEIR expected role as a 'listener', they will attempt to solve your problem which is when your real problem will begin.

well, its like this, if you constantly talk about you being sick on the internet on a website, like see a mental dr. you need help

Yes