So I'm going to respond to the OP first, but also gently remind people that calling out other members in a thread of this nature is not okay.
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Seems to me that it is not ok to bring up certain topics or viewpoints on PC:
- Any forceful assertions that psychotherapy might have fundamental flaws or might be lacking in credibility or legitimacy.
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Well, as a rule, this content is not found anywhere within our community guidelines as inappropriate topics. So of course members are welcomed to share their viewpoint that psychotherapy is "fundamentally flawed." But I also hope that they have an answer to why we have something like 50+ years of research demonstrating otherwise. (And millions of people who've been helped by it.) Of course, not everyone benefits from psychotherapy -- and that viewpoint is welcomed. But it doesn't mean everyone is going to be harmed or not helped by it either.
Nobody has ever said psychotherapy/meds/alternative treatment is going to work for everyone. It won't and it doesn't. But since this is the psychotherapy forum, by its very nature, folks are here to generally talk about the positives of psychotherapy and how it
has helped them more than anything. There are no lack of anti-psychotherapy and anti-psychology communities online, so if someone really wanted to explore these areas of discussion, I'd recommend one of those...
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- Personal accounts of therapy that talk openly about significant harm or that criticize the therapist in strong terms.
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Well, it's hard to say where the line is between constructive criticism and anger/venting is. We're pretty open to anything, as long as you're not libeling another person. But also understand, since nobody else here knows your therapist, it's unlikely you can get much real understanding from others (since their therapist and their experiences may offer completely different viewpoints).
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- Challenges to biological psychiatry and psych drugs. This one in particular has brought out angry attacking and the feeling of being chased away by a sectarian mob.
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Yup, absolutes tend to do that. I'm not sure any member here would say meds are for everyone, or are needed in all situations. But what benefit is there to degrading different forms of treatment? I'm not sure I understand, since this is a
support community first and foremost, not a debate club. Honestly, we're not here for intellectual discussions about everything, we're here to give and get emotional support -- our primary purpose.
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In another thread I was told by a frequent poster that I was "once again bashing the mental health system". It was a distortion, but also the message was clear: dissent is not tolerated.
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And yet your thread and opinions were tolerated, even though others didn't agree with them. That's the nature of many folks here -- we're tolerant and open to other viewpoints. But playing the same tune, over and over again, about how horrible X, Y, or Z treatment is will pretty much wear out most people's welcome (even when it's well-meaning or well-intended).
Just FYI, for future reference, issues involving what you see as community or meta-issues really belong in our Community Support forum -- that's what it's there for. So I'm going to move this thread there with a re-direct.
Best,
DocJohn