Two medical doctors, a psychiatrist, my mother and grandmother, my manager, and the worker in human resources have all told me to seek therapy over the course past year. I don't really want to go because it is expensive, even with insurance, and frankly I don't trust therapists. I think they are boogeymen that are out there to reprogram people to their personal belief system. I see psychology as a pseudoscience. I don't enjoy anything anymore and I just sleep all the time. The psychiatrist just keep switching antidepressants and upping the dosage every time I see him. It keeps me stable so I can work, but I am still dead inside.
I thought /lgbt/ might have opinions on this subject. Has therapy helped you? Is it helping you? Or is it a massive waste of time and money?
Hi, L of LGBT here. I've been seeking treatment for my type II Bipolar disorder for about 8 years now, and while professional therapy was mildly helpful, (a good therapist will guide you to reaching YOUR goals, not theirs), what I found infinitely more helpful was peer support. Support groups, recovery centers, etc. Talking to people that had been through similar things to what I'd been through and hearing what worked for them and how they coped was WAY more helpful to me than talking to someone that had just read about my issues in a textbook. Not to mention building a support network of understanding, non-judgmental people.
I found my local peer-to-peer wellness and recovery center 6 years ago. Before? Frequent hospitalizations. Now? I have friends that understand me, lowered med dosages, and in the past 2 years I've only had one major bipolar swing. I'm actually working there as a peer recovery specialist now. Not only have I found it more effective, but peer-to-peer stuff like support groups and recovery centers(at least here in Maryland) are usually free, unlike professional stuff.
Sorry about the wall of text, but I'm pretty passionate about the subject, ha.
>>5275906
Thanks for the reply. I am not sure of any specific support group though as I don't have a lot of interests... I just sort of stay at home and don't enjoy anything.
Blah.
I had/have your run of the mill major depression. Off and on on pills though my therapist knew my goals were to stay off completely.
It helped more cause she sort of pushed me and gave me techniques on dealing with shit. Paranoia, apathy, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, etc.
I think after almost 2 years I'm better than before. I got more athletic on her advice. Run often, less standing around thinking about suicide methods of gun v jumping v poison. It helps a lot. I can feel feeling now more. Shit's neat.
>>5276063
Blarg I wish I could do that. My brain major fucked from like 17 years straight of SSRI. I tapered down and went off of them once but was withdrawing for like 6 months of hell.
>>5276097
Have you told your docs about wanting to be off?
I'm not sure but I know if you have good decent ones and you go in saying "This is my main goal: be ok off meds" they'll have to help you somehow. It might be with other weaker shit but it's something.
Also dropped this image before but here it is.
>>5275763
>. I don't really want to go because it is expensive, even with insurance, and frankly I don't trust therapists.
Then its not going to work for you period.
First of all, therapy is about exploring your emotions, thought patterns, etc etc. Its about looking inside of yourself, finding your mental health problems, and dealing with them.
Its never going to work for you because not only do you not want help, you dont think it can help.
I went from being absolutely suicidal batshit depressed to a loving bubbly cute girl in less than 6 years through the help of therapy from a shrink and social worker, mostly doing EMDR and talk therapy. It really helped me a lot, but thats because i trusted her enough to not only open up to her but to also trust that she could help me.
Not all therapists know what they are doing, but you should atleast give it a chance. Try to find one that does talk therapy and doesnt just want to push pills on you.
>>5276646
I don't think you have to completely trust the process of it all like you're implying.
But you gotta at least be open to it. I know I doubted the fuck out of it helping but I figured "shit else I've done hasn't worked, might as fucking well".
I also tried hippie shit like yoga and meditation. Mindful meditation actually has helped a lot in a subtle way. Yoga hasn't done shit for me mentally but I can do the splits now so that's cool.
But if something feels bullshitty to you don't deny it's bullshitty. Just admit to it but try it out anyway because worse case it doesn't work and you were gonna kill yourself anyway.
>>5275763
You do have misconceptions about psychology as a science. I don't feel like having an internet debate so I won't try to convince you. Instead I will tell you what many others already have, get your head out of your ass and go to therapy.
Finding a therapist who is a good fit is key. It can be a positive life changing and reformative experience, which clearly you need.
>>5276646
>therapy is about exploring your emotions, thought patterns, etc etc.
That is if you don't feel smart enough to trust yourself.
The only reason I'm going to a therapist is to receive a note that will get me free HRT.
Theres so many therapists out there that are complete hacks and only in it for the money. A majority of which specialize with lgbt people.
>>5276146
Yeah and they told me they said it was a bad idea and I should be on the medicine for the rest of my life.
They supported me going off of the meds but I got really really bad for six months and more or less it was a "I told you so" from the doc.
>>5276646
>>5276734
>>5276760
Thanks for replies. I loathe introspection, so I might just avoid this permanently and focus on my career. I don't have time to feel depressed and suicidal when I am busy at work.
>>5276774
That's what I am afraid of.
>>5277836
>I loathe introspection,
>I don't have time to feel depressed and suicidal when I am busy at work.
This is literally textbook dissociation. MY guess is you have a dissociative disorder from gender dysphoria, thats what i had.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociation_%28psychology%29
In psychology, the term dissociation describes a wide array of experiences from mild detachment from immediate surroundings to more severe detachment from physical and emotional experience. The major characteristic of all dissociative phenomena involves a detachment from reality, rather than a loss of reality as in psychosis.[
Im willing to bet atleast 25% of trannies have some form of this as a coping mechanism for gender dysphoria.
Let me tell you that the longer you ignore this problem the worse it will get. You cant just bury your feelings forever, eventually they are just going to explode,and if you dont have some kind of mental health professional there to help you, you will probably have a complete mental breakdown.
Please, as a fellow human being, i strongly suggest you atleast attempt to get some help.
I don't think we even have this "therapy" stuff here, if by it you mean those "just be yourself" talks with some random people who have a degree in somethingology.
I thought this was the stuff they only show in the films, not a real deal.
And psychiatrists just prescribe you meds if you are legitimately crazy. Or they are there to look after you when you get locked up in the loony house because you are too insane to even realize that you're insane.
But you don't have to pay any money to see one. Lack of a state health care system is probably one of the weirdest things about America, really.
>>5278367
What? I hate introspection, I didn't say I wanted to be a girl, anon.
just talk to people jeez therapists are for people servely fucked up or just emotionally lonely
>>5278367
I'm not him but this fucking scares me. I've been conscious that I'm probably trans for 3 months and the more time passes, the harder it is to experience emotions and enjoy social events, or even to get immersed playing a vidya which I used as an exhaust all the time. I wake up, go through the day, feel increasingly frustrated and less productive at work, then break in tears as soon as I get home. This pattern started every other week but now it's becoming a daily thing.
Fuck I can't even cry when listening to sad songs anymore. I'm dying inside and I can't even gather the courage to talk to a therapist. I would just die of shame.
>>5280523
Now my thread is derailed
>>5281094
dissociation doesnt necessarily have to due with trans. Most people with a dissociation disorder are not trans.
>>5280523
yeah, i feel somewhat the same except the other way round (trans to cis)
i feel like ive already passed the point of being dead inside and what you described is kind of a high point for me, when i go to the low end i tend to get so flooded with anguish and hatred that i cant even see straight and begin to hear voices and see things that aren't there, which i suppose is schizophrenia (?) but apparently my psychologist thinks im high functioning enough to survive in society, since im not a speech impaired / paranoid about alien abduction
i try taking it step by step as well as breathing exercises, i guess be mindful about when you're beginning to feel overwhelmed and make an active effort towards recovery and becoming stable? :D
