PhD/PsyD Just a thread to post the weirdest/whackiest/dumbest mental health-related stuff you come across in the (social) media...

[chicandtoughness]

Therapists truly are the oldest profession 😔

Or something like that.

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[EnPsychlopedia]

Why are people still surprised at the level of ethical and intellectual bankruptcy on that sub?

Call it naïve optimism?

 

[futureapppsy2]

The folks on r/therapists have hit a new low. They are now encouraging the behavior of charging $1.99/min. to run a phone line that is essentially a general venting service. This is apparently totally okay to do as a side hustle and doesn’t at all encroach on the ethical constraints of their therapy license.

Can you PM me the link to that thread?

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Can you PM me the link to that thread?

Sure!

 

[AbnormalPsych]

I can still hear these commercials from back in the day. No fraud related cases ever came from this, right? /s

 

[WPMO]

The folks on r/therapists have hit a new low. They are now encouraging the behavior of charging $1.99/min. to run a phone line that is essentially a general venting service. This is apparently totally okay to do as a side hustle and doesn’t at all encroach on the ethical constraints of their therapy license.

Ok, the top comments are describing it as "90s phone line energy", specifically contrasting this service with therapy, and joking that it is "Better than Betterhelp" (that might be true tbh). I don't think the sub is generally advocating for therapists doing this.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Ok, the top comments are describing it as "90s phone line energy", specifically contrasting this service with therapy, and joking that it is "Better than Betterhelp" (that might be true tbh). I don't think the sub is generally advocating for therapists doing this.

I mean, fair enough, but quite a number of them were talking about how they applaud the person for doing it and how it seems like a great side hustle. Maybe I’m incapable of reading sarcasm, but I definitely got serious vibes out of many them.

 

[cara susanna]

Not really social media related, but I keep running into psych interns mentioning previous training and background in IFS. Is it becoming popular at clinical programs?

 

[ThatPsyGuy]

Not really social media related, but I keep running into psych interns mentioning previous training and background in IFS. Is it becoming popular at clinical programs?

Yes. While not specifically in a Psych Theories class or being encouraged to use it as an intervention, I have heard from peers that it's been used as a conceptualizing framework, usually by an instructor in their practicum classes.

I don't have much knowledge of IFS outside of the small amounts I've been exposed to, but I see that it's disliked here lol. Is it because it isn't evidence-based?

 

[cara susanna]

Yes. While not specifically in a Psych Theories class or being encouraged to use it as an intervention, I have heard from peers that it's been used as a conceptualizing framework, usually by an instructor in their practicum classes.

I don't have much knowledge of IFS outside of the small amounts I've been exposed to, but I see that it's disliked here lol. Is it because it isn't evidence-based?

That's why I dislike it. I don't really think it makes sense to train in therapy approaches that aren't evidence-based when we have plenty that are (CPT, PE, and EMDR), two of which have cheaper and easier training processes (CPT and PE).

 

[WisNeuro]

That's why I dislike it. I don't really think it makes sense to train in therapy approaches that aren't evidence-based when we have plenty that are (CPT, PE, and EMDR), two of which have cheaper and easier training processes (CPT and PE).

Yeah, but what if you want to deliver a treatment that isn't gaslighting?!? /s

 

[RxPsych]

Not really social media related, but I keep running into psych interns mentioning previous training and background in IFS. Is it becoming popular at clinical programs?

Nobody in my program has ever mentioned it, thankfully. All my advisors taught various modalities under the CBT umbrella, though I did have one that was more Gestalt-oriented.

 

[cara susanna]

Apparently talking about PTSD as a failure to recover from trauma is "victim blaming"

 

[R. Matey]

Apparently talking about PTSD as a failure to recover from trauma is "victim blaming"

Include ADHD and it can be neurospicy victim blaming.

 

[Sanman]

Apparently talking about PTSD as a failure to recover from trauma is "victim blaming"

You used the word failure. You can't use the word failure. That kind of harsh language is reserved for things like military boot camps. What kind of people do you think you are addressing?

 

[WisNeuro]

Apparently talking about PTSD as a failure to recover from trauma is "victim blaming"

And, the infantilization continues.

 

[cara susanna]

I just saw this on a website for managing pain related to my chronic health condition

"I would not be too worried about addiction when taking opiates for pain. Addiction is rare when taking them for pain relief, although not unheard of, however if you were to become addicted then detox is a lot easier to deal when you don’t have all the psychosocial problems that illegal users have"

Uhhhhhh

 

[Sanman]

I just saw this on a website for managing pain related to my chronic health condition

"I would not be too worried about addiction when taking opiates for pain. Addiction is rare when taking them for pain relief, although not unheard of, however if you were to become addicted then detox is a lot easier to deal when you don’t have all the psychosocial problems that illegal users have"

Uhhhhhh

Advice on the internet...worth everything you paid for it.

