[stopdog]

Do you consider therapy to be medical care or something else? Do think of yourself as in need of treatment or healing?
I do not consider it medical care for me. And I never have thought of going to appointments in order to get healed. I don't know what they would be doing to treat anything.
Is mental health care medical?
I don't mean this in a who pays for it insurance or not sort of way.

[Nammu]

I do. Therapy contributes to my over all health and wellbeing.

[NowhereUSA]

I don't think of it as medical like a doctor necessarily, but there is some piece of it that seems medical in my head. Maybe it's a bit like training for something? I need some emotional training and I think that therapy is helpful for that.

Not exactly medical care, but it is health care for me (mental health care), SO I am glad it is covered by my medical insurance or there is absolutely no way I would be able to afford therapy at all. It IS part of my mental health care, and since separate mental health insurance doesn't exist as far as I am aware, this is probably the only fit. My mental health issues DO become medical in nature as I have bipolar disorder which can require medical care. I prefer a two-pronged level of treatment for my mental health issues: both psychotherapy and medication management. Therefore, it makes sense for me that my therapy, which is equally vital for my mental health as my psychiatric care, be covered as equally vital and important to my overall health.

I have healthcare coverage which includes medical care, mental health, and wellness. On a separate policy I have dental care. On another separate policy I have vision. I am perfectly fine with my mental health services being covered in my healthcare coverage. I'd rather have that than another separate insurance policy and another insurance company to deal with.

You may be financially able to manage your therapy without insurance coverage, but the fact is many of us do not have that option and would go entirely unhelped without this kind of coverage.

Edited to add: I have a serious mental illness that has required medication management, hospitalization, etc. beyond just therapy. Therapy alone would not have been effective. I realize it is for some personal issues, but for those of us who deal with serious mental illness, our medical mental health care and our therapy are equally important and really can't be separated.

[Ellahmae]

My mental healthcare has greatly improved my physical issues. For this reason I would say, yes - therapy is medical for me.

[stopdog]

I was not talking about insurance one way or the other. Just how you see it within yourself. Someone referred to therapy as medical treatment on another thread and I wondered if this was how others saw it.

[pbutton]

Yes, mental health care.

Originally Posted by stopdog

I was not talking about insurance one way or the other. Just how you see it within yourself. Someone referred to therapy as medical treatment on another thread and I wondered if this was how others saw it.

But for many of us, accepting the medical end of our illness (which is simply fact for us) goes hand-in-hand with our insurance coverage. To say therapy shouldn't fall at all under a medical model would be to deny a large percentage of people an important aspect of their healthcare. It really can't be separated for us generally.

My healthcare is more than just "medical." It involves whatever treatment and prevention is needed to allow me to function with the best health possible, and I consider my mental health part of my entire healthcare.

[scorpiosis37]

No, I do not view therapy as medical care nor do I see myself as in need of treatment. For me personally, it is an elective service that I choose to employ because I enjoy it. It improves my mood and serves as a useful outlet for talking/venting, receiving support and validation, bouncing ideas/thoughts off of someone, etc. I view it along the same lines as getting a massage, going to a fitness trainer, etc. It's not medical or necessary, but it definitely has tangible benefits and I think I'm a better "me" when I go.

ETA: That said, I appreciate the fact that my health insurance views it as "medical" because they pay for it (minus my small co-pay). However, insurance is a different topic entirely. I think it's ridiculous that my medical insurance will pay for therapy, subsidize the cost of massage and fitness training, but not cover my chiropractor. For me, therapy, massage, and fitness are "elective" but the chiropractor is a NECESSITY. My neck is so bad that I have to pay $300/month out of pocket for a chiropractor simply so I can get out of bed and go to work in the morning. Even more ridiculous is that my insurance WOULD pay $1200/month for steroid injections in my neck if I chose to have them. However, since I'm only 30, I don't want to "give up" on figuring out what's wrong with my neck and start getting regular steroid injections to relieve the pain, because I would have to continue with them for the rest of my life. Since I choose less expensive, less invasive, preventative medicine-- rather than pain pills/shots-- I have to pay out of pocket. That is ridiculous to me. **rant over**

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

But for many of us, accepting the medical end of our illness (which is simply fact for us) goes hand-in-hand with our insurance coverage. To say therapy shouldn't fall at all under a medical model would be to deny a large percentage of people an important aspect of their healthcare. It really can't be separated for us generally.

