Professionals

[_jaye_]

But really, you are the only one who can sort out your own emotional/mental problems. Self-harming, nasty thoughts, mood swings, been there, done that before. But I was the only one who could help myself out of this case.

As a sufferer myself I can honestly, and brutally, say that that is rubbish.
Or rather, I should say not always true.
Sure, some can get themselves out of their personal rutt, as you say you have (Not doubting you mind) but others cannot.
Me, I can't take the mediction, they simply don't work anymore, nor do they on my father.
Why? Because not everyone will overcome these problems, it's simply not always possible.

I apologize for not being actively aware of existence of very serious cases.

You can now happily ignore what I have said

And further, I hope this new doc would be able to help you!

[yvonne_l_d]

But really, you are the only one who can sort out your own emotional/mental problems. Self-harming, nasty thoughts, mood swings, been there, done that before. But I was the only one who could help myself out of this case.

In a sense, this is true. Each person who is helped has helped themselves. What professionals (psychiatrists, therapists, etc.) can do is assist a person in helping themselves. Usually when you go to see someone you have some goal - for example, to stop having self-harming thoughts. The professional may offer information or show you skills than can make the proccess of achieving your goal easier. There is a place for professionals, as long as they respect their clients' individuality.

[Ginger Harp Seal Pup]

UPDATE: I went to see another doctor a couple of days ago. He told me to fill in a small questionaire in. After I did this he had a look and told me I was suffering from moderate depression. He offered pills but I declined. Instead, I'm going to see a counselor in March. It's a pretty long wait but at least waiting to get help is better than not getting help at all ^^

[yvonne_l_d]

That's good news, Ginger!

[.:Compact Disk:.]

UPDATE: I went to see another doctor a couple of days ago. He told me to fill in a small questionaire in. After I did this he had a look and told me I was suffering from moderate depression. He offered pills but I declined. Instead, I'm going to see a counselor in March. It's a pretty long wait but at least waiting to get help is better than not getting help at all ^^

I'm really glad for you Ginger.
I've been away from PPT for a long time, battling depression myself. I know what you're going through. It's hard, but you can do it. I turned to Alcohol to forget a bit... I wasn't an alcoholic or anything, it was just when it got too much for me.
But yes, I ended up sorting things out by talking it out with my best friend alot. It helps to talk things through with someone you trust, or in my case it was just someone who was going through something incredibly similar.

I hope it all works out for you.