Hacker News Reader

Comment by Pigo | Hacker News Reader

> Instead of believing that pathologies could be described or drugged away, Freudians wanted us to work through them.

If this is true, then it's definitely a practice that needs to be focused on again. I've had nothing but bad experiences with various medical professionals throwing drugs at me the moment I mentioned personal difficulties. The anti-depressants kept me in a bad place for a long time, when I think I mostly needed someone to provide some insight or constructive advice. Maybe I just had bad luck, but I definitely don't remember anyone trying to work on anything with me.

View on HN

>> If this is true, then it's definitely a practice that needs to be focused on again. I've had nothing but bad experiences with various medical professionals throwing drugs at me the moment I mentioned personal difficulties.

I've found it to be true. Understanding where my undesirable behaviors come from is helping me correct them tremendously. It can be a painful process - expect to get worse before you get better - but it can be effective if you're working with the right person. For me the mental picture was less like an onion and more like a tangled knot of yarn, but it is straightening out quite nicely.

I personally don't like the Freudian approach. There are other non-drug based camps.

I eventually found help through attending a church that focuses on community outreach and small groups, which helped me get outside my own head long enough to make some positive steps. But I've always wanted to find a therapist who is genuinely interested and can provide more insight than I can learn on my own from books like The Road Less Traveled. I don't know what other people go through, and I wish I understood Jung well enough to share with other people, but I suspect professionals are just throwing drugs because they're overwhelmed by the constant wave of misery and depression they're confronted with.

>> But I've always wanted to find a therapist who is genuinely interested and can provide more insight than I can learn on my own from books like The Road Less Traveled.

Insight is tricky, as is introspection. Other people can offer suggestions and even insight as to what is going on in your head, but they have their own preconceived ideas and patterns they try to fit on you. Ultimately introspection must win, as you are the only one who can actually see what's happening in there. Variations on those suggestions may feel like a better fit - go with what feels most correct, but don't assume you've found "the" answer - I've had several step changes in the accuracy of my understanding of me.

Talk to people who know you, or are related to you, or have their own issues, whatever. You never know what will tip your thoughts into a better understanding of yourself.

> I've always wanted to find a therapist who is genuinely interested and can provide more insight than I can learn on my own

There are TONS of professional, licensed therapists that can help you with this! Definitely try modern psychotherapy. google "find a therapist" and try the site from psychologytoday.com magazine. Hopefully you live in an area they serve. Most of them do not use meds, and even if they can prescribe them they only go for them as a last resort (some people have such severe anxiety that they cannot even function outside of their house, for instance).

> I suspect professionals are just throwing drugs because they're overwhelmed by the constant wave of misery and depression they're confronted with.

I disagree. I think your medical doctor (rather, anyone's MD) simply doesn't have hours upon hours to listen to your life story and find the perfect formula of lifestyle and attitude changes to help you. A psychologist does, in fact thats (sort of) what therapy is. "sort-of" because therapists generally dont give advice like a sage elder. They do their work by listening to you, reflecting what you're feeling, and letting you discover the problem and solution. I would say try it, and make it clear from the start that you will not take any meds (simply to weed out any therapist who might lead you that way). The only caveat is, every therapist has his/her own style and personality. There is no formula that works for everyone, so try a few sessions (typically one hr/week) and if it's not working for you, try another one until you find someone you can connect with.

"I definitely don't remember anyone trying to work on anything with me."

This is too bad.

We really have to much faith in 'pills' when they are obviously just a temporary fix for something underlying.

I had a physical ailment that was hard to diagnose, the doctors could be bothered.

Finally I 'fixed myself' simply by sleeping normal hours, quitting the red-bull, and quit my job and took some time away from stress. That did it.

Scary: not a single doctor asked me about my habits! If they did, they would have found I was sleeping 5 hours a night, drinking 3 redbulls a day, and max-stressed. The answer was obvious to any fool! But several doctors missed it!

Good luck with your issue.

> We really have to much faith in 'pills' when they are obviously just a temporary fix for something underlying.

This is a pretty broad statement, how do you justify the implicit claim that no psychiatric illness is due to a chemical imbalance in your brain rather than a deep seated psychological issue?

I didn't feel like the statement carried an implicit claim that no one has schizophrenia, or other cut-and-dry physical problems. Maybe I just read it that way, but I couldn't disagree more if that's what they meant.

I had a childhood friend who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and recently died from an over-dose of heroine. He was diagnosed in his late 20's, not sure when he started suffering, but I've wondered if he'd done better if he'd gotten help sooner.

I didn't mean it so broadly, obviously there are some people who need pills. But I'm inclined to believe that anti-depressants, sleeping pills, and things like ritalin etc. are far, far overprescribed.

The difference seems to be in the type of degree. People who want to prescribe drugs to treat their patients need a medical degree, so that is what they get. People who want to help their patients work things out through other forms of therapy or counseling don't need the medical degree, so they generally go for a non-medical degree like a Ph.D. in Psychology. Then they can help people without having a prescription pad, and just refer patients who need drugs to someone with a medical degree.

So, choosing a provider based on their degree is probably the best way to get the help you want.

PS: This applies to the US, not sure how it compares to other countries.

what about people who just want to make money and don't care about the patient?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com