As long as a person can run his/her own life, there is no reason to go to a professional counselor, or psychologist, or psychiatrist.
If a person cannot run his/her own life, counseling from one of the professionals will usually help.
Note, I didn't stick “medicine” in there. The only mental health professional who can prescribe medicine, is a psychiatrist. They normally don't counsel with the patient themselves. If there is counseling, the psychiatrist may have a professional counselor on his staff. That patient would likely get medicine plus counseling.
If your problem or problems prevent you from running your life, such as you can't go to work, you stay in bed all day, you can't think, you can't concentrate to get anything done, etc., search out a professional counselor or a psychologist - don't go to a psychiatrist if you don't want pills.
I evaluated private patients, patients referred to me by government entities, patients a psychiatrist put in a mental health hospital and needed an evaluation of that patient while they were in that hospital. Usually, the ones in the mental health hospital needed to be there.
I evaluated an ex-military man and gave a diagnosis of PTSD and I knew it was severe. A psychiatrist sent him to my office and immediately after the man left, I found out he had been discharged from the hospital - I thought he had come from the hospital and was going back there. I immediately tried to find the psychiatrist and found a psychologist friend in the same building had taken over that man's care due to the psychiatrist leaving town.
I told him it was a serious mistake to let the man leave the hospital because he was going to attack someone and that would probably be his mother. Sure enough, the next day, the man barricaded himself in the house and was holding off the police and his mother had gotten out of the house before he got to her.
I say that to show there are mentally ill people. This man could not run his life.
I evaluated a woman in a mental hospital and she needed to be there as she was a danger to herself and her children at that time. She was convinced the Mafia was after her and she had taken her small children into the woods to hide and wouldn't come out. I gave her a proper diagnosis based on her behavior and mental condition at that time.
This lady could not run her life.
Diagnosing a mental condition takes knowledge and the ability to know what psychological tests are indicating, and what an extended interview with the patient is indicating. A diagnosis doesn't happen when a patient sits down in your office. It takes extensive evaluation in all those areas to make a proper diagnosis.
I know most of you people will dump on mental health workers but one reason you do that is because you haven't been there to know the process.
The human brain is,one can say,just another organ...like the liver,heart or kidney.When one's heart is diseased it might start beating irregularly.When one's liver is diseased its owner might turn yellow or become fatigued.When the "higher" portions of one's brain is diseased one might have strange thoughts or engage in unusual,or even dangerous,behavior.Having worked in the ER of a large hospital for many years I know that mental illness exists.Several of our most regular,"dependable",patients were chronic schizophrenics with whom I had extensive contact.
My post 16. You might has well get your kicks in, too.
State Senate OKs bill to let psychologists prescribe mental health medications (IL)
"If the plan were to pass the House and be signed by Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois would join Louisiana and New Mexico as the only states to allow psychologists to prescribe medications for mental illness. The military also permits its psychologists to dispense psychotropic drugs, Harmon said."
I had a patient with probably serotonin syndrome, although I hadn't heard of that diagnosis yet, around 12 years ago. She was seriously tachycardic on multiple psych meds. Her shrink didn't want me to stop those meds. I did, IIRC. I believe she was on at least one SSRI.
thank you for your excellant and reasoned post.
As in any medical profession, there are jerks and in many situations there are also competent,excellant and often also spiritual psychiatrists who are able to help those suffering from mental illness and return to a full and satisfying life.
On some occasions, a run in with a jerk can give the needed boost to someone who can turn their life around...usually they do not suffer from a serious mental illness that may require hospitalization, medication and ongoing counseling to put their life in order.