Counselors are "required" to diagnose clients with "Something." Guess the most popular mandatory diagnosis before you read thread.

[Seymour Flops]

It's anxiety.

I took a class in dealing with anxiety in self and others, today as a before school year "professional development." I work with students with behavior needs and a lot of them have anxiety. Anyway the instructor was a school counselor who counsels privately after school.

She was talking about how everyone has some level of anxiety at times, but it is only a disorder if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning. She said that she gives everyone who she sees at her private office a diagnosis because it is required. I was thinking, 'how could that be required?' but I did not challenge that, because it's her field.

It is required in order for insurance to pay for counseling. I have to wonder about the ethics of that. I hope she tells the ones who only have the mild type of anxiety that is not a disorder that she's just required to diagnose them. I kind of doubt it. But, I'm surprised that she told a room full of people, so who knows?

Ethical or not, it wouldn't really be any of my business - except that with medical insurance, I pay for everyone, not just myself. I'm talking hundreds of dollars per month, way more than double what I paid pre-Obamacare. It's annoying that my hard-earned money goes to that kind of scam.

 

[initforme]

Being stuck in the godforsaken work retrace is a problem that leads to many maladies.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Stupid ass system that requires such a thing

 

[Seymour Flops]

Stupid ass system that requires such a thing

By that, do you mean that people should be able to have insurance pay for a counselor, if they have no diagnosed disorder?

 

[Harpy Eagle]

By that, do you mean that people should be able to have insurance pay for a counselor, if they have no diagnosed disorder?

Is the only reason to see a counselor for a disorder?

 

[Seymour Flops]

Is the only reason to see a counselor for a disorder?

No, not at all. A person can see a counselor because they just want to talk to someone, and are not good at making friends. I'd say that is a very common reason.

I'm not sure I want to be required to pay for them to do that, though. Are you fine with that?

 

[Seymour Flops]

I'm wondering now if that may be the reason for so many "diagnoses" of gender dysphoria. If a kid goes to a counselor and says, "sometimes I wonder if supposed to be a girl," the counselor will make a lot more insurance money by saying "you have gender dysphoria," than if they say, "it's common for kids your age to be confused about their sexuality."

With homosexuality taken off of the list of disorders, counselors can't get insurance money for that.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

I guessed wrong.

I thought it would be insousiance.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

No, not at all. A person can see a counselor because they just want to talk to someone, and are not good at making friends. I'd say that is a very common reason.

I'm not sure I want to be required to pay for them to do that, though. Are you fine with that?

I am fine with insurance paying for "preventative" medical procedures, or even wellness visits. This is something our medical system sucks at in this country mostly because many times insurance will not pay for it

 

[sparky]

do i look anxious in this post?

~S~

 

[SweetSue92]

It's anxiety.

I took a class in dealing with anxiety in self and others, today as a before school year "professional development." I work with students with behavior needs and a lot of them have anxiety. Anyway the instructor was a school counselor who counsels privately after school.

She was talking about how everyone has some level of anxiety at times, but it is only a disorder if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning. She said that she gives everyone who she sees at her private office a diagnosis because it is required. I was thinking, 'how could that be required?' but I did not challenge that, because it's her field.

It is required in order for insurance to pay for counseling. I have to wonder about the ethics of that. I hope she tells the ones who only have the mild type of anxiety that is not a disorder that she's just required to diagnose them. I kind of doubt it. But, I'm surprised that she told a room full of people, so who knows?

Ethical or not, it wouldn't really be any of my business - except that with medical insurance, I pay for everyone, not just myself. I'm talking hundreds of dollars per month, way more than double what I paid pre-Obamacare. It's annoying that my hard-earned money goes to that kind of scam.

Well, yes. Sadly, I think much of "mental health services" is also a scam. Counseling, therapy and etc being maybe number one.

Mental health diseases are very real but they are diseases of the brain. If you have a disease of a kidney do you do talk about your kidneys to get relief? No, your kidneys need treatment of some sort--medical care. I think the same is true for mental health diseases.

"Talk therapy" is mostly for the already well, which makes the scam that much more maddening.

 

[Burgermeister]

I think counseling is helpful to a lot of people, and I trust it's effectiveness a lot more than pharmaceuticals. Sure, there are bogus counseling industries built up around legally mandated "treatments' Like anger management and DUIs, and other stupid shit like diversity training, but there are also a lot of people getting valuable help dealing with real issue with therapy.

A new research study just came out that contradicts the "chemical imbalance" theory that all of the pharma SSRI drugs are based on. Have millions been taking antidepressants for decades for no reason? I can't find a link to the source study but I believe that these drugs are not generally helpful and cause a lot of damage. Women in particular are oversubscribed with these drugs and drugs to help with the side effects of these drugs. Their brain gets all fucked up from years on this crap and I know of two women who got off all the shit - at that point 4-5 different meds, and their stomach problems cleared up (gastros are another pharma racket).

I have one close friend who dealt with debilitating depression and when he asked his doctor for an alternative to the meds, he pointed him to some high intensity cardio program. In about 6 mos he was back to normal. It was a slow process but it worked. Not saying this would work for all cases and that something like lithium isn't needed occasionally, but I am saying that doctors don't know what depression is and what these meds actually do.

 

[Seymour Flops]

I am fine with insurance paying for "preventative" medical procedures, or even wellness visits. This is something our medical system sucks at in this country mostly because many times insurance will not pay for it

Totally agree!

Now, back to the question: Are you fine with paying so that a person can see a counselor because they just want to talk to someone, and are not good at making friends?

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Totally agree!

Now, back to the question: Are you fine with paying so that a person can see a counselor because they just want to talk to someone, and are not good at making friends?

If that keeps them from having more serious mental issue later, yep, sure am

 

[Seymour Flops]

If that keeps them from having more serious mental issue later, yep, sure am

Well, I disagree in general. For the amount of money people pay to a counselor, they could start a hobby that gets them out to meet people. Or start going to a church, a satanic temple, or an atheist group for free.

But I guess when it is I who pays for it, and the counselor is a sure "friend" that's the choice they make.

On the other hand, in my example of the confused kids, I would much rather pay for some talk until the kid realized that confusion is common, than to offer a cash incentive to a counselor for diagnosing such a kid with gender dysphoria.

They have free school counselors, but many of them also run side businesses of counselling. I guess (I hope) it would be unethical to refer a student to one's own service, but they can refer them to their colleague, who will refer their own students in return.

Hmmmm . . . yet another one of those situations in which readily available tax and/or insurance money leads to fraud, waste and abuse.