5 ms·

>The avenues this could open up for oppression from corporations and/or the government sends a shiver down my spine. Tons of vets already avoid mental health s

>The avenues this could open up for oppression from corporations and/or the government sends a shiver down my spine. Tons of vets already avoid mental health services because it's a black mark on their career and can hinder their ability to bear arms in civilian life.

flattone 7y ago
I can't go to therapy because of exactly this kind of thing. I have two different fully covering insurances ... plenty of cash... and probably some reallylifetime bothersome things that I would love to deal with...but I've never been able to get past the idea that I can't just go in and talk to a professional without them having to know everything and share and store everything about me I'll never do it.
- macinjosh 7y ago
  I hear you. This was an obstacle for me for many years. I even had a hard time opening up to those I am closest too. All I can share is my own experience but I finally tried therapy, and gave it the best effort I could, 3 years ago. It has truly changed my life. I am still working on things but my life, relationships, and mind have never been better.
- fragmede 7y ago
  So go a town over, pay cash, and give a fake name, and get help from a therapist about why having anything written down is so scary for you, until you get past that particular emotional block. (If it's about possible loss of wages/job, that's why there's HIPPA, and malpractice lawsuits.) And then continue paying cash and using a fake name, just closer to home. It is hard to actually manage to get help for mental health issues in the first place, but if the issue is so great, that you need to share with strangers on the Internet need that you suffer from similar FUD about the process, then it is possible that the issues are a bigger problem than you realize.
  - mindslight 7y ago
    Your comment is so insensitive, it is ultimately just flame bait. Do you go around castigating people for being hesitant to talk to cops, as well? It's fine that you trust the (de facto) government. And I'm certainly not going to convince you otherwise right here. But don't casually brush off the opinions of those of us who don't. The effective requirement to expose your permanent identity as a condition of receiving medical care is an ongoing travesty. It also is a large component of how the healthcare market is so fucked, in that it fosters extreme price discrimination.
- misterman0 7y ago
  Do it anyway. Do it even if it scares the shit out if you. Say to yourself: I'm not going to let an insurance company tell me what I can or can't do. I'm telling you man, therapy is fucking great! Edit: btw, talking to strangers on the internet is a little like therapy. It's easier sometimes to talk about yourself when it's to someone you don't know.
- flattone 7y ago
  Agree with all points made. I inch closer to just doing it. Especially as I'm getting older - 10 years ago i had 'figure it out' runway. Feels less so now. Last issue is anxious of sitting in session after session trying to a)settle on a particular person b)tracking/having any sense of real progress. *mainly it's all creative avoidance out of fear, I guess.. Good point re strangers on the internet. I hardly bring this up anywhere, especially not online - not sure what happened this am.
sokoloff 7y ago
Aviators and others who need to hold a medical to drive trucks, trains, or control air traffic also have incentives to not visit mental health or other healthcare professionals as we have to itemize all healthcare visits since our last medical (or for the last few years at least) at our medical exam that represents our continued ability to fly/work.
LyndsySimon 7y ago
It’s a huge problem in the firearms community - most of us are scared to seek even minimal mental health assistance because of the stigma associated with it. I faced my own issues with depression in my late teens and early twenties. Gun rights are very important to me, and I was extremely hesitant to speak to any mental health professional due to the potential future restrictions it might place on me. I did see someone, and over the course of a few years recovered to the point that I was able to get my life back on track - but even then, it was difficult to find a therapist that wouldn’t immediately demand that I dispose of all of my firearms. I ended up asking around and basically “interviewing” several providers before I chose one. I wasn’t suicidal and didn’t have anything resembling an urge to harm myself or others, for what it’s worth. I still believe that seeking help may come back to haunt me one day. It’s something I’ve come to terms with and I believe I made the right decision, but I think my ability to introspect and make a rational decision in the face of my illness is... atypical. I think it’s a consequence of the “do you have firearms in your home” questions during routine checkups. The current push for so-called “red flag” laws seems to validate the concern.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- osullivj 7y ago
  Ditto for the UK. Police will revoke firearms licenses if a holder has mental health issues, and GPs have a duty to inform the police [1]. Typically a UK firearms license will only allow the holder to use a shotgun on their own land if they are a farmer, or a rifle on a certified shooting ground if the holder is a sports shooter. Some, including a friend of mine, have self certifying licenses that allow them to shoot anywhere they deem fit. Such licenses are granted to eg pest controllers who may be called in by landowners who need vermin eliminated. My friend typically drives around with his Blaser hunting rifle with telescopic sight, silencer and a box of ammo. He suffers from depression but has never sought treatment as he'd immediately lose his license. NB many think firearms are illegal in the UK. They are not! I was surprised to discover this when I moved out of London to the countryside 10 years ago. It's very difficult to get a firearms license in an urban location. But rifles and shotguns are commonplace in rural areas. Handguns have been banned since the Dunblane massacre, and semi automatics since Hungerford. But in rural areas few dispute that shotguns and rifles are legitimate tools. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/22/uk-gun-licence-gps-bma-firearms https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/22/uk-gun-licen...

