Posted by Jeff Smith on March 20, 2007, at 11:49:28
In reply to Another perspective - open minded-ness » Jeff Smith, posted by one woman cine on March 20, 2007, at 8:03:47
> Jeff, I know you've said you've done the "mental health" thing for years - but I think it's always best to be open minded when things start to look bad. Taking medications other than prescribed (ie pot) will interfere with other meds. AP's are not just solely used for psychotic symptoms - they can be used for a host of other things as well.
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> I would hope you wouldn't go into Columbia needing to be "convinced" to try something else. Is it better living like this, (& smoking pot) - than to give something else a try? One has to be willing to try some other things, other treatments - or nothing will be the same. I second the thoughts about self-fulfilling prophecy in terms of therapy - it is a relationship albeit limited.
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> But it is a relationship that is also dependent on what you put in too. The therapist can guide you, but you have to be the one to want to do the work and do it.
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> Therapists cannot perform miracles on patients who are unwilling - again I would urge you to be open minded. Cooperation makes therapy rewarding in terms of building a therapuetic relationship.
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> Best of luck.Cine,
Yup, I agree/have agreed that I need to be more open minded to meds (in so many words) and Im totally open minded to other therapy but there are just certain facts that are true regarding many therapists (such as like at the Center I go to where the majority of therapists are interns who appear to be in their younger 20's and who I am not open minded to seeing). I have reasons to think they arent qualified or experienced enough to have any idea how to counsel me with my extensive mental/emotional issues... not to mention none of them stay very long so Id be changing therapists every 6 months (Im estimating). I may be wrong or I may be right about them but I dont believe my beliefs regarding them has anything to do with a need for or a lack of medication. If I needed an operation I (if I had the choice) would just prefer the older, more experienced surgeon whos done it a thousand times over the intern/new surgeon who has very little experience and is trying to recall his/her medical books and classes in order to get the job done.
And yes, of course I would go into Columbia needing to be "convinced" to try something else. If I didnt need to be convinced of things then I might blindly go around doing anything others said I should, and that would be not good. If I didnt need to be convinced then I might go to a faith healer and believe him when he says he's cured my illness... and then Id die from lack of medical attention.
Dont you need to be convinced that any drug you take will do what it claims and will be safe and is being prescribed to you by a qualified prescriber for an accurate diagnosis rather than someone who's giving you the wrong stuff for the wrong reason?
You said: "Is it better living like this, (& smoking pot) - than to give something else a try?"
Well its not better living like this than giving something else a try... but where does the "& smoking pot" part come into the "living like this" part? Pot has no effect on how I live.
Im not sure what you think, but:
-I dont smoke enormous quantities of pot. I smoke small amounts. It has nothing to do with any of my issues as Ive had the exact issues my entire life and notice no difference at all while smoking pot as opposed to life without smoking pot. Ive heard of studies saying it causes depression and Ive heard of studies that say it doesnt (and that it does benefit certain people for physical and mental problems) but Im no expert and dont study these studies.
(And for anyone who's wondering how I can afford pot when I cant afford shrinks: I cant. I smoke my roomates when he has it.)You also said "But it is a relationship that is also dependent on what you put in too. The therapist can guide you, but you have to be the one to want to do the work and do it.
Therapists cannot perform miracles on patients who are unwilling - again I would urge you to be open minded. Cooperation makes therapy rewarding in terms of building a therapuetic relationship. ".Are you suggesting that the reason Ive had no success with any of my (lets call them) talk therapists in the past has been because I have been "unwilling" and not "open minded" to them and that I havent cooperated with them?
Ultimately I agree though that I need to try something new. Im trying. : )
poster:Jeff Smith
thread:742135
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070309/msgs/742480.html