N
noname223
Angelic
- Aug 18, 2020
- 4,996
I have read something like that in a book (Infinite Jest). The person was in a mental health hospital and described their feelings of depression and suicidality to a professional. It was written that the psychiatrist was self-aware that he did not exactly knew how the depression would feel like. It was written that this is told to them during their training.
This evoked a question for me. Were my therapists self-aware they did not exactly know how it feels to be in my shoes? I am not quite sure about that. I think some of them were bigheaded (I hope that is the right word) and assumed to know how it feels to be depressed. I mean it is their job to observe depressed people and they probably have read myriad of books about it. Some of them seemed to be quite skilled and they were competent doctors.
However every individual is different. A generalization is dangerous. There are so many different forms of depression. Sometimes I think it is weird that all these different symptoms are assigned to this one illness.
I recognized that I am quite a complex human being as many of you. Good professionals can look behind the facade. Some of my therapists were too superficial and incompentent. Others were really supportive and gave new coping skills. I think to fully understand a person there is a very close bond needed. I sometimes have the feeling the mental health systems are too greedy to make that possible. Many are forced to leave their therapists without really wanting to do so.
Still I think it is pretty difficult for a heathly person to grasp how it feels like to be severely depressed or suicidal. Though I really think there are some people who are capable of doing that. I think about very very skilled people with a lot of education and empathy. I sometimes listen to lectures and some professors were pretty on point with their descriptions. ( Though for example Jordan Peterson knows depression and suicidality due to his own illness.)
What are your experiences? Can someone who never was suicidal or severely depressed understand how it feels to be in our shoes? And if so to what an extent?
This evoked a question for me. Were my therapists self-aware they did not exactly know how it feels to be in my shoes? I am not quite sure about that. I think some of them were bigheaded (I hope that is the right word) and assumed to know how it feels to be depressed. I mean it is their job to observe depressed people and they probably have read myriad of books about it. Some of them seemed to be quite skilled and they were competent doctors.
However every individual is different. A generalization is dangerous. There are so many different forms of depression. Sometimes I think it is weird that all these different symptoms are assigned to this one illness.
I recognized that I am quite a complex human being as many of you. Good professionals can look behind the facade. Some of my therapists were too superficial and incompentent. Others were really supportive and gave new coping skills. I think to fully understand a person there is a very close bond needed. I sometimes have the feeling the mental health systems are too greedy to make that possible. Many are forced to leave their therapists without really wanting to do so.
Still I think it is pretty difficult for a heathly person to grasp how it feels like to be severely depressed or suicidal. Though I really think there are some people who are capable of doing that. I think about very very skilled people with a lot of education and empathy. I sometimes listen to lectures and some professors were pretty on point with their descriptions. ( Though for example Jordan Peterson knows depression and suicidality due to his own illness.)
What are your experiences? Can someone who never was suicidal or severely depressed understand how it feels to be in our shoes? And if so to what an extent?
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