 

[chicandtoughness]

Had a patient admit to my inpatient facility today. They had notes on them from their outpatient therapist.

Bipolar I, MDD, BPD, BN, BDD, OCD, OCPD, PTSD, ADHD

I really, really wish I could say I was kidding.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Had a patient admit to my inpatient facility today. They had notes on them from their outpatient therapist.

Bipolar I, MDD, BPD, BN, BDD, OCD, OCPD, PTSD, ADHD

I really, really wish I could say I was kidding.

My addition to this alphabet soup: DAFUQ

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Apparently talking about PTSD as a failure to recover from trauma is "victim blaming"

Someone on Reddit whose flair suggests they’re pursuing a PhD in counselor education suggested that “almost all” the DSM should be classified under trauma-related disorders and then argued that applying diagnostic labels to people who don’t meet criteria is fine as long as the clinician “feels” like the criteria apply.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Also, I have realized that many therapists get very upset if someone mentions that social work and/or counseling are not branches of psychology. Some folks really want to be able to say they “understand psychology” just because they are licensed as a therapist.

 

[chicandtoughness]

Also, I have realized that many therapists get very upset if someone mentions that social work and/or counseling are not branches of psychology. Some folks really want to be able to say they “understand psychology” just because they are licensed as a therapist.

Ironically, most of my interactions have been these same people coming for me if I were to even suggest that counseling is related to psychology. “NO, counseling is *~holistic~* and looks at the *~whole person~* not your cursed medical model ew” 😠

 

[borne_before]

My addition to this alphabet soup: DAFUQ

What is BN? I have coffee and a BM nearly every morning.

 

[Sanman]

Why are people still surprised at the level of ethical and intellectual bankruptcy on that sub?

I think I stopped looking when they all massively downvoted someone for pointing out that billing 90837 for less than 53 min of face to face time is billing fraud. Except that person was right.

 

[Sanman]

Therapists truly are the oldest profession 😔

Or something like that.

Umm, I'm pretty sure that I know what the world's oldest profession is and no one is offering to pay me for that...otherwise I might not be a psychologist now.

 

[borne_before]

I was on threads and there was an endearing post from someone who works at a children's museum about how a father said humorously "excuse me, we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty" to successfully soothe their child. Half the comments were basically "that wouldn't work on a kid with autism." Why is there such a need to place endnotes on everything.

 

[borne_before]

Umm, I'm pretty sure that I know what the world's oldest profession is and no one is offering to pay me for that...otherwise I might not be a psychologist now.

There are a ton of sex workers on twitter claiming to be certified life coaches.

 

[WisNeuro]

I think I stopped looking when they all massively downvoted someone for pointing out that billing 90837 for less than 53 min of face to face time is billing fraud. Except that person was right.

Yeah, that forum is the epitome of what's wrong with healthcare. These people are just as much to blame as the insurers for the failings of our current MH system.

 

[Sanman]

There are a ton of sex workers on twitter claiming to be certified life coaches.

And their therapeutic "techniques" are just as effective and evidence based as IFS and most life coaching interventions.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

What is BN?

Bulimia nervosa.

 

[psychma]

Had a patient admit to my inpatient facility today. They had notes on them from their outpatient therapist.

Bipolar I, MDD, BPD, BN, BDD, OCD, OCPD, PTSD, ADHD

I really, really wish I could say I was kidding.

They are missing GAD. I don’t know why master’s level counselors report every bad thing that happened to someone as PTSD. I see PTSD or complex PTSD listed as a diagnosis for nearly every client that I see. Nope. Just no.

 

[psychma]

That's why I dislike it. I don't really think it makes sense to train in therapy approaches that aren't evidence-based when we have plenty that are (CPT, PE, and EMDR), two of which have cheaper and easier training processes (CPT and PE).

I’m not sure I’d argue that EMDR is evidence based.

 

[WisNeuro]

I’m not sure I’d argue that EMDR is evidence based.

Well, half of it is.

 

[cara susanna]

I’m not sure I’d argue that EMDR is evidence based.

It is considered an EBP for PTSD, even if we don't like it. There is also a pretty robust area of work being done that suggests EMDR works by taxing working memory during trauma recall--and that work is being done by people I greatly respect, like Ad de Jongh.

 

[R. Matey]

It is considered an EBP for PTSD, even if we don't like it. There is also a pretty robust area of work being done that suggests EMDR works by taxing working memory during trauma recall--and that work is being done by people I greatly respect, like Ad de Jongh.

