by Zengus » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:16 am
I'm glad to hear that, Phant. I've had some experience on the couch as well, and I would recommend it to pretty much anyone who's never tried it, and recommend it again to anyone who had a bad experience and decided that all shrinks are terrible or that it's "just not for them." Invariably you will learn some things about yourself and it helps you work through any issues you do have by verbalizing them, which is a much more effective thought process than, say, silently brooding in your apartment while you chain smoke (man, I'm glad that phase of my life is over).
Be careful with the meds, but give them a proper shot (you can't really know how a regimen will affect you in the long run until you've diligently followed it at least a month or two). Every prescription I've had has had side effects at one point or another that made me seriously question whether they were worth it. Some of them ended up not being right for me, but some of them proved to be really useful stepping stones to help me deal with problems I had and develop habits I needed. I'm not on them any more, but they helped me get to a place where I felt level and more in control of myself than I was before.
I will lose a lot of respect for Desp if he ever tries to use this to insult you. I know how hard it can be to make the choice to go to a psychologist, it takes personal courage to admit that you could use some help.