I recently came across an article written by a medical student regarding her depression. In her article, Lindsey describes her own struggles, along with a growing relationship between medical students and depression. If you haven't, give it a read.
She detailed her depressive symptoms in the article: the usual suspects. After a conversation with her parents, her next step was to begin taking an SSRI. The medication seemed to help, and eventually allowed her to gain some structure and control back in her life. Her story ends on a high note, but sheds some light into depression's presence in medical students.
So lets talk about depression for a second.
Depression is the Justin Bieber of the mental illnesses. It gets the most attention, and subsequently the most turned cheeks. So many people think they know and understand it, so our society is quick to form biased, universal opinions about it.
Unfortunately, we oftentimes don't see depression in those suffering until we wish we had. Thus is the nature of the disease.
But this blog post isn't about society's view of depression. That's an easy target. Obviously, our society lacks insight into mental illness. Obviously, we need to fund agencies that promote awareness. Obviously, we need to encourage everyone suffering to speak up and find help. These are all important, and worthy of mentioning.
But I wanted to bring up a different point, and something few people are talking about.
In Lindsey's story, something interesting stuck out to me. She realized she was depressed, and did something about it. So she began medication.
What about therapy?
Turns out, it was a simple matter of time management. She's a medical student. Books to read. PowerPoint slides to stare at. Cadavers to pretend like they aren't freaking you out. People with barely enough time to fix themselves a PB&J certainly wont have time in their week to sit in a room and talk.
But this isn't a problem specific to medical students. As a children's case manager and therapist in training, I had countless clients leave due to time and money constraints.
"Sorry Ryan, I just can't afford the gas to drive my son to therapy every week."
"Sorry Ryan, I need to work more hours to keep my job, so I can't see you as much"
"Sorry Ryan, it's been a few months and nothing has happened. I think I'll just do the meds."
People just don't have time for therapy. If so many people in therapy are unable to find time for it, it's clear there are a vast number of people that are not in therapy that are unable to find time for it.
The only time this wasn't an issue with my clients? When I worked in a jail. My client had to be literally and lawfully detained for me to have a caseload of clients that were able to make it to every session.
Sure we can blame this on the bad job market. People have 9 to 5's. families to support. It makes sense that mental health would take a backseat when you're trying to get food on the table for your daughter that, oh my god, is totally going to need braces next year, and I need to make those cupcakes for her bake sale, and I can't forget that her soccer team needs that due paid by tomorrow and...
...hey. no wonder you're so stressed.
But for the sake of argument, lets pretend that excuse is just a rationalization made by those in the mental health field. and lets do something about it.
People needing therapy don't have time for it. Okay. How about instead of shrugging our shoulders we start asking ourselves what we can do.
How can we fix the inherent impracticality of therapy?
We should be looking into what keeps people in therapy and what doesn't. We should find ways to minimize the time it takes to see results, and maximize the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Fight insurance companies to allow clients more time in therapy. Explore new therapeutic methods that go beyond our offices. Create new techniques that can be utilized in a communal sense, rather than an individual one. Make what we do accessible.
It's not like we don't have enough mental health professionals. In fact it's the opposite. We have too many.
This field needs to spend more resources on finding ways to reach those in need. Finding the most effective form of therapy is important, but so is finding the best way to offer whatever therapy that is. It doesn't matter if you've invented a form of therapy that works 99% of the time if it's only going to be used on 1% of those that need it.
The demand is clearly there. It's our supply that's lacking. As therapists we are selling a product that is in desperate need of a Don Draper.
Lindsey's willingness to discuss her depression is a minority, when it shouldn't be. For our society to truly shift its perceptions of mental illness, we need to first establish an environment where those suffering from mental illness are willing to speak up. But at the same time, mental health professionals need to recognize that we are simply not helping enough people.
We can't expect society to trust us until we learn to do our jobs better.
Maybe then, I wouldn't have to spend my birthday at a funeral.
-Ryan
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