Why are people so afraid of Psychology?

[PaTiEnT]

Your thoughts on having a mental illness..

What are your fears of seeing a Psychologist?
How do you think people might perceive you?
Is it the same as going to see a Counsellor?

I'm curious about the prevalence of the "Don't need to see psychologist/psychiatrist, I'm not crazy" mentality.. :)

Thoughts anyone?

[Shoblast]

how do you know if you are crazy?

[Olataro]

Maybe ppl are afraid that psychologist have mind comtrol powers and could rip your soul out...just like the Psycher in warhammer40K or like Yuri, from red alert 2?

[yummyummylicious]

Do we know when we need to seek a psychiatrist? :P when we are crazy?
But i do know when ppl suffering from eating disorder like anorexia / bulimia, they can seek help from a psychologist...
kinda make me think of Basic Instict 2 , the guy inside is a psychiatrist:P

[PaTiEnT]

LOL!!

Shoblast: good question. people don't usually know they're crazy :P that's why they're crazy? hahah.. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if people are "crazy", they usually have little or no insight about it until they are made to recognize it (even so, some disorders are beyond self-awareness).

Having a mental illness doesn't mean you're 'mental', it just means you have stressful life circumstances which impair your daily life functioning. Like having depression is the extreme version of being unhappy, or having obsessive compulsive disorder is at the extreme end of someone who likes order and structure :) The difference is in the degree of the feelings/behaviours/thoughts that you have that makes you mentally ill.

So in a way, people who are 'crazy' (if you mean mentally ill by that), are really unfortunate people who got the lesser end of the stick :(

Olataro - interesting point! hehe.. psychologists are people la.. they can't read your mind much less control your mind.. don't be scared!! :P :)

yummyyummylicious: I know.. you just made clear a very unfortunate but important point. Eating disorders are so common nowadays.. I've seen anorexic people too, and it's just sad that there's not enough mental health professionals to go around.. Unfortunately, a lot of people still don't like the idea of seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist..

[youngyew]

I think the perception differs from one country to another. In Malaysia, people are not eager to see doctors for emotional problem, especially in the case of depression. Many people see clinical depression as "just down for a while", not realising that in the serious cases it requires clinical intervention from psychiatrist and psychologists.

In Australia, I see that many patient who come to hospital admit about their depression quite comfortably, as if it's just another disease like hypertension and diabetes. But there's also some arguments that there is an over-diagnosis of depression in Australia, and I am quite inclined to that view as well.

[PaTiEnT]

youngyew, I agree with you. :) Im currently located in Melbourne too! Giving someone a diagnosis of depression can have adverse effects especially coz it's already a "helplessness/worthlessness" themed disorder. So this person comes in feeling sad and hopeless.. then you tell them they have depression and they're like.. "oh shit, now I'll never be happy again". The labelling is dangerous if the patient has a false sense of the prognosis of depression.

[jayden]

I actually think it's because they don't want to admit their problems, prefering to take the "I'll see what I can do about it myself first".

But then, in Malaysia, especially among our parents' generation, the word 'psychologist' actually brings to mind 'a doctor for mentally ill people' not only fro people with social problems and stuff.

[yummyummylicious]

yummyyummylicious: I know.. you just made clear a very unfortunate but important point. Eating disorders are so common nowadays.. I've seen anorexic people too, and it's just sad that there's not enough mental health professionals to go around.. Unfortunately, a lot of people still don't like the idea of seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist..

Some people actually think being anorexic is cool...and they dont think its a big deal and there's no need to seek any psychiatrist for that...as they can stay super skinny and fit in most of the clothes...
mmm, I actually have a bulimic friend...I feel sad about her case but cant help much on her problem...She's not the obese kind but just being chubby, or a little fatter than chubby, and she's always unsatisfied with her body shape and end up being bulimic for 4 years++ I think the main reason will be she's always surrounded by thin/skinny friends...She felt ashame or whateva..
She doesnt seek for help and only a few close friends of hers know about this problem. Even her family dont know about this...sad, sad...
I do think she need some help, will a psychiatrist help much on this kinda case? or we as her friend should pay more attention on her?

[PaTiEnT]

Jayden: that is exactly what I'm afraid of.. do you think there is any way of educating people that this is not the case?

yummy: well.. it's the perception problem. I also have a friend who is bulimic. I guess you guys can question, is there a reason why she might feel that she is not "good enough"? Many people are chubby (I myself am on the fat side), but not all are bulimic. So what is it that makes your friend bulimic? Is there pressure from home? Why is she giving herself such expectations? Do people make remarks at her which they think are harmless, but have a huge impact on her?

She would have low self-esteem to begin with and as her friend, the best you can do is to help her see that there are many other things in life that are important, not just appearance. It is unfortunate that society has evolved into a much more material/appearance-based mindset. There is nothing we can do to stop this, but we can find qualities about ourselves which are more meaningful than thin figures and a pimple-free face. Just support her, remind her of the qualities that she has and be careful of comments about appearance in front of her even if it's about other people.. A psychologist would help, but if she is reluctant, maybe try a counsellor to begin with.

Some people actually overcome this on their own but 4 years is a long time to be bulimic and the consequences are not as obvious as having anorexia so it seems less serious. If she gets worse, do what you think is right for her. Go to the people who you think can help her better.. If she continues to be extremely self-critical, go on diets AND fail on those diets, she could easily become depressed.. so watch out for your friend..

[Olataro]

If ur running for president.........a visit to a psychologist can be deadly to ur campaign as rumours will spark up, and ppl think ur insane. Happened before i heard?

[herm]

which country's president?

[d3stinydanc3withm3]

also some arguments that there is an over-diagnosis of depression in Australia, and I am quite inclined to that view as well.

