More Therapy Does Not Equal Better Mental Health (84)
Stop telling everyone with any kind of problem to talk to a therapist.
More and more, I’ve noticed how canned it’s become. Whenever someone is struggling emotionally, whoever they’re talking to suggests they see a therapist.
If you read posts #68 and #81 about racism in public parks, you know I’ve experienced a series of hate-based aggressions from the same arse, for almost 2 years.
I was telling someone about that a while back and they replied by suggesting I see a therapist. It would’ve been more helpful if they had simply behaved like a decent, kind human being. This person didn’t know about my therapist abuse experience, but even without that, sometimes the suggestion, or the impulse to suggest at all, is flat-out inappropriate.
It has struck me again and again, how people say this, almost reflexively. Like they’re outsourcing empathy.
They assume it will help to see a therapist. That any upset you have would benefit from one. That your completely natural response to inexplicable injustices needs fixing.
But they’re mistaken.
I also think about what a sad, dehumanized, and compartmentalized society it’s become. To think you need to pay a stranger to hope for a feeling of wellness and receive a consistent drip of kindness. To have some give a sh*t (at least they’re supposed to).
When did so many people stop caring about one another? Dealing with one another? Things seem to be set-up so that most people struggle to survive, causing them to focus inordinately on themselves, but that’s another blog post.
In my state-by-state review of therapist licensing boards and discipline, I noticed that just because a state was ranked high “overall” or in terms of “access to care” did not necessarily correspond to lowering rates of mental illness.
In other words, the correlation between greater access to behavioral health care and reduced mental illness isn’t 1 to 1.
Takeaway: Going to therapy will not necessarily improve mental health outcomes.
Colorado ranks #14 in access to care (#1 being the best) yet ranks #50 in prevalence.
Vermont ranks #1 in access yet ranks #45 in prevalence.
Maine ranks #2 in access, yet ranks #49 in prevalence.
New Hampshire ranks #4 in access, yet ranks #44 in prevalence.
South Carolina ranks #49 in access, yet ranks #8 in prevalence.
North Carolina ranks #38 in access, yet ranks #6 in prevalence.
California ranks #37 in access, yet ranks #7 in prevalence.
Florida ranks #44 in access, yet ranks #10 in prevalence.
If you zoom out and think about America’s mental health crisis, it starts to make sense.
The thinking that more therapists + more access + more patients = improved mental health is flawed.
More access to something that doesn’t work well for everyone just means more not working well.
I believe we need different ways of healing and that psychology needs to evolve, because what is there now isn’t cutting it.
I’m not saying it doesn’t have its place, but for people who have had particularly traumatic childhoods or lives, traditional therapy can feel like trying to carry the ocean in a bucket. Sometimes it barely scratches the surface.
I once met a retired attorney who said that he’s glad he retired when he did because he noticed the profession declining. Lawyers getting nastier, more underhanded. He said when he started, the profession had more dignity.
The same phenomenon seems to have occurred with psychotherapy. Like t-shirts at J. Crew, the quality has gone down. Corners have been cut and the emphasis has been put on speed and convenience, instead of what lasts.
Apparently therapy itself needs some psychoanalysis. But it might not help.
WHAT’S GOOD👍: Things that are good or interesting
1. I used to hate make-up. In fact, aside from lipstick and maybe occasional eyeliner, I didn’t use any until my 30s. None of it felt good, both on my skin and energetically.
But I like the brand Ilia. It’s organic and clean. Other brands are too, but to me, this one feels good, in particular their tinted moisturizer with mineral SPF.
I’m not getting anything from them for sharing this. It was simply a happy thing as an energetically sensitive person to find something that not only did its job well, but also left me with good vibes. If you struggle like I did with this kind of stuff, it might be worth a try. The company was sold recently so I hope the formulations don’t change.
2. I was followed and repeatedly bleated at by this precious baby deer this week. Her legs were still wobbly so she was probably a day old! She wobble-chased me across a small wooden bridge.
I did my best to stay away from her so her mother didn’t feel threatened.
I believe this had to do with my starting something new that is dear (deer) to me. And possibly a message to stop fawning. I’m calling her Bambino.
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