flattone 7y ago

I can't go to therapy because of exactly this kind of thing. I have two different fully covering insurances ... plenty of cash... and probably some reallylifetime bothersome things that I would love to deal with...but I've never been able to get past the idea that I can't just go in and talk to a professional without them having to know everything and share and store everything about me I'll never do it.

macinjosh 7y ago
I hear you. This was an obstacle for me for many years. I even had a hard time opening up to those I am closest too. All I can share is my own experience but I finally tried therapy, and gave it the best effort I could, 3 years ago. It has truly changed my life. I am still working on things but my life, relationships, and mind have never been better.
fragmede 7y ago
So go a town over, pay cash, and give a fake name, and get help from a therapist about why having anything written down is so scary for you, until you get past that particular emotional block. (If it's about possible loss of wages/job, that's why there's HIPPA, and malpractice lawsuits.) And then continue paying cash and using a fake name, just closer to home. It is hard to actually manage to get help for mental health issues in the first place, but if the issue is so great, that you need to share with strangers on the Internet need that you suffer from similar FUD about the process, then it is possible that the issues are a bigger problem than you realize.
- mindslight 7y ago
  Your comment is so insensitive, it is ultimately just flame bait. Do you go around castigating people for being hesitant to talk to cops, as well? It's fine that you trust the (de facto) government. And I'm certainly not going to convince you otherwise right here. But don't casually brush off the opinions of those of us who don't. The effective requirement to expose your permanent identity as a condition of receiving medical care is an ongoing travesty. It also is a large component of how the healthcare market is so fucked, in that it fosters extreme price discrimination.
misterman0 7y ago
Do it anyway. Do it even if it scares the shit out if you. Say to yourself: I'm not going to let an insurance company tell me what I can or can't do. I'm telling you man, therapy is fucking great! Edit: btw, talking to strangers on the internet is a little like therapy. It's easier sometimes to talk about yourself when it's to someone you don't know.
flattone 7y ago
Agree with all points made. I inch closer to just doing it. Especially as I'm getting older - 10 years ago i had 'figure it out' runway. Feels less so now. Last issue is anxious of sitting in session after session trying to a)settle on a particular person b)tracking/having any sense of real progress. *mainly it's all creative avoidance out of fear, I guess.. Good point re strangers on the internet. I hardly bring this up anywhere, especially not online - not sure what happened this am.

sokoloff 7y ago

Aviators and others who need to hold a medical to drive trucks, trains, or control air traffic also have incentives to not visit mental health or other healthcare professionals as we have to itemize all healthcare visits since our last medical (or for the last few years at least) at our medical exam that represents our continued ability to fly/work.

LyndsySimon 7y ago

It’s a huge problem in the firearms community - most of us are scared to seek even minimal mental health assistance because of the stigma associated with it. I faced my own issues with depression in my late teens and early twenties. Gun rights are very important to me, and I was extremely hesitant to speak to any mental health professional due to the potential future restrictions it might place on me. I did see someone, and over the course of a few years recovered to the point that I was able to get my life back on track - but even then, it was difficult to find a therapist that wouldn’t immediately demand that I dispose of all of my firearms. I ended up asking around and basically “interviewing” several providers before I chose one. I wasn’t suicidal and didn’t have anything resembling an urge to harm myself or others, for what it’s worth. I still believe that seeking help may come back to haunt me one day. It’s something I’ve come to terms with and I believe I made the right decision, but I think my ability to introspect and make a rational decision in the face of my illness is... atypical. I think it’s a consequence of the “do you have firearms in your home” questions during routine checkups. The current push for so-called “red flag” laws seems to validate the concern.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
osullivj 7y ago
Ditto for the UK. Police will revoke firearms licenses if a holder has mental health issues, and GPs have a duty to inform the police [1]. Typically a UK firearms license will only allow the holder to use a shotgun on their own land if they are a farmer, or a rifle on a certified shooting ground if the holder is a sports shooter. Some, including a friend of mine, have self certifying licenses that allow them to shoot anywhere they deem fit. Such licenses are granted to eg pest controllers who may be called in by landowners who need vermin eliminated. My friend typically drives around with his Blaser hunting rifle with telescopic sight, silencer and a box of ammo. He suffers from depression but has never sought treatment as he'd immediately lose his license. NB many think firearms are illegal in the UK. They are not! I was surprised to discover this when I moved out of London to the countryside 10 years ago. It's very difficult to get a firearms license in an urban location. But rifles and shotguns are commonplace in rural areas. Handguns have been banned since the Dunblane massacre, and semi automatics since Hungerford. But in rural areas few dispute that shotguns and rifles are legitimate tools. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/22/uk-gun-licence-gps-bma-firearms https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/22/uk-gun-licen...