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Isn't it awesome that we live in an age when going to therapy isn't as frowned upon as it was, for example, for Tony Soprano?

I'll go out on a limb and say that the internet culture has contributed to mental health awareness too.

There are countless online discussions where people not only share their struggles but also relate to each other, letting the other person know that their feelings are valid and offering suggestions on what they could do to make everything a little easier to bear.

And let's not forget the ultimate tool used for social normalization—humor; laughing at yourself and with others can remedy even some of the biggest wounds.

'Therapy Memes Group' is a Facebook community that invites us to do just that. Let's try!

However, as the public perception of therapy changes, new challenges are arising. A 2022 study from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 6 in 10 psychologists "no longer have openings for new patients."

The shortage comes as demand for therapy soars: since the beginning of the pandemic, about three-quarters of practitioners have seen their waiting lists grow.

In the same period, almost 80% of practitioners reported an increase in patients with anxiety disorders and 66% have seen an increase in those needing treatment for depression.

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Edward Finger Hands
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you’d think having all 3 would cancel them out…instead I end up standing in my kitchen turning in circles like a broken sim

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“I started my private practice just before Covid hit, and it was certainly filling up then,” Dr. Jennifer Reid, a psychiatrist, writer, and podcast host in Philadelphia, told The Guardian. “But the numbers have exponentially risen since that time.”

Reid even stopped advertising her practice on sites like Psychology Today and other places where people can find therapists. There's simply no need now.

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being an MD who worked as a psychiatrist and suffering from 3 of the above mentioned myself I can only say... it's true. No freaking other way that we know of, and it's frustrating the hell out of me.

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Schlay van Gay
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Removed "the chair" when remodeling my bedroom to avoid the pile of clothes. Let me introduce: "the floor".

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Reid focuses on anxiety and insomnia, which have been “major players” in the pandemic. According to her, people with anxiety, phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorder related to germs had particular trouble. Then there were the isolation and doomscrolling.

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Now, she noticed, people are struggling to re-enter the world. "People are finding they're having anxiety trying to re-engage in social settings in situations that were previously not as safe", she said. “Now they’re having to kind of retrain their brains.”

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Chihuahua Mama
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even great parents give you an awful lot of terrible gifts you just can't seem to get rid of

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Reid said people often may need to return to their primary care doctor for a period of time, “or they just end up going without and waiting on waitlists, unfortunately”.

The APA study also found that the average psychologist reported being contacted by 15 potential patients every month.

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Reid, who combines therapy and medical approaches, said she generally has space for about one new patient every few weeks.

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Cat Palmer
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still suffer immense amounts of internalised shame from being told throughout childhood that I was lazy, when I now know it was mostly a mixture of mental health problems and being neurodivergent, both undiagnosed until I was much older. Plus some genuine laziness, if I'm honest!

Panda Pandemic
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Existing! You mean existing, not being lazy. Last time I checked we should have the freedom to do anything we want. Even if that choice is nothing but literally existing, being, and breathing. We've been convinced by those who actually do nothing but have fun and exist that we are lazy when we want to do the same exact thing. None of us asked to be born and I'm tired of the elite having everything they want paying others to take care of them. While they live it up and tell us that it's not ok or possible for us to live the same way and we are lazy if we just want to f*****g exist and do nothing.

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xolitaire
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's being physically/emotionally unable to do the thing and then there's being healthy but stubborn on purpose to make someone else do the thing

Bewarethere@gmail.com
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My like has not changed 1 iota since covid. Sorry for dumping all this s**t

Bewarethere@gmail.com
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am undeniably lazy! I will sit 4 12 hrs straight and watch TV. Now granted I'm bpII but I don't feel depressed (good medication) my sister lives 30 mins away. I c her twice a year-very. Can't work, obviously. And every single friend I've had has gotten passed at me 4 some reason-I'm sure I something- but no one took the time 2 work it out. Clubs, counseling, chat rooms, nothing. U get used 2 being dead inside. My TV is my only friend and it rips my heart out! Then I go numb again

Quentin ingulfumble
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

lazy is definitely a thing. i can happily spend all day doing nothing simply because i dont want to. many people are ill in many ways, but that does not mean that lazy simply doesnt exist!

