How can I accept my therapist and get over the feeling of being belittled?

[Shock]

Sorry BB, I am going to be brutally honest and say that I hate mental health practitioners. I havent always, but the more time I've spent with them the more I think all they offer is snake oil, placebos and, at best, a shoulder to cry on.

I am aware this is not a great attitude to have and want to change it. My GPs have run out of options for meds, so apparently the only way I can get better is talking about it. 

The biggest problem I have with them is that they make me feel like an idiot. For example, I will say something like:

"I feel like I want to die". 

And they will almost, always say something like: "Well you came here, so you mustnt really feel like that!".

To me, thats just smart arsery. Its that kind of attitude that makes me feel like a complete idiot. Like what I am saying is all false. I get really angry and defensive and usually arguments break out.

The other thing is this thing about trust. They talk about getting to know you, and earning their trust, blah blah blah. Trust means nothing. You have to abide by patient confidentiality, so you cant tell anyone anyway. And dont try to be my friend. At the end of the session, your charging me an arm and a leg, so lets keep this relationship businesslike.

Sorry guys, but I guess that illustrates my frustration to them. 

I am looking for tips to try and change this attitude. Any advice is appreciated!

[geoff]

dear Shock, well first of all we have to wait weeks before we can see these psych, and know that if our free medicare visits have run their course that we are up for an enormous amount of money, just for one session, so already we are on the back burner, and to be greeted with 'Well you came here, so you mustn't really feel like that!".

What sort of communication is this and how can a relationship ever form, especially when they treat you as a fool, wouldn't it be so much better for to say to you 'it must have been an awful week for you, and would you like to tell me about it, but take your time'.

I can accept that medication can only do so much, as my doctor said to me this morning, 'do you feel as though you are ready to cut back on your AD's', I said NO not yet, 'OK that's alright by me'.

Can you please just revise my memory, how long have you seen this person, and it's obvious why you have changed psych's but again please revise me. Geoff.

[Shock]

Hi Geoff,

So I actually havent seen a therapist for about 3 months now. All in all I have seen about 13 or 14 over 10 years. Some I only see once, some I go to about 6 sessions, others (early on) I have seen over the course of a year. 

Right now I am trying to organise a meeting with people from a hospitals mental health unit. They are not being very cooperative as I have to remain anonymous. It appears that if you want help but dont want to give them your name they automatically assume you are a criminal (because arnt all people suffering mental health issues criminals?).

Its not that I have done anything wrong to want to remain anonymous, its just that I dont want to end up in the psych ward if I over step 'Duty of Care'. If I dont give them my name they wont be able to harass me at home.

Look at me, a fugitive!

[geoff]

dear Shock, there's no way your a criminal, but maybe the devil running around in your mind is a criminal, only meaning that it has stolen your mind for a period of time, a long period of time, just give a false name if you like, what about the surname Smith or Brown. lol.

Instead of them coming around to your house can you set up a time to call them, that is a direct phone number, and not press 1 if--------, or press 8 to start again, or press 5 for ------, then that may stop them coming around to your house, as it can be embarrassing, which they did to me, but that didn't matter because we lived on a property where no one could see. Geoff.