How can I tell my parents I want to see I psychiatrist. There are some things that I really need to talk to someone about and I dont know who to talk to them about. I know my parents probably wont go for it since we probably cant afford it, but I want to know if there are any ways to ask your parents about seeing one?:dunno:
Um, just a member of the incredibly disturbed here. In my decade of experience with docs, your best bet is to see a psychologist (a PhD) first before you see a psychiatrist (MD and usually soul-less pill pusher). Something about med school usually kills off part of that human heart, I haven't met a psychiatrist I like yet. Most psychologists on the other hand I haven't met one I couldn't work with. Psychologist and therapists try to figure things out more than an average psychiatrist that wants to diagnose stuff and be done with it. It isn't always the case that they will share things with your parents, just depends on the rules you lay down. My psychologist only told my parents what I would let him when I was still underage. My old psychiatrist didn't give me much choice. Again it depends on the people and the situations, so like anything take what I say with a grain of salt.
First things first, let's get our terms figured out: a
psychiatrist holds the degree of a physician (M.D., D.O., etc.). Unfortunately, psychiatrists tend ... I'll say it this way. Psychiatrists who do not aim from the outset to get an M.D. specifically for
psychiatry tend to be the bottom-third of their class. As mentioned above (and I concur with this), their GP training gets in the way of a more gestalt view and they tend toward medicinal interventions - as they are able to write prescriptions. Conversely, a
psychologist holds a Ph.D. in psychology (or a Psy.D. - barf, it's "Ph.D.-lite") and has completed residency/hours/licensure training. Their training is based on coursework, a dissertation, and X hours of giving guided and stand-alone training. For instance, a friend of mine (who is one of the rare people in that field who actually
like research) is building a new model to account for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and works with the VA (she's ex-Army). More traditionally, psychologists tend to dislike research (so they may need "prompting" about recent articles outlining interventions and techniques) but want to "help people." Also note that someone may try to hang up a shingle and
claim that they are a psychologist, but actually hold an M.Sw. (Master's in Social Work).
Sorry for the long lead-in, but I am currently housed in a department of psychology that is rather well-known and lauded for both its social and counseling programs. I've had coursework with counseling psychology students, and I have been ... unimpressed ... with most of them (as they shy away from research).
I myself am a rather big proponent of
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as there is a well-established "ABC" link (Attitudes --> Behaviors --> Consequences (by way of habit) ). If you can interrupt this chain at any level, this change will back-propagate through the network and create change. Let me rephrase that: this is the reason why a good divorce judge or attorney will first tell the client to
pretend that they love their partner madly for 30-60 days. As the behavior has changed, consequences will change and this will eventually trickle back to changing attitudes about the target (spouse).
I would advise telling your parents, "Mom, dad, I'd like to work through some issues and think I could benefit from seeing a psychologist. Could we start looking at some biographical sketches of psychologists in the area?" I'd advise the bio-sketch as it will tell you their orientation to therapy and research/training background. Then you can make an appointment and see if you develop rapport.
Funny that... amidst all my oddities, so-called "negativity" and social reservations, no one has ever, in all my life, suggested I see someone. And I've only known one person who's ever seen a therapist before, and that was because his head was all messed up from all the LSD he took in his teenage years. I'm beginning to think that it's become all too casual in North America, that seeing a therapist/psychologist is a very normal thing, a social norm... and I'm rather wary of.
I would disagree that it has "become all too casual" in the States. There is still a stigma against mental health (even preventative mental health) and its issues. I know a few people in counseling, but I'm biased as (a) grad school is the stress equivalent of being divorced, blended, and having a parent die at once, and (b) I know counseling psychology students, who must themselves undergo counseling.
All that a psychologist
does, and the
best thing they do, is provide an outside party uninvolved and uninterested in you directly to act as a sounding board. Depending on their research orientation, they can also act as an external source for goal-setting behaviors (ala CBT) and get you kick-started towards better attitudes, behaviors, and consequences.
