Do I really need a therapist or can I successfully work on my own?!

Do I really need a therapist or can I successfully work on my own?

I have BDD, some depression, and am in the process of coming to terms with a sexually abusive past. People are recommending me to see a therapist, but would it be a waste of time if I have already improved with BDD so much on my own and with the support of online communities...... I definitely still have issues, but I'm much better than I was before. I can still work on myself, I think.

My experience is that every psychologist/counselor I have seen was an idiot who just didn't understand. BDD is still very new to a lot of mental health professionals, and I think only I can understand myself the best. Sexual abuse is also kind of embarrassing to talk about.

Or am I putting myself at risk by not getting professional help.

P.S. I used to be on medication, but stopped...I'm proud of myself that I can function without medication, and I did this all on my own. I only take medication once in awhile if I'm really stressed.

Keep looking until you find the right therapist. Sexual abuse causes so many other problems that I talked more about other problems rather than the sexual abuse. My therapist knew about the sexual abuse - we just didn't talk about it that much. It takes a lot of guts to find a good therapist. It is easier in a way to say you can solve the problem yourself. I couldn't. I never dealt with the cure to sexual abuse successfully. A professional therapist has successfully dealt with this subject. Don't come up with excuses if you are just afraid to see a therapist.