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Practical Advice What should I know about therapy, psychiatry, and similar stuff?
- Thread starter Fbr27
- Start date
Everything you say to the therapist/doctor doesn't leave the office due to HIPAA laws. Therefore, the door should be closed and the session private. The professional should not speak about your case to anyone without your written consent and signature.
You will be asked if you've been depressed or anxious. Whether or not you've had thoughts of hurting yourself or have committed the act of self-harm. You will be asked if you've had thoughts of suicide and whether or not you've thought of a plan to carry it out. If you admit that you do hurt yourself and you've had thoughts of suicide, the professional has an ethical obligation (if they find you to be a danger to yourself or others) to inform the proper authorities about this and possibly have you committed. Usually, unless you say you have a plan, however, this will not be done.
You have the right to ask about your diagnosis if you so wish. You also have the right to ask about your treatment plan and what is on it.
You will be asked if you've been depressed or anxious. Whether or not you've had thoughts of hurting yourself or have committed the act of self-harm. You will be asked if you've had thoughts of suicide and whether or not you've thought of a plan to carry it out. If you admit that you do hurt yourself and you've had thoughts of suicide, the professional has an ethical obligation (if they find you to be a danger to yourself or others) to inform the proper authorities about this and possibly have you committed. Usually, unless you say you have a plan, however, this will not be done.
You have the right to ask about your diagnosis if you so wish. You also have the right to ask about your treatment plan and what is on it.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are specialists in prescribing treatments for mental illness. Most doctors are competent enough to prescribe medication for depression and anxiety, but only psychiatrists are able to handle prescriptions for other forms of mental illness.
There are different styles of therapy. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is one of the more successful ones for treating depression.
You may want to shop around to see if you find a therapist that you like.
Not everyone benefits, or benefits a lot from therapy. It's often good if you feel a strong desire to tell a therapist something, or if you're going to learn something from a therapist.
There's evidence that you can get some of the benefits of CBT from a book.
This book is one of the most highly recommended CBT books for depression:
Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky
There are different styles of therapy. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is one of the more successful ones for treating depression.
You may want to shop around to see if you find a therapist that you like.
Not everyone benefits, or benefits a lot from therapy. It's often good if you feel a strong desire to tell a therapist something, or if you're going to learn something from a therapist.
There's evidence that you can get some of the benefits of CBT from a book.
This book is one of the most highly recommended CBT books for depression:
Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky