How can I convince her she's not "crazy"?!
Question: I suffer from mental illness, and recently took my 13 year old daughter to the doctor. We found out that she may have inheritered my illness from my genes. I'm trying to convince my daughter to go and see someone so that she'll either gets the help she needs or we can rule out anything mentally being wrong. My daughter seems to think that if you have a therapist, you're crazy. How do I change her view on that?
Answers: I suffer from mental illness, and recently took my 13 year old daughter to the doctor. We found out that she may have inheritered my illness from my genes. I'm trying to convince my daughter to go and see someone so that she'll either gets the help she needs or we can rule out anything mentally being wrong. My daughter seems to think that if you have a therapist, you're crazy. How do I change her view on that?
Well, I'm also 13 and I suffer from depression. You could tell her that if she goes to a therapist, she's obviously sane because she's facing her problem and trying to help herself. You could also tell her about me and tell her that I said it helps, because it does. x
A quote "if you think you're crazy - you're not". If you don't think you're crazy you usually are."
When I first found out I needed to find a base line - of whom a GOOD therapist would be I cried and thought that meant I was crazy. That's when my therapist told me the above.
I have chemical imbalance as well - finally realizing it is only a deficiency of certain chemicals, or lack of are reacting unstably.
As is shots for diabetics.
Even most celebrities have therapists, even the ones that don't seem crazy. ; )
Well, if you're going to refer to it as an illness, something that needs help, and something "wrong", then of course she's not going to be open-minded about it. Even if it is an illness, you're not going to help her by refering to it like that.
Sorry, to be honest, it's probably not your fault, I'm sure you don't use these terms in front of your daughter. But that's society's message about therapists. When I started seeing a psychologist, the thing that helped me the most was the calm attitiude. Normal people were there, and it wasn't like, "Hi everyone, what's wrong with you and how can I help?". It was pretty laidback, and it really helped that the psychologist didn't sit behind some desk writing notes.
Try taking her to the place beforehand. It may help relax her. If not, my dad said to me when he thought I had depression, "What's going to happen if you have depression? It's not going to be the end of the world. They'll give you some pills and it'll be over. It's not a big deal."
That's the important thing-make sure it's not, "Oh no, you could have a mental illness! TO THE THERAPIST! If so, she'll cure you."
Of course no one actually says that, but that is the message that comes off about 80% of the time.
rox my freind,, I ve always learned when life tosses at you tought things like that to never ever mess with it,, just give her tons of your own love and let god take care of her feelings,, and she probably needs a new doll or toy to put her thinking elsewere.. hugs jimmy