Mleh. I am too braindead to work out the words for answers to your other questions, so I hope someone else will come along, but I sort of have words for one of them (as I have recently explained myself on the subject to someone else), so I'll toss them out:
and how is that different from talking to a close friend?
They're not part of your life or social circle, so you don't have to think about the impact of what you're saying: you can talk really freely because it literally doesn't MATTER what they think of you qua you.
I'll go with a really stark example: when I am badly depressed, I am suicidal. Talking to friends about this, I have to deal with a bunch of shit. I have to deal with their distress and worry. I have to deal with their potential guilt. I have to deal with the fact that this conversation will continue to be a context for how they treat me for weeks if not months if not longer, because "at risk of killing herself" is going to be something they think about - have to think about. Are they agreeing to help me with something because they ACTUALLY have the time/energy/interest, or because they're worried about me? Etc.
But I'd still like to unburden myself about how messed up it is I'm constantly bombarded by [image/scenario], or how difficult it is to plan when my brain keeps tossing up "or you could kill yourself" as a viable option, etc, etc. Psych is a safe place to do that because it doesn't matter what she does, thinks, says or believes outside of the hour I spend in her office.
Mental health professionals aren't actually part of your life. You don't have to deal with them as a part of your general social fabric - and it can be surprising to discover just how much one HAS been self-editing, or eliding, or so on, because "won't judge me" isn't the same as "this admission won't have an impact on my relationship(s)".
content note for frank discussion of depression and suicidality
and how is that different from talking to a close friend?
They're not part of your life or social circle, so you don't have to think about the impact of what you're saying: you can talk really freely because it literally doesn't MATTER what they think of you qua you.
I'll go with a really stark example: when I am badly depressed, I am suicidal. Talking to friends about this, I have to deal with a bunch of shit. I have to deal with their distress and worry. I have to deal with their potential guilt. I have to deal with the fact that this conversation will continue to be a context for how they treat me for weeks if not months if not longer, because "at risk of killing herself" is going to be something they think about - have to think about. Are they agreeing to help me with something because they ACTUALLY have the time/energy/interest, or because they're worried about me? Etc.
But I'd still like to unburden myself about how messed up it is I'm constantly bombarded by [image/scenario], or how difficult it is to plan when my brain keeps tossing up "or you could kill yourself" as a viable option, etc, etc. Psych is a safe place to do that because it doesn't matter what she does, thinks, says or believes outside of the hour I spend in her office.
Mental health professionals aren't actually part of your life. You don't have to deal with them as a part of your general social fabric - and it can be surprising to discover just how much one HAS been self-editing, or eliding, or so on, because "won't judge me" isn't the same as "this admission won't have an impact on my relationship(s)".