Jerome* never had good luck with therapists. He’s been diagnosed a bunch of different things, with no diagnosis sticking. He’s gotten more depressed with many therapists’ “help.”
Truth be told, I don’t blame Jerome for quitting therapy. He’s one of those people who just doesn’t jive with therapy. It sucks, but it’s true. There are folks out there like that.
This leads me to a major pet peeve that I have about therapy. While therapy can be great, the truth is our society treats it like a panacea for all sorts of issues.
It’s not.
Therapy will not act as a substitute for friendship or community.
Look, therapy can help you cope with loneliness. Maybe. That does not mean that it is a substitute for a real support network like your friends, family, neighbors, or local community.
I’m not going to mince words. Loneliness is a major driving factor in mental illness today. I personally believe that isolation and desperation are the main reasons why people fall down the Q-Anon rabbit hole.
Humans are social creatures. I’m tired of seeing people act like therapy is an acceptable substitute for genuine problems like a lack of community or friends. It’s not. And we need to stop acting like it is.
Only socializing can fix certain things. Therapy won’t.
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