Jonathan Nichols
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The more I think about it"- You know, not bothering to fact check, or research or even have a conversation with someone else. I'm pretty sure I know who the lazy person here is

Jaya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. Yes, there are many times where we label something/someone as lazy, when it's actually one of the things mentioned above. But people can still be lazy too. I know about myself, that I sometimes AM very lazy for a while.

Rico Mendez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know someone that lives in a half-way house and has stayed there for at least 2 years now. He doesn't work at all, no job, doesn't even clean a small bathroom that would take barely 10 mins to clean, only goes to IOP a few times a week, all thanks to his Tribe paying his bills. I very much believe he is just lazy AH.

Bryan W.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. More people need to think this way. I want less actual competition in life and more easily passed over schlubs with "reasons". I'm lazy too.

Dawnyducks
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No some people are actually genuinely lazy and would rather others do the work instead.

Mike Beck
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BS. Some days I explicitly choose lazy. I'm not exhausted and I choose to stay that way.

A Jones
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wanting to relax is wanting to relax. Nothing wrong with that.

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To manage the growing demand, Reid works with a platform for Philadelphia therapists that allows them to see each other's availability. “We really feel a sense of responsibility to try and get patients some good options if we can, if we’re not able to see them,” she said.

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Seeking a therapist through word of mouth – asking friends or calling practitioners even if they’re fully booked – is a good first step. The increasing use of telehealth may also help, particularly under programs such as PsyPact, a legal framework that allows practitioners to work in multiple states. But remember that you can also simultaneously express yourself through memes!

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Jesse
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

me sharing that one time i hit my head and my mother yelled at me for getting blood on the table instead of helping me be like

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Feathered Dinosaur
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But even in Poland you can't stop playing this out in your head over and over...

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As your brain is inside your head, yeah, everything related to it is 'only in your head'

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Artsy Bookworm
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Went on a wine tour yesterday and the guide explained how it's champagne only if it is from the town Champagne. It was destiny that made me open this post!

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fair_weather_rose
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But... but I made a list! See, it's a list with all the stuff I need/want to do today, and it's written in purple pen, which is my favorite pen to write in even though blue is my favorite color, but sometimes I tell people my favorite color is red or black, because those are the colors I wear the most, but I actually really like silver, but I don't think I have any silver clothes... wait, what was I talking about?

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Jill
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Umm...this sounds like me....hides in corner. Oh, I mean latibulate!

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah brain, you should really wait for my consent before putting your thoughts in my head!

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Katie Lutesinger
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to be a lot more resigned about unacceptable things I can't change, but now I'm really f*****g angry.

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Dawn Marie
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use to be an extrovert. I taught public school for 25 years. Took early retirement to fight cancer. Now, I don't want to leave the house, don't want to deal with people. What happened to common kindness and goodness? Where went the days that you didn't think twice about helping your neighbor? Does it now cost to give of your time to your those less fortunate? Is family no longer the most important thing?

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Kali Chaos
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My fiance has a degree in psychology and he talks me through some things when I have anxiety attacks and whatnot. But it's irresponsible and very much not recommended to have a biased person treat you. It's not fair to either person.

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Sad Quokka
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Haha, I've got this on one of my leaflets. I used to have medication for acne and it was such a severe medicine it said that one of the side effects 1/100000 people actually committed suicide. 1/100 people got depression. It was the closest I've ever been to depression and I always used to laugh it off. I've also had back pain ever since. Needless to say I wasn't on it for long

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

About how I felt when working as a psychiatrist. The work made me so sick I had to switch to another field

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's bullshît, you have to diagnose them first before you can decide on the right therapy

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