My healthcare is more than just "medical." It involves whatever treatment and prevention is needed to allow me to function with the best health possible, and I consider my mental health part of my entire healthcare.

I did not say anything about medical model or insurance. I think for the purposes of my question they can be separated, but if they are inexorably linked for you -then fine. Just that I was not looking for a discussion of payment or insurance one way or the other.

No, I don't see it as medical care. Therapists generally are not medical doctors, although I guess some psychiatrists do therapy. I used to think of myself as needing healing, but I don't anymore. I don't think of it as treatment.

Originally Posted by stopdog

I did not say anything about medical model or insurance. I think for the purposes of my question they can be separated, but if they are inexorably linked for you -then fine. Just that I was not looking for a discussion of payment or insurance one way or the other.

Let's just say I was going off previous statements you have made about the medical model . . .

[stopdog]

That is why I tried (and clearly have not been successful) in clarifying for the purposes of this thread.

If you have a diagnosis and agree with it and consider that it falls within mental disease or defect that includes mds in taking care of it (mental disease or defect is the wording of the statutes in my state) - then it might be medical for you sort of thing(that does not need discussion of insurance one way or the other for the purposes of how any person sees themselves and therapy.)

[scallion5]

define medical

i see my therapy as engaging in an effort to adjust my neurological patterns through specific exercises, not unlike physical therapy (which is medical)

the difference here is that instead of soma, clearly within the western medical realm, the exercise is geared toward the psyche

that said, our emotions and reactions come from our brains, central nervous systems, neurotransmitters, etc. based upon physical perceptions of the world

therapy is a place to explore those perceptions, or explain them, and derive some benefit

whether that's medical or not, I don't know. i consider my therapy a medical exercise in that I am seeking to "feel better" and alleviate pain.

Originally Posted by stopdog

Do you consider therapy to be medical care or something else? Do think of yourself as in need of treatment or healing?
I do not consider it medical care for me. And I never have thought of going to appointments in order to get healed. I don't know what they would be doing to treat anything.
Is mental health care medical?
I don't mean this in a who pays for it insurance or not sort of way.

[stopdog]

I think the question includes one's own definition of medical.

[NowhereUSA]

I guess maybe if we're doing our own definitions, therapy can be medical - dealing with the self as opposed to the actual organ (that is, the brain). I think of myself as living with a mental illness, particularly since I can see it in my family tree.

[stopdog]

I can see where illness would lead to an idea of medical.

Originally Posted by stopdog

I can see where illness would lead to an idea of medical.

And it really is illness at times. I realize not everyone in therapy is there dealing with mental illness; many are there for other reasons. But unfortunately, some of us have an all-too-clear understanding of why it is called a mental illness. The severity of symptoms can go far beyond anything therapy alone can handle at times, and that can absolutely be life-threatening. Some people are so debilitated by their mental illness that they are unable to work and unable to care for themselves at times; for others it is such a chronic problem that they truly are disabled by their mental illness.

[JustShakey]

I guess it's a grey area. Emotional and physical health are intertwined. In the strictest sense of the word most therapists are not medical doctors, so I suppose it wouldn't be called medical care, though it is definitely healthcare. But things like exercise and a healthy diet can be defined as healthcare too... Grey area.

[stopdog]

It is not, for me, a grey area. I don't consider most things medical or healthcare in a formal medical sense and certainly not exercise or yoga or meditation etc.

[NowhereUSA]

What would you categorize therapy as?

[AncientMelody]

It definitely was for the first year when I was having near-constant anxiety and having chest pain, muscle tension etc as a result. Now that I'm at a better job and my anxiety is well under control, no it doesn't seem as medical now.

[Lauliza]

I think of psychiatry as medical and therapy as supplemental - much like physical or occupational therapy. I do believe that for many people it is personal preference and not necessarily essential for their functioning. I only bother with therapy when there is specific goal and when there is something I'm unable to handle on my own. So for me, is consider it to be medical.

[Salmon77]

I think therapy can greatly improve health and functioning, in much the same way that exercise generally does.

[msxyz]

I think therapy can be medical, but not necessarily so.