Once my doctor told me that I was being referred to a clinical psychologist, I was in total disbelief. I had protested to my doctor, "I'm not crazy!" and he laughed while trying to calm me down to explain the situation. He said that it was not because I was 'crazy' that he was referring me to a clinical psychologist, but because the anxiety attacks that I have been suffering from during the last six weeks needed a doctor with a different set of skills. This doctor would be looking at the mental aspect of the root cause of my anxiety attack, and he or she may have the tools to help me with the problem.
I decided to not believe in the doctor.
I decided that I was going to cope with the anxiety attacks myself, and I was not going to follow through with his recommendation for a long time. I told myself over and over again, "I'm not crazy!" but as I try to cope with the anxiety attacks, I felt that it only worsened.
I eventually went back to my doctor, hoping that I would not need to humiliate myself by going to the shrink and that I may be able to get some treatment, pill, or anything that was not the shrink. When I told him that, he sat me down and gave me a stern talking to.
He told me firmly, "A clinical psychologist is not a psychotherapist." "You will not be seeing the doctor to spill your guts out at weekly one-hour sessions. Of course, clinicians are experts when it comes to mental illnesses, but they can also help with disorders that have the root cause implanted in the mind. Say that you broke your leg just now, you wouldn't go to an ears, noses, and throats doctor in that situation, right? It is the same idea in this situation. Certain conditions and problems have root causes in the mind. In no way, shape, or form, does this mean you are crazy. It just means that you need someone who understands the mind to help you recover." He then told me, in no uncertain terms, that he would not see me again for these same symptoms until I had consulted with a clinician.
And so I swallowed my pride and (very hesitantly) made my appointment. It was far different from what I was expecting. The clinical psychologist was able to figure out the root of my anxiety attacks within two sessions, and he prescribed me to a course of treatment to help in facing my fears and in overcoming the calming feeling when confronting an overbearing task. He was professional and thorough, and as I began to reclaim my personal power it occurred to me to wonder, why is it that so many people have such a skewed perception of the world of mental health practitioners?
Does it have to do with the 'rugged individualism' that is ingrained into most Americans, that "can do" attitude that does not want to be reliant upon anyone or anything else in order to make things work in their life? Or is it because of the Hollywood concept of mental health that was portrayed over the years?
I asked the question to my clinician during one of our sessions, and he tried to answer it. The clinician proceeded with the explanation about how medicine has been around for at least hundreds, if not, thousands of years for treatment of any complaint and illness, whereas the idea of the mind needing separate treatments and attention is a fairly new idea. We've only been working with this concept for over a hundred years, and before that, anything to do with the mind; with the thoughts and the way that we perceive reality was considered to be the realm of mysticism and religion, and so was not something we were encouraged to take an active role in.
Clinical psychologists are still paving their road into the medical field, and I feel that it is a necessary one because my anxiety attacks deteriorated over the last few months of treatment. I have also gained a new respect for the world of mental health and what it has to offer.
I decided to not believe in the doctor.
I decided that I was going to cope with the anxiety attacks myself, and I was not going to follow through with his recommendation for a long time. I told myself over and over again, "I'm not crazy!" but as I try to cope with the anxiety attacks, I felt that it only worsened.
I eventually went back to my doctor, hoping that I would not need to humiliate myself by going to the shrink and that I may be able to get some treatment, pill, or anything that was not the shrink. When I told him that, he sat me down and gave me a stern talking to.
He told me firmly, "A clinical psychologist is not a psychotherapist." "You will not be seeing the doctor to spill your guts out at weekly one-hour sessions. Of course, clinicians are experts when it comes to mental illnesses, but they can also help with disorders that have the root cause implanted in the mind. Say that you broke your leg just now, you wouldn't go to an ears, noses, and throats doctor in that situation, right? It is the same idea in this situation. Certain conditions and problems have root causes in the mind. In no way, shape, or form, does this mean you are crazy. It just means that you need someone who understands the mind to help you recover." He then told me, in no uncertain terms, that he would not see me again for these same symptoms until I had consulted with a clinician.
And so I swallowed my pride and (very hesitantly) made my appointment. It was far different from what I was expecting. The clinical psychologist was able to figure out the root of my anxiety attacks within two sessions, and he prescribed me to a course of treatment to help in facing my fears and in overcoming the calming feeling when confronting an overbearing task. He was professional and thorough, and as I began to reclaim my personal power it occurred to me to wonder, why is it that so many people have such a skewed perception of the world of mental health practitioners?
Does it have to do with the 'rugged individualism' that is ingrained into most Americans, that "can do" attitude that does not want to be reliant upon anyone or anything else in order to make things work in their life? Or is it because of the Hollywood concept of mental health that was portrayed over the years?
I asked the question to my clinician during one of our sessions, and he tried to answer it. The clinician proceeded with the explanation about how medicine has been around for at least hundreds, if not, thousands of years for treatment of any complaint and illness, whereas the idea of the mind needing separate treatments and attention is a fairly new idea. We've only been working with this concept for over a hundred years, and before that, anything to do with the mind; with the thoughts and the way that we perceive reality was considered to be the realm of mysticism and religion, and so was not something we were encouraged to take an active role in.
Clinical psychologists are still paving their road into the medical field, and I feel that it is a necessary one because my anxiety attacks deteriorated over the last few months of treatment. I have also gained a new respect for the world of mental health and what it has to offer.
