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that could be the case. i also stop eating with i'm really depressed. but i think the smartest thing is to ask your friend whats wrong that way you can try to cheer her up.

While it is true that depression changes your eating habits (though, depression isn't simply feeling down. It's a constant state of being in a depressed emotional state for upwards of 3+ months. And it's a constant day to day thing. Only a trained individual can diagnose depression, and if you haven't been diagnosed or don't meet those standards, don't call yourself depressed), it doesn't mean that depression should be the first thing your mind jumps to because she is eating less. However, if you are concerned, talk to your friend. Find out what is going on.

I like that last sentence. You shouldn't assume depression, because it could be something more serious, or equally serious.

Just a note, but everyone does not experience depression in the same way. While you may have behaved and felt one way, her friend could behave another and still be depressed.

My information comes from my degree being in psychology. biggrin

While I understand your concerns, you realize that of course, not all mental hospitals are the same.

I'm also confused as to why the judge told you to go to either jail or a mental hospital due to skipping school. If you didn't need to be there, you would have been a drain on their limited money. No offense to you, but you would have been taking up a slot that someone who actually needed it could have had.

And no, they aren't run by college students with degrees in theories. Mental institutions are run with Psychiatrist who have MD degrees, otherwise known as medical degrees. And I hate to break it to you, but it DOES cost money to help those even if you know how. You have to pay for the staff and the medicines that they need. Those things are not cheap by any means which is why mental institutions are often understaffed in the department of psychologist and psychiatrist.

Also, where are you getting information that states that most doctors have phobias of their patients because that sounds made up to me. As someone actually in the field, I have never heard of such a statistic. Until you have some information to back that up, I'll have to say that you are simply making it up, which makes your subsequent statements after it also made up.

Also, it should be noted that you cannot "cure" mental diseases. If that were the case, we wouldn't have a need for mental institutions. What we can do is help with therapy and medication when necessary to help an individual over come the maladaptive symptoms, those which hinder them from interacting with society.

And yes, self-realization is necessary in most instances. For example if a schizophrenic who hears voices in their head comes into an institution, the psychiatrist will attempt to get the schizophrenic to understand that the voices are not real but rather in their heads.

Ok, I'm starting to think that you do not understand what the word phobia means. A phobia is an irrational fear of something. What you are describing is not a phobia.

I'm going to have to ask why your brother was hospitalized before I can trust his word. Many patients will say that they feel that people are rude or aggressive though they aren't actually. It's not rude or aggressive to ensure the safety of other patients from those who are aggressive and trying to injure others. Yes, there are instances in which people are rude to patients, but you will find that in any job. People have bad days. It happens. However, it's not going to be an across the board issue as you are trying to make it out to be. You cannot generalize to the field as a whole based off of two experiences.

So wait, you feel like you received no help for a problem you didn't have? What did you expect exactly? They knew what you were in for and they can't do anything about truancy. It's not a psychological disorder.

Again, you don't remove the problem. Please do a bit of research into psychiatric disorders and then you'll understand more about what really happens. Medication helps repress the negative aspects but they never fully go away. That's not the fault of mental institutions but rather the fault of technology. We have not yet found ways to cure people short of lobotomies, but those are generally unwanted as it's removal of aspects of the brain.

You do realize that the staff you are talking about, the ones who would be fresh out of collage are not the psychologist/psychiatrist right? The individuals that you are describing would be the ones to escort patients to rooms, who would deliver medicines, and do other basic tasks. Therefore, they do the grunt work, not the actual running of the facility. Experienced professionals are at every facility, no matter the cost.

All you said was you have some problems. Problems can be a variety of things and not necessarily psychological. I apologize that I didn't get that info from what you said. May I ask how long you were in the institution? Because if you were in there for just a matter of weeks or even less than 6 months, it's not likely that they could have helped you that quickly. Therapy is not a quick fix. These days everyone expects a quick fix and no one seems to understand that things still take time. XD

It's not a preconceived notion. It IS safer to act professional. The therapist is less likely to have transference occur (the patient transferring their emotions onto the therapist) which can be very dangerous. Not to mention that they understand that some patients are dangerous and cannot be afforded the luxury of letting one's guard down.

Whoa, now, I wasn't saying they use those things because of a bad day. ALL of those methods are only used in extreme cases. Generally they are only used in instances of self injury, injury of others, and any other time when they may feel that others are dangerous. More than likely, it was necessary when it happened to you. Of course, the patients rarely feel like it was deserved. I mean, who wants to ever be restrained or forced medication, even when they need it?

I'm well aware that trust is a major part of the field. It is my field. lol
However, trust is not more important than safety.