Dear Tricky,

I read your posts, and the responses (I tend to agree with Perna by the way). and I am on the fence on this one, and feel like I am missing something here. Did you go see this therapist because of insomnia? How did this visit come about? Some more info might be helpful.

I know when I was in high school I had to go see a social worker (it was my mom's idea) for depression and she told me I was normal and all teenagers go through this stuff. Four years later in college, I had to go see another social worker (a friend of mine tried to OD) and she told me I was a codependent with addictive tendencies. Four years later, a therapist told me I was Bipolar. (Do you sense a trend here?)

On my school, employment, and military records I never checked the box about seeking help for mental health issues, etc. and I never had any repercussions from it whatsoever. I got a BA in Philosophy, joined the Army, got out, and got my LPN all without ever having to tell anybody that I had a personality disorder. (Do you see where I am going with this?)

I think that you will do fine, be fine, and one therapist's opinion is just that, an opinion. That is, if you went to see him of your own choosing for insomnia. If he felt that you would benefit from say, an anti-depressant, rather than just handing you a script for Ambien, then he would have to give you some type of diagnosis to warrant an anti-depressant. So, again, I don't know all the facts.

You also said that you are scared of taking the MMPI or seeing another therapist to get this one's opinion invalidated somehow because you are scared you might have other possible psychopathic traits. But, if you truly wish to go into psychology, you must embrace this process of "know thyself". Otherwise, what is the point of learning, right?

I was so scared in college that other people would find out how f**d up I really was. I think that this self-consciousness is normal, although for me it was almost terrifying. Because I thought I was deviant, abnormal, decrepit, other-than, etc. But Tricky, unless you like setting fires or torturing small animals (I mean deviant, deviant) then most of your "psychopathic" traits as you call them may be pretty run of the mill once you let them out of the closet.

Just read some forums and you will probably find your story. You sound like a smart person, I feel sure there is a solution. Best of luck.