It's a clever and humorous question that I like very much. The answer is I don't know how I could figure that out. Even though I've worked with and around mental health workers/issues for 30+ years, I don't have a very good grasp on who's sane and not or how insane they are. I especially don't think I could get an accurate picture of T's sanity, given the boundaries the relationship. While my friends are inclined to talk about their own loneliness or depression or anxiety, fortunately T is not.

I have a sense of his past struggles but that doesn't tell me much about his current issues. He's had a recent health event and one with his wife, but his descriptions of these don't reveal too much. I can sort of tell he's been affected but I'm not sure I would have noticed had he said little at all (although his own health issue was explained as the basis for several months out of the office).

I do wonder if therapists might be subjected to the "shoemaker's children have no shoes" phenomenon and be more resistant to seeking help than others, or be the worst clients when they do. I suspect they suffer about the same amount from mental health issues, maybe more from vicarious trauma. Therapists don't show up high on the list of professionals who are psychopaths or narcissists, or professions where there are high rates of substance and alcohol abuse. Social workers appear low on the list of highest rates of suicide per profession (which suggests a greater than average rate).

So I guess I can't know if my T is saner than me-- it seems he would be about as likely as me to be somewhat crazy-- but I would like to know what he would do if he found himself *now* to be struggling-- what kind of therapy would he seek and how would he choose a therapist?