I think having been diagnosed with schizophrenia and generalized anxiety disorder, and previous to that major depressive disorder, and all of my bad life experiences make me more empathic to other people’s mental suffering, which is one reason why I’m a psychology major. I hope to eventually earn a Ph.D. in psychology, so I can actually help people. Sort of the wounded healer type of thing.
What do you think? Are people who have actually suffered from mental illness potentially better psychologists than people who have never actually suffered much of anything. I have a therapist right now (the clinic where I go to see my psychiatrist requires that you see a therapist too) who isn’t very effective. Any time I try to talk to him about something deep or painful or upsetting, he just brushes me off and changes the subject. He only likes to talk about the weather and how my schooling is going.
My kid sis is going into nursing. She is teetering between being a physical therapist or a psych nurse. She’s not SZ. But she grew up in a family with the four of us older brothers who have all had some issue. My SZ, my brothers bipolar, my other brothers huge drug addiction, and my youngest brothers violent alcoholism. She puts herself out there for her friends who are suffering and she’s very patient and willing to help. I bet she’d be Ok despite not having SZ herself.
I am exactly the same. I am on an academic scholarship so my undergrad is free, I hope to keep my GPA high and get into a good grad school. I have entered remission and I decided that I want to help people who were in the same place I was. My psychologist is very good (an very expensive) and he tells me that I will make an excellent shrink, so did the psychologist who evaluated me- in fact, he told me that my case was very treatable and will give me an advantage as a shrink once I recovered, which I have. Nice to meet you!
@surprisedJ…Id encourage your sister to get into psych nursing. Sure, its in the heart the experience you need for psych nursing. My mother is good at that sort of stuff too. I mean she can talk real well with me and the mentally ill folk I know. That’s the advantage your sister would have…knowing in the heart.
Obviously you yourself would be in a better position having had the hard knocks yourself, like us all here. Mentally ill people want mentally ill psych nurses and therapists because they have more respect. Personally Im thinking of going into social work but confidence holds me back.
