Why Psychologists Are Overrated -- A Critique
Updated: Feb 21
Part 1
I do not know for sure how the general population sees psychologists, but as someone who went to psychologists for more than a decade, I can confidently say that psychologists are not the same to the mind as medical professionals are to our bodies. Unlike medical doctors, psychologists don't heal. They might help us solve problems or better understand ourselves; however, if you want to be mentally stable, the solution is not to pay loads of cash to psychologists, but to destroy the roots of your problems instead.
I wrote how I done it personally in a certain miniseries on Philosocom called Accepting Reality.
During the time I lived in my previous apartment, I had a very terrible neighbor who would always scream when annoyed. Sometimes she would even wake me up while I was asleep. Despite my countless efforts to make her understand that I am highly sensitive to noise, she did not care, and was convinced that I was trying to harass her, or worse, to physically harm her (which wasn't true at all).
The solution was to simply move apartments. My psychologist didn't even advise me this. As such I have no regrets leaving the metropolis.
Despite the fact that I discussed it with my psychologist back then, it did not help the problem one bit. As said in the previous paragraph, the solution to this problem was to simply live elsewhere, which I eventually did. No matter how many meetings I had with that professional, psychological assistance did not help me to cope with my sensitivity to noise at all.
Later on, I got into a personal phase I'd like to call the Reaping Fatigue Era. No psychologist helped me solved it. I instead had to solve it on my own, despite, at last, becoming a physical handicap for a year. Today I use a respirator from the mentally-based trauma I went through in life.
I thought psychologists would help me. They didn't. I thus no longer take pride in my intelligence, but instead see it as a necessary way to mentally survive this world.
Take my advice: Don't abuse children. I made sure all those who abused me are no longer present in my life. They do not deserve the honor.
That is why I decided to stop going to psychologists. It isn't that they are not good at their jobs; it's just that they offer advice and don't necessarily heal you like medical professionals do. And of course, it isn't the job of medical professionals to heal you mentally. They psychologists, merely help you to find possible solutions to your problems; it does not mean that these solutions would be effective, no matter how much you talk with them about said issues.
I solved much of my issues myself, by going deeper into my psyche, and understanding the roots of my traumas.
You basically pay a lot of cash just to speak with someone for around an hour. You could do so with anyone else who wants to talk with you. It isn't to say that psychologists are disposable; they're, in theory, just problem solvers on the personal/intimate scale. There is no guarantee that the money you will invest in their services will eventually pay off. Therefore, it is sort of a gamble, with the only price being your time and money.
I am, in a way, glad that I don't go to psychologists anymore. I have realized that, if I take action and eliminate the roots of my problems, their [the psychologists'] functionality in my life would no longer be necessary. Why choose to suffer when you can eliminate the source of suffering?
Accept reality, and the truth can set you free. At the very least, it can relieve you of some of the unconcious passions that lead you to suffer. Because when you are abused in some way, your desires may be distorted permenantly. And when my former love of my life calls me irrelevant and discards me without struggle, I may want to build an article empire to prove to humanity that she was wrong.
Understanding the root of our problems can bring us clarity and thus, a little bit of calm at the very least. We might still suffer, we might still take medications. But we can still save ourselves tons of money that would otherwise be wasted on ineffective expert help.
It is far better than remaining unaware of our origins. For our traumatic origins are also the origins of our wants and needs. For we are defined by our memories, conscious or otherwise, and as such we deserve to know it and not repress it under the metaphorical rug. The root of your mental problems might stem from the past. Explore them through contemplations. Do not escape, or they will resume governing you from the back of your mind.
Analyze them. Understand how they manage you, how they shape the being that you came to be. You don't necessarily need an external hand for that process. You just need to reflect. Despite the pain you may experience, mental or even physical, covering it from the shadows it is embedded in, can set you free from it more. And for free, too.
Part 2
Why should I allow comments on toxic platforms such as Quora, and pay much money to psychologists to calm me down, when I can simply disable commenting, and eliminate the need for this service as well? It is both practical and cost-efficient, a resourceful approach. The thing about psychology is that it cannot cure you of mental disorders like doctors can cure you of diseases.
Many people don't realize that, once you have a mental disorder, there is no going back. In other words, there are no cures for mental illnesses, and the pills you may take are merely delayers, not medicine to heal your wounds. This is why the consumption of therapy would burn a hole in your pocket UNLESS you actually solved the root of your problems yourself (or with help, I guess).
In my case, it won't matter how much I speak with the professional I used to visit; I will forever be sensitive to noise because it is a part of my Asperger's, and that service will not make people stop tormenting me with yells they are legally allowed to make.
The only practical solution would be to move somewhere quieter. Now I can tell you that, two years of living somewhere completely different has been a far, far more practical solution than going to a psychologist for years on end.
Now that I am aware that I will have these disorders for the rest of my life, unless there is a cure for them, I will have to learn to live with them, even if it means making compromises. For people like me, it is unfortunate to say that compromising is sometimes the best solution, if not a complete escape.
There are no rules in my country that forbid people from screaming during the appropriate hours; I just had to find somewhere else to live where people would be more tolerant of my unwanted sensitivity.
I sure hope that I will not have to see a psychologist ever again. It's not that I hate psychologists, which I don't; there are just better alternatives to solving issues than just talking about them and hoping for the best.
It was my decision to move elsewhere, and who knows how much money I saved by doing so; money that would otherwise go to weekly sessions.
Psychologists are like modern-day sages, but that does not mean that they can cure you of your disorders or solve all of the problems that come with having them.
When are psychologists at their best? It's when you're suicidal, highly depressed, or in any kind of state that requires short-term consultation in a state of distress. They can be there to calm you, listen to your thoughts, and even cheer you up.
Ultimately, they are people you hire to listen to you and provide feedback that MIGHT help you. Their ultimate contribution comes when they prevent a suicide attempt or make you more mentally stable, even if the illnesses of your mentality are still there.
I also wrote on mental health before. More specifically, mental illness.