That's really interesting. Did they show any incremental validity for this proposed mechanism above the exposure component?

 

[WisNeuro]

That's really interesting. Did they show any incremental validity for this proposed mechanism above the exposure component?

A couple articles were posted a few months ago. I remember being very unimpressed with the claims/evidence at that time. Can't remember which thread we commented on that in, though.

 

[cara susanna]

That's really interesting. Did they show any incremental validity for this proposed mechanism above the exposure component?

I am no expert by any means, so I suggest checking out these papers:

Engelhard et al 2012 How does EMDR work? - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.5127/jep.028212

de Jongh et al 2024 State of the science: EMDR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/jts.23012

 

[chicandtoughness]

They are missing GAD. I don’t know why master’s level counselors report every bad thing that happened to someone as PTSD. I see PTSD or complex PTSD listed as a diagnosis for nearly every client that I see. Nope. Just no.

Unfortunately the TikTok-ification of mental health means a lot of patients are going in convinced they have trauma, and bias their answers to the intake assessments as if they truly had PTSD. Therapists also have a horrible understanding of PTSD criteria, like to pin everything on trauma, and unfortunately PTSD sounds like a “legitimizing” diagnosis nowadays.

I dislike it but alas.

 

[thebalmofhurtminds]

It's particularly frustrating, because I used to be able to semi-trust that when someone used the word "trauma" they were likely referring to something genuinely traumatic. Now, my patients throw around "trauma" for anything that's really better categorized as a stressor.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

It's particularly frustrating, because I used to be able to semi-trust that when someone used the word "trauma" they were likely referring to something genuinely traumatic. Now, my patients throw around "trauma" for anything that's really better categorized as a stressor.

It’s impossible to talk about adverse life events or stressors without someone insisting that “trauma is trauma…it isn’t any less valid just because it wasn’t life-threatening” (or something to that effect). Mental health clinicians are some of the worst offenders in this regard.

 

[thebalmofhurtminds]

It’s impossible to talk about adverse life events or stressors without someone insisting that “trauma is trauma…it isn’t any less valid just because it wasn’t life-threatening” (or something to that effect). Mental health clinicians are some of the worst offenders in this regard.

Wish I could say that it's not any less valid as a stressor, but it still isn't trauma.

 

[cara susanna]

It's particularly frustrating, because I used to be able to semi-trust that when someone used the word "trauma" they were likely referring to something genuinely traumatic. Now, my patients throw around "trauma" for anything that's really better categorized as a stressor.

I've seen that a lot with BPD patients, to be honest. They talk about their trauma and how much trauma they've had, then I start a PTSD EBP with them and find out the trauma isn't Criterion A.

 

[Sanman]

I've seen that a lot with BPD patients, to be honest. They talk about their trauma and how much trauma they've had, then I start a PTSD EBP with them and find out the trauma isn't Criterion A.

When I was born, the doctor physically abused me by slapping me on the behind. Still traumatized by that. Where you I file my disability claim?

 

[WisNeuro]

When I was born, the doctor physically abused me by slapping me on the behind. Still traumatized by that. Where you I file my disability claim?

This is seriously not too far off from many personal injury/WC claims these days.

 

[Sanman]

This is seriously not too far off from many personal injury/WC claims these days.

How else are you supposed to make money and still vote Republican? Working for a living is hard man and it don't pay!

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

I have also noticed a very small, but very strange thing on Reddit where people are talking about "womb twin" trauma (which they describe as trauma they carry as a result of their twin dying and miscarrying or dying during birth). It's...weird.

 

[WisNeuro]

I have also noticed a very small, but very strange thing on Reddit where people are talking about "womb twin" trauma (which they describe as trauma they carry as a result of their twin dying and miscarrying or dying during birth). It's...weird.

I have "rusty spoon" trauma, in that I was not born into a wealthy family. I also have trauma from not being born a genetic freak wherein I could make millions annually playing a professional sport. Where do I sign up for my disability payments?

 

[R. Matey]

I have also noticed a very small, but very strange thing on Reddit where people are talking about "womb twin" trauma (which they describe as trauma they carry as a result of their twin dying and miscarrying or dying during birth). It's...weird.

One of my favorite artists canceled a concert when I already bought the tickets. I have Experience Deprivation Grief Syndrome.

 

[aim-agm]

What about the trauma of not having trauma and therefore not fitting in with everyone else who has trauma, but then now fitting in with them because of that trauma, which means I no longer have the trauma of not fitting in, which then means I do have a trauma, etc.?