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I can't think of anything more depressing about modern life than the concept of telehealth therapy. En masse we have swapped in-person interaction for an unsati

I can't think of anything more depressing about modern life than the concept of telehealth therapy. En masse we have swapped in-person interaction for an unsatisfying, vapid mirage that barely resembles it. The novel mental disorders that emerge as a result cannot be fixed with more of the same.

nickthegreek 3y ago
And at the same time, many people who couldn’t easy travel to offices due to family, disability or other issues now have a way to access mental health services. People who are open to having honest helpful discussions can use telehealth and achieve worthwhile results.
danShumway 3y ago
Therapy would be completely inaccessible to me without telehealth. It's a massive boon. The downsides of not being physically present with my therapist are heavily outweighed by the added benefits of having regular and consistent access to said therapist. It takes something that would otherwise be an irregular and stressful chore and makes it predictable and pleasant and something I look forward to -- and that helps make therapy a useful tool where I can pick things to work on, process how I'm doing, and plan next steps on a regular basis. I also think it's worth noting that the point of therapy is not really to form or reinforce a friendship with a therapist? This isn't like a long distance romantic or platonic relationship, my therapist is not a buddy. Therapy is a tool. I am not trying to form an emotional connection with my therapist; my therapist is there to help me process and plan and work on parts of my life that I want to improve. That's not to say that the human part of therapy isn't important, but it's important because of how it services that goal. A therapist is not a substitute for other human interaction, it's designed to be a one-way relationship. A therapist should not be the primary way that anyone is fulfilling their needs for human intimacy or vulnerability; what a therapist can do is help you identify if you're not meeting those needs and help you form an actionable plan for you to meet them better in your regular life.
fragmede 3y ago
> unsatisfying, vapid mirage that barely resembles it You seem to have a problem with projection. Have you considered seeing a therapist for this problem? If in-person therapy is inaccessible to you, have you considered teletherapy? It has benefits over traditional therapy, especially for those struggling with mental illnesses like agoraphobia or depression. Depression, an insidious disease, makes it hard to even get out of bed and off Netflix. Teletherapy is able to help in those cases as it is accessible without leaving bed or the house. I hope we can agree that some help is better than no help.
- nilespotter 3y ago
  See now that's the other problem with SimplePractice and its ilk. Why pay when I can get it for free on HN?
prng2021 3y ago
I know a couple who are in a long distance relationship and regularly do telehealth therapy. They said it has helped hold them together. Even if a couple lives near each other, I could totally imagine 1 or both in the relationship thinking in-person therapy is too dire an action to take but telehealth seems more doable. Better some therapy than none right? It could also be that in-person therapy is significantly more expensive than what a couple is able/willing to pay.

nickthegreek 3y ago

And at the same time, many people who couldn’t easy travel to offices due to family, disability or other issues now have a way to access mental health services. People who are open to having honest helpful discussions can use telehealth and achieve worthwhile results.

danShumway 3y ago

Therapy would be completely inaccessible to me without telehealth. It's a massive boon. The downsides of not being physically present with my therapist are heavily outweighed by the added benefits of having regular and consistent access to said therapist. It takes something that would otherwise be an irregular and stressful chore and makes it predictable and pleasant and something I look forward to -- and that helps make therapy a useful tool where I can pick things to work on, process how I'm doing, and plan next steps on a regular basis. I also think it's worth noting that the point of therapy is not really to form or reinforce a friendship with a therapist? This isn't like a long distance romantic or platonic relationship, my therapist is not a buddy. Therapy is a tool. I am not trying to form an emotional connection with my therapist; my therapist is there to help me process and plan and work on parts of my life that I want to improve. That's not to say that the human part of therapy isn't important, but it's important because of how it services that goal. A therapist is not a substitute for other human interaction, it's designed to be a one-way relationship. A therapist should not be the primary way that anyone is fulfilling their needs for human intimacy or vulnerability; what a therapist can do is help you identify if you're not meeting those needs and help you form an actionable plan for you to meet them better in your regular life.

fragmede 3y ago

> unsatisfying, vapid mirage that barely resembles it You seem to have a problem with projection. Have you considered seeing a therapist for this problem? If in-person therapy is inaccessible to you, have you considered teletherapy? It has benefits over traditional therapy, especially for those struggling with mental illnesses like agoraphobia or depression. Depression, an insidious disease, makes it hard to even get out of bed and off Netflix. Teletherapy is able to help in those cases as it is accessible without leaving bed or the house. I hope we can agree that some help is better than no help.

nilespotter 3y ago
See now that's the other problem with SimplePractice and its ilk. Why pay when I can get it for free on HN?

prng2021 3y ago

I know a couple who are in a long distance relationship and regularly do telehealth therapy. They said it has helped hold them together. Even if a couple lives near each other, I could totally imagine 1 or both in the relationship thinking in-person therapy is too dire an action to take but telehealth seems more doable. Better some therapy than none right? It could also be that in-person therapy is significantly more expensive than what a couple is able/willing to pay.