A similar case would be the identifying and treating of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in the states. Children who do not perform well in school are automatically assumed to have ADHD just based on a few tests with the school psychologist. They are then fed the highly controversial ritalin pills. I noe someone who fell into depression because of the pills. I don't deny their effectiveness, but in many cases they serve not as a cure to a disorder which is possibly non-existent instead man-made, but as a boost to one's mental mind which would be fine if not for its much researched potential side-effects.

[PaTiEnT]

destiny: that would be negligence on the psychologist's part but unfortunately these things do happen because mental illness is not black and white like the usual physical ailments.

There is a 'bible' for diagnosis (called DSM-IV-TR), and if you ever get the chance to look into it, it has lists of symptoms or behaviour patterns that are ticked off (literally). There's criteria like, "If a person meets 3 out of 4 of Category A and 3 out of 5 of Category B and Category C, the person has so and so disorder.." So it's basically an inclusion or exclusion practice. You either have it, or you don't..

We are aware that this is not a fool-proof system (as you have realized, mistakes happen), but it's the only system we've got so far. There are mistakes especially with psychologists who are fresh out of grad school, and less so (I hope) for more experienced psychologists as they learn to use their personal judgment (along with tests, observations etc) rather than rely heavily on the DSM.

On the bright side, there has been extensive research for putting a different system into place. There are debates going on about having a dimensional approach rather than categorical. I think we all realize that it's not as simple as whether "you have depression or not". People experience different degrees of "unhappy" and if it's serious enough, it's called depression. So a dimensional approach would help, but then there is again the problem with "what are the signs" because you can't X-Ray a person and know that he/she has depression. Therefore, they are currently trying to think of the best way to impose a dimensional approach on top of the categorical system.

You made a good point about pills/medication in general. I sometimes think that the problem with medication in mental disorders are magnified compared to physical illnesses. All forms of medication have side effects but some are more serious than others. The problem with medication for mental illness is that the pills target not one part of the body/brain but a whole system. Why? Because again, nobody can pinpoint the exact location or spot where the problem is unlike e.g. cancer. So why do psychiatrists exist? Well, this is the case of what I like to call "midway science". Research shows that yes, some mental illnesses have altered biological mechanisms, and they can be "fixed" by pills (they are shown to be effective). But this then affects other parts of your brain/body which are perfectly fine in the first place. Our biology is so complicated, and the inability to pinpoint exact "screw-ups" PLUS giving pills to fix a general area can lead to many side effects - insomnia, tremors, weight gain etc. And what's sad is, overdose happens, coz it's essentially the same as what happens to druggies. You take some, they don't work, you take more, then more, then that's it.

Luckily for us, psychology is not all doom and gloom. There is the branch called "Positive Psychology". The thought is, instead of cure, why not prevention? And that is valid because there are ways to maximize potential. It covers interesting stuff such as optimism, confidence, happiness.. all the nice and bright qualities! :)

[Olataro]

WOW great post!!!! but i still view psychology as...........

YURI DIGGING YOUR MIND>.>>> There is no FREE WILL...........only my will....

Who is yuri? You either have to play red alert2 or wait for Red Alert 3 expansion to come out.

[PaTiEnT]

lol.. too much fantasy my friend.. :) psychologists are human too! actually.. more than half of psychologists experience burn out at one point of their career.. and they can't "cure" themselves either.. too bad, but.. haha.. otherwise people who have problems should just study psychology and solve their own probs.. :P

I pity doctors too. My mom always tells me that doctors should be lean, healthy individuals who will never catch colds, have diabetes, contract pneumonia, etc coz....they are doctors, they should know how to look after themselves.. LOL!! you see what I mean right.. :P Poor things.

now.. who is this Yuri.. lol.. i'll be asking my guy friends about her (him?).. :P

[youngyew]

An absolutely fascinating article regarding human psychology:

http://www.cracked.com/article_16239_5-psychological-experiments-that-prove-humanity-doomed.html

[PaTiEnT]

LOL. Thanks youngyew ;) for bringing up the classics. Love 'em! :)

Humans are terrible :P HEhehe..

[AnnDeBlurry]

No doubt that almost everybody faces psychological problems , e.g. depression , claustrophobia , aneroxia nervosa , bulimia nervosa.....It's prevalent because we live in a stressful world . Stress comes from family , study , job , financial condition , unexpected incidents....So , I don't think that having psychological problems equal to " you're insane "

Here are the reasons I think why most people afraid of psychology
(i) Psychological problems are commonly misunderstood as having mental illness
(ii) The problems are not taken serious as they think time can cure it
(iii) Afraid they the diagnosis of the psychologist is not positive
(iv) Afraid that people will think they're insane if they know the person attended a psychologist

[nadia.g]

my psychologist is very kind , nice n gentle... i love him. i dun mind seeing psychologist to help me deal with any emotional problem becos psychologist will really help u :)

[PaTiEnT]

Glad to hear that nadia! good for you :)

[chihiro]

a lot of malaysian thoughts that seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist mean that they're crazy.only schizo seeing a psychiatrist but that's definitely not the case.or they just thought that they're normal because not a lot of peoples know about mental disorder or they just don't want to admit they have problems.some rather stick with traditional way like seeking for god or bomoh help which i don't know if it'll help or not.:laugh

i'm seeing a psychiatrist myself if can i'll not want to let the whole world know about it but i don't mind if my few friends know about it.i think i have social phobia and maybe other disorders as well.but the doctor himself not sure what i have.so far the medicine didn't seems to help.our malaysian psychologist or psychiatrist is not really good.:P they're really rare.so far i only know one clinic that have a therapist/psychologist in penang.the clinic that i'm seeing now.:(