AVERSION & MENTAL HEALTH Issues, Patients, Mental Health Professionals

     It's easy to understand how some docs may feel inadequately trained / skilled to effectively manage patients with mental health problems. Perfectionistic health-care professionals are most comfortable dealing with a narrow range of illnesses. Some sub-specialists deal with a single disease for their entire career. Specialists feel good "knowing everything (about nothing)"; but may be averse to anything outside of their professional comfort zone.
     Some folks with mental health issues have negative attitudes towards mental health professionals. This may be out of fear of being stigmatized if they obtain professional help. Or perhaps mental health professionals in the past had not been able to help them to their satisfaction.
     Folks with anxiety tend to be anxious about their anxiety; dental phobic patients' greatest fear is loss of control because of fear; those with depression get depressed about their depression.
     Of course, like all human beings, health-care professionals themselves can have mental health issues. We have perhaps the greatest fear of stigma, and are perhaps most likely to delay proper diagnosis and management.

     So what's the common thread here? Aversion to what scares us. BUT how do we best manage fear? Education and exposure therapy - INTELLIGENTLY APPROACHING whatever scares us. We need to learn more about mental health issues, accept that it affects many of us - maybe ourself, and approach mental health professionals for care.