Would You Keep It Secret If You Were Seeing A Shrink?

Having worked in mental health nursing and currently teach mental health nursing, I can tell you with a great degree of certainty that there is a stigma attached to seeing mental health care. What a sad state that one can seek help for diabetes, high blood pressure or arthritis with no stigma, but if depressed has to hide the fact that they are seeking help. Personally, I wouldn't feel the need to hide that I needed help for a mental disorder, but I know that isn't the general public's viewpoint. I most certainly would seek the help if needed rather than to muddle through on my own and chance getting no better. The real shame of it all is that research has proven over and over that many mental health problems do have biological bases, meaning that they are just as much a disorder of the physical makeup (of the brain and its chemical transmitters)of an organ as is diabetes or other disorders. Yet, we want to label people as 'crazy' and snicker at them behind their back. Okay, rant over. Sorry to go on the soapbox. I hope your great discussion opens eyes!

What a fantastic question!!! I think no one should be ashamed of having mental health problems - they affect 1 in 3 of us after all! If you try to hide your problems - they become magnified and harder to deal with - when you can open up it does help! Talking from personal experience - horses for courses but I would always advise being open and honest - nothing to be ashamed of!!!!!

I'm due to see mine next week. I hate seeing him but he is helping me deal with an illness. If anyone asks I'm very open about it and have never seen why a mental illness is such a taboo subject except it's an illness with minimal if any visible signs. As is usual for the human race what you don't understand must be treated as either non existent or something to shun. Thankfully I have found several groups where my being treated is accepted and many others have the same. I always feel that by seeing my DR I'm facing my problems instead of pretending they aren't there.

Yes, I think there is still a big stigma attached to going to see a psychiatrist nowadays, not sure why. There is no disgrace in seeing one, all the celeb's do. I saw a psychiatrist about 7 years ago, my doctor wanted me to talk over my feelings about having just been told that i had Cancer, He knows me and my family very well and with my sister also having had cancer and dying a few years before, he felt i needed to talk things through with someone, I didnt really agree but like i said hes an old family friend who knows me well. I didn't keep it a secret, my family all knew and I wasn't ashamed or anything like that, but i didn't want everyone i knew to know. I have no real issue telling or talking about going to see someone but i wouldn't go out of my way to say "By the way I'm going to see my shrink later today" Did it help me? No, I don't think it did - I found it really hard going, Its not like on the telly where you lie on a couch and answer questions about your life! The end result was I didn't have a problem, but my mum and dad did and still have, they watched one daughter die of cancer and so backed away from me as they didn't want to do the same again.

I think anyone can have problems and it is better to get help than to bury your head in the sand. My eldest son had some problems and is now on the road to recovery and i am thankful i got the help he needed!

I think for one it really depends on where you live, some places it's even considered weird if you don't see one as some many people openly do it. I don't think you should be ashamed though, I think you should be open about it and if anyone has a problem with it that's their problem. Maybe you can even tell them that a lot of countries it's weird not to go to one and that everyone deals with their problems in their own way. Things is you might feel better or bad either way. Maybe you could ask your shrink what he/she thinks about it, as maybe they can help you better as they know you a bit better. I myself want to see one and though where I live it isn't so normal to go to one I'd say it as if I'm going to one it's to help me get things out not to have another thing to hide. Is it a psychiatrist or psychologist? There's a difference but I never know which one is which, lol excuse my ignorance, but if you do tell them you don't want to say the wrong one.

I think it's actually the opposite these days. I think that younger people especially, think it makes them cool if they are a little crazy. You can tell by all those quiz's that you can take that tell you if you are schizo, bi-polar, depressed, histrionic, etc. People have the results pasted all over their myspace, livejournal, facebook, etc. People talk about going to the shrink openly like it's cool. I don't really think it's any of anyone else's business. On the other hand if someone asks, I'm not going to say no. It's just not something I'd flaunt for the purpose of getting attention.

I see a trick cyclist every 2 months now as I have severe clinical depression. I don't give two hoots what others think, that's not important to me. What is important is seeking help when I need it and the trick cyclist really does help even though it is very very painful for me to talk about certain things. lol

Wolfie, i would only tell my closest friends. I am sure they would know and understand.I would not go around just telling anyone i meet. hey I am seeing a shrink. lol. I have been told i could be a shrink. because I listen to peoples problems and do my best to help them. So if you need a shrink dear Wolfie. Come see me. I wont even charge ya lol.

Yes, my shrink told me just the other day, that I need to learn to keep secrets. Its something I should work on. So if my shrink says to keep it a secret. Then Yes if I was seeing a shrink I would keep it a secret. *grin*

I personally would not keep it a secret. I see no shame in seeking help where it is needed. A shrink is a doctor who specializes in the psyche, just like a neurologist specializes in the neres, brain, etc. When you need that help, there should be no stigma placed on it.

There is a difference between a shrink and a psychiatrist. And there is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, after a person finds out that you are seeing one or the other, they may start to wonder why. Then after they can't figure why you would go see one, they realize whatever problem you have, you have a darn good doc, cuz they can't figure out what your problem was. Would you be ashamed to seek help if you needed it, or would you rather be ashamed of your untreated mental problems is the way I look at it

If i had to go see someone i would not hide it. I dont see anything to be ashamed of to tell you the truth. Also what other people think to me now a days i dont sweat it all that is important is what i think. Some people still have there beliefs about people who a shrink but most people are quite comfortable with it like going to your regular doctor nowadays. I myself would rather go to a shrink and work things out that way then to turn too med again they almost distroyed me. To avoid it never if i need to i will and it is just that simple.

I would tell some people and not tell others...I would assume, however that if I told one person, everyone in that "group" would soon know, so I would be careful just who I told it to.

I guess that would depend on what I was going for. I would not keep it a secret from my family, but as far as others were concerned I don't know.

I wouldn't avertise it either. Seeking professional help to starighten out the mind is a better alternative to haveing people finding out that you are not mentally okay and then having them poking fun at you or being wary of you. Will cross that bridge it I ever have to come to it.

i actually have seen a shrink b 4, because i was getting stressed out at work and they wanted to determine if more than 50 % of my stress was work related and i can get workers comp, well i did and i loved it, i mean not only was she nice and had problems of her own, but it's like someone u can tell everything too and know she won't tell a soul! I was not ashamed, only about the things happening at work, but i loved seeing my shrink i wish i can see her again, i even gave her as a referral!

I have seen a shrink when i was younger, think i saw her for a year or 2, and I am not ashamed of it at all. she helped me in ways that noone else could and if i didn´t see her i probably wouldn´t have been here today!

i think i would tell my close friends and family obviously.if i thought it would help me i would have no problem going to see a shrink. i have had a few sessions of counselling and i found it very helpful. i have also had hypnotherapy for issues and i have just made an apointment for a session of IET. integral energy theray which is basically a higher form of reiki.i think we all have issues and we should confront them in order to move on in life.its too easy to shovel your problems underground but they have a habit of reemerging .i have a great respect for counsellers and therapists.

Well, i HAVE seen a shrink before and yes, i kept it secret. It didn't do me any good to go because i wouldn't share and i just avoided everything. i knew how to play it. i guess you could say "she's good" in order to be able to avoud and fool a shrink. i say "willpower and stubbornness." Brian, are you seeing a shrink or something? Why do you ask? DOn't be ashamed if you are...some people have issues and don't have anyone to talk to and feel more comfortable talking to a stranger.