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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
I know lots of you have taken psychology classes. I'm wondering whether any of you have had that fear or paranoia that the instructor can somehow see that you are mentally ill, or abnormal or whatever.
The uncomfortable nekkid feeling that someone else knows you better than you know yourself.
Posted by Racer on September 3, 2007, at 15:40:50
In reply to Taking psychology classes, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
Yeppers -- I do. All the psych classes I've taken since going back to school have been with the same instructor. The first one included a project where we have to make up a person with a problem who's come to us for help, and what resources we've found in our area for that person. I did a project on a 40 year old woman with anorexia -- and I was one of the resources, although I didn't disclose that until later. (Multiple email addresses, so he didn't see my name.) Since then, I've been brought in as a speaker about eating disorders to psych classes, and his was one of them. I also mentioned something, when we were chatting about doctors recently, about having been on antidepressants in the 80s.
So, yes. I am pretty sure he has a pretty good idea of how I got to know about eating disorders. (Although, since I'm plump, I would bet everyone who suspects figures I'm bulimic...)
I also think certain other instructors have figured out, without specifics, that I'm -- otherly emotioned? Is there a polite form of "crazy as a psychotic bed bug?" That's probably my self-consciousness coming out, my distorted perception of how I appear to others. But I know that, for instance, in the nutrition class, I feel as though I speak too slowly, have too much trouble fitting one word after another, etc. (Just wait until we have the lecture on how deadly obesity is! "Uh, have you really read the statistics on that? Underweight is about three times as deadly as level 1 obesity, and overweight is statistically healthiest in terms of mortality at any age...")
Of course, none of this is helped by the fact that I'm twice as old as most of the other students -- and older than many of the instructors. In fact, the other day I was waiting in the hall for another class to end in the room where my class meets, and the head of another department smiled as he passed, saying, "They won't even let the instructor in?" Maybe I should just wear the orthopedic shoes, and get a walker...
It's hardest for me, though, to avoid the attention getting, "I know!" routine. You say it's not pathological to want to be liked -- but that's if it's within reason. It's hard for me not to try to gain approval by knowing EVERYTHING, doing EVERYTHING right, getting 100% on EVERYTHING. That just shrieks insecurity and inappropriateness to me. It's hard for me to catch myself in time to stop that.
Bah. I wonder why I get to that place of self-loathing...
Posted by Happyflower 1 :-) on September 3, 2007, at 16:16:02
In reply to Taking psychology classes, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
Well one of my profs now knows! lol When I was pulling up to park for therapy last week, my old profs was out on the porch smokin' and he looked at me. He probably recongnized me, but he wasn't a prof. that got to know his students. So maybe I am safe.
But just because you are in therapy doesn't make you mentally ill. It is better than doing nothing about your problems. But um, yeah, I dropped this guys's class this semester! lol It felt tooo weird. Then later I saw the old chairman for the department, he was also a T in the same office.
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on September 5, 2007, at 12:44:10
In reply to Taking psychology classes, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
Hey!
No, I've never taken any sort of psych class (or even a class that isn't in the faculty of natural sciences!) but I have got out of a fieldtrip due to 'health issues' ie panic attacks etc. Although I didn't tell the professor it was due to mental illhealth. I'm not sure how they would take it. Would their opinion of you be coloured forever? I don't know. At least in the US, there is much more of a culture of therapy, and stuff like that. Oh well.
Actually, I think in the natural sciences anyway, they sort of expect you to be slightly obsessive and geeky and socially inept. The arts faculty students always look so much cooler than us, boo hoo. We hang around in anoraks and sensible shoes and fleeces, although I did put on my glad rags today, being the first day of class an' all. Meh. Perhaps we have better employment chances.
Meri
Posted by Deneb on September 9, 2007, at 13:17:00
In reply to Taking psychology classes, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
I've only ever taken 2 psychology classes, but yeah, I feel like the prof might figure out how crazy I am.
It's probably no big deal, lots of students probably have problems. We're not alone. LOL
Posted by sunflower turning on October 2, 2007, at 15:35:33
In reply to Taking psychology classes, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on September 3, 2007, at 8:55:08
I'm actually majoring in Psych. ^_^ I'm only in first year, so my experience of psychology profs is limited, but it seems to me that if anyone is going to be understanding of your mental state and that being a little crazy doesn't make you less of a person, it's probably your teachers. I feel more nervous about being judged by my classmates, as I already get glared at enough for the way I look.
If you do feel comfortable enough, it might actually be really cool and informative for your class to come in like Racer and talk about your experience. North American culture is fairly accepting of mental illness, but even then, many people have misconceptions, or questions about what it's really like. Certainly, even if it's embarrassing or awkward, informing your teachers if you think your mental health might interfere with your schoolwork--even if you're just having trouble focusing--can be helpful.
This is the end of the thread.
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