visits to psychotherapists and psychiatrists/?

Question

indians due to social stigma attached to mental diseases do not visit psychiatrists, psycho therapists and counsellors. i heard americans have no such inhibitions and consult psychologists even for a small psychological problem.is it correct?

Answer 1

Some people see "counselors" (not necessarily with a relevant degree) for personal, or especially interpersonal problems. Sometimes its warranted if it's for a specific problem. Sometimes, though, people essentially go to someone each week and complain about their week. They're essentially hiring a friend to listen to them. This DOES happen, but not nearly as often as movies and tv would have you believe. There is still some social stigma attatched to Mental Illness, so...lots of people go but not all too many will talk about it / admit it. The irony is that I think people are more likely to go for a small problem than a major one; with any of the hardcore disorders, you spend most of your time trying to convince yourself that it's normal, it'll go away in time etc. Because if you admit that it's NOT going away on its own then you need to give up a part of control over your life.

Answer 2

It's impossible to lump all Americans into one category. Seeing a psychotherapist or psychologist is a very individual decision based on a number of factors. It is true overall that the social stigma of such visits is pretty much no longer a factor for most Americans.

I'd say the majority of people would need to be experiencing significant psychological pain before such a visit. Or sometimes the system intervenes such as with children who are abused or neglected, or suicidal or homicidal people. Since most psychotherapists or psychologists are very expensive, many people can not afford a lot of visits unless it's paid for by insurance.

Psychotherapists and psychologists have their place, and if one needs the help, please go. But I wouldn't say that most people go for even a small psychological problem.

Answer 3

In my field of work... I saw only a few Asian clients and maybe one who was Indian. I believe they place the burden of care on the family and keep it private for the most part.

Americans are so concerned with it but only to the extent where they are willing to medicate it. I believe that is not the answer but still the one most sought after. I also found working in both indigent and wealthy mental health settings that the indigent people had more valid complaints where the wealthy insured patients were more superficial and over dramatic. But that is just my experience so I do not know as a whole?

Answer 4

Americans even in the 21st Century are still worried that their neighbors and friends will learn of their emotional problems and rarely tell when they visit their local therapist. But emotional problems range in severity from slight to life threatening. And completely "normal" people can expand their wellness, thanks to Psychotherapy.

Remember, Americans don't have the institutions of the many rituals and deities that India has. Those rituals and deities continue to give a connection to the infinite mystery of life for the Indian people. We in the West have lost those connections, thanks to an empirical, scientific world view.

In his 1939 article "What India Can Teach Us," Jung (Swiss Psychoanalyst) praises India's integrative religion, seeing it as a model for the modern Western world.

Cheers

Answer 5

depends on what you mean by "american". in my experience, i have seen mostly caucasians in psychotherapy. but that might have to do with geographical and other socio-economic variables.
i have seen relatively fewer "minorities" on the whole, but there are also reasons/explanations for that, as you have noted (i.e. cultural factors). as far as "no (or low) inhibitions" about help-seeking behavior, i would think middle-class caucasian americans would be most likely to voluntarily seek professional serivices- but i can't quote you off-hand and studies that show that conclusively.