«I don't believe in psychologists.» The most common myths and prejudices surrounding psychology

The Psychologist from , Dolors Mas, In this article he breaks down the Most common myths about psychologyIt is common to find many people who are skeptical about the usefulness of therapy, What is psychology for, how do psychotherapists help, or whether it is really necessary to be a psychologist to resolve certain issues?. We debunk some of these claims.

Today I have an appointment with a teenage patient who has been “getting very comfortable” on the couch in front of me for a while now, and before I can tell him anything, he blurts out, “Let’s get this straight: I don’t believe in you at all. I think that if I had a problem, which I don’t, I would rather tell a friend than a stranger.” While V. was saying his long (and very well-prepared) line, I was imagining myself like a rubber doll that gets hit over and over again, and if I had been a novice, I would have been knocked out. However, when V. finished, I said, “Wow! You make me feel so calm! I have to confess that I don’t believe either…”

This simple phrase was enough for V. to stop seeing me as the “enemy” and start seeing me as “one of his own,” someone to share secrets with without them being told.

However, that sentence from V was full of Prejudices about psychologists, quite common and even questions that patients ask themselves before going to the doctor's office. We list some of them.

Even the explanation of patients like V. is not a matter of faith.We psychologists do not advocate dogmas of any kind, but rather we try to produce change in the patient through help and, especially, through the patient himself.If this fundamental premise does not exist, the therapeutic relationship, no matter how good it is and no matter how much the patient comes to “believe in the psychologist”, will not produce any change in itself.

On the other hand, we all see it as logical that if we break a leg, we go to the emergency room and get treated by a doctor and undergo as many tests and interventions as necessary, but what about when our soul breaks? Well, for those cases, There are professionals with a degree or a university degree in Psychology, which is the branch of science that deals with human behavior and its relationship with thought, emotional and learning processes, and complemented with one or more Masters, which implies extensive training in Mental Health.to be able to treat all the pain that a family doctor cannot do.

Therefore, we must understand that We psychologists are health professionals (exactly the same as a doctor, a pharmacist, a nurse or a physiotherapist, but each in their own area) and, taking into account that it has the category of science, We use the scientific method to understand both pathological and non-pathological psychological processes.; or, what is the same, we do not use cards, crystal balls, or lay hands on one another, etc.

And here we come to the second prejudice: “Many are not real psychologists.”

N. was telling me how a close relative had dragged him to a supposed psychological therapy where hands were laid on in a large room and tears were shed. N. looked at me suspiciously, waiting for the moment when I would take out the deck of cards because, according to him, “all psychologists are the same, there is nothing true about it.”

It is understandable that N. – or anyone who has gone through a situation like the one described – might be suspicious. They have a solution: when calling or going to the centre to request a visit, ask for the registration number of the psychologist who will be attending to you. This number cannot be falsified because it can be verified at the Official College of Psychologists in each region. At you have the information of our entire team of psychologists.

Of course, this number is not a seal of quality; as in all places and in all professions, there are very good psychologists, good ones, “normal” ones, average ones, bad ones, and some, although I don't know them, but they can be very bad.

If they don't want us or can't give us a membership number, run away from there; you just ran into someone who is doing professional intrusionUnfortunately, this is a very important problem in our community and, possibly, many people would not be so reluctant to go to the psychologist if they had not previously encountered an intruder.

«Go to therapy? That's for weaklings. I have friends, they always listen to me, well no, not that much, sometimes they get fed up with my problems but it's okay.»

How many times have we heard this in therapy? While it is true that having a good social network made up of friends and colleagues is a protective factor for stress or depression, in many cases Talking about our problems with a friend or listening to their advice is not enough.. It may even be that they, with the best of intentions, give us advice that is not useful to us. Sometimes, it also happens that these friends have gone to a psychologist at some point in their life and, although they do not say so, they use everything they learned to “act as a psychologist” with their friend. This is also a form of intrusion.

It is true that with the passage of time we see problems from a different perspective. But from there to saying that time has therapeutic properties there is an ocean of difference. It is true that it helps to calm primary emotions (what we call “reacting in the heat of the moment”) but, many times, it only leads to the Chronicling of a problem that could have been solved if we had intervened in timeTherefore, letting time pass is the worst option.

Medication, whether anti-anxiety or antidepressant, can help reduce the obvious symptoms that are bothersome. By itself, Most of the time medication is not enough, as it usually “covers up” these symptoms, but does not solve the causes, which is something that the psychologist does.. Furthermore, the effect of psychotropic drugs is short-term, so when they are no longer administered, their effects disappear. However, once the change from thought to emotion and, from there, to behavior has been made – in the case of cognitive behavioral therapy – it is irreversible if the patient maintains the appropriate attitude, if they manage to gain perspective on the problems that brought them to the consultation and, if at some point, a similar issue appears in their life, they have good coping strategies, that is, they have a good toolbox filled with the necessary tools to continue on their path.

According to S., “you're doing it again, you're reading my mind again.” And, even though you repeat to him that I'm not a psychic from a night show and, therefore, I don't have such faculties, he is convinced.

Before starting a psychological intervention, psychologists carry out one or several diagnostic interviews and a diagnostic evaluation.During this period prior to the therapy itself, we analyze the problem for which the patient, or a family member, has made the request, whether he or she has made other attempts to solve it and has visited other psychologists, what the patient is like, how this problem is affecting his or her personal, social, work/academic, family life… To do this, we usually use tests, questionnaires – although this will depend on the psychologist.

Finally, with all this information, we can conduct a feedback interview in which we can explain to the patient or his/her parents – if he/she is a minor – what is happening to him/her and, if necessary, initiate therapy.

But, as you see S., we can't read minds… although, sometimes, we would like to.

Sometimes, being heard and talking about our problems with a psychologist can bring a feeling of relief. Often, it is crucial that I am talking to a stranger who cannot repeat what I say – due to professional secrecy, which allows many people to open up completely and let all their emotions flow, perhaps repressed until then. However, talking about problems does not make them resolve themselves.

Psychological therapy requires active involvementboth on the part of the psychologist and the patient in the search and implementation of solutions. In other words, it is a 50/50 process in which attitude is fundamental.

“What if I'm crazy? Well no, I can't be crazy, maybe a little obsessive, we all have our quirks, right? Well I don't know, I'm talking to myself, maybe I'm a little crazy.”

When a person goes to a psychologist, it simply means that they have a problem and are seeking specialized help to resolve it. Just as if they had a migraine, they would go to a neurologist seeking specialized help without asking any further questions.

In fact, in many cases, going to a psychologist is more an act of responsibility than of “madness” or “weakness”, which are only labels that stigmatize and accompany all those who decide that mental health should be normalized just as, in its day, sports health was normalized. By the way, why does no one think that it is a sign of “weakness” or “madness” for footballers to have sports psychologists on their teams? A stigma for some and not for others?

This prejudice is doubly false. We will start with the easiest: “the…