Quote:
Originally posted by
her angelness
not really sure how people benefit from shrinks. i haven't had a reason to see one yet.
Psychiatrists (as opposed to therapists) are trained doctors. They are licensed to give pills that can counteract chemical imbalances that cause depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc.
I am on Prozac for depression and struggles with eating disorders. I'm on an extremely low dose (one-third of the regular dose), but I ran out of pills for awhile, and was right back where I started, with the feeling miserable for no reason and the wanting to binge, purge, and starve myself. It's not a dependence on the pills: my brain is just not working just right - I'm not making or processing seratonin correctly. I get happy and sad just like anyone now, without sadness manifesting in an inescapable desire to violently punish myself.
I see a therapist because of my past history with eating disorders and said violent punishments. I was abused by my sister (physically and mentally), by my stepmother (mentally and emotionally), and then by a boyfriend/fiance (emotionally and sexually). I don't so much have baggage as I have a full-matching set of luggage. I talk to a therapist to try to come to terms with my past and learn coping strategies for my future, so I don't spend the rest of my life going "Oh, I failed at this, therefore I am not allowed to eat for the next three days, and if I do, I must throw it all back up".