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ORIGINAL: barelynangel

Okay to clarify, Holly, you are a nurse right -- not a mental health professional?

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So what's to say that what others are speaking about isn't common sense?   I mean the medical field and i presume the mental health field is full of all types of contradicting information.

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And we all know common sense is a very arbitrary word.  Also, not all mental health professionals use common sense just like the people discussing it don't always.  So sorry i don't agree with your general statement that the mental health professionals are all using common sense

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No, i wasn't asking if there were medical professionals seeking mental health help -- what that sentence means is --- what about the people who are "part of the field" simply by being a patient who has studied, researched, etc about their particular illness.

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There are people who speak about their illnesses who have better information than doctors etc because of their research etc about their illness.

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Holly i am not asking where to go nor am i making a complaint, i am asking questions of the people who say they are mental health professionals.  They should know this information, yes?  IF unlicensed therapists are able to be tracked as licensed ones are etc.    

***** Quote by Holly *****
I am not permitted by the state in which i practice to make a diagnosis. To do so would put my license on the line. I also do not hand out advice on a random basis for the same reason, and i am not alone.
***************

YES.  That is a very important concept that i think many times is a little less stringent in the mental health professionals.  I cannot decipher if unlicensed therapists are allowed to diagnosis.

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Exactly, so how can someone say information is inaccurate when based on the individuals situation or information, it may not be.

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ORIGINAL: kdsub

I know nothing of the mental health profession but I would think it takes more than a few lines of text in a chat room to determine the need for intervention in another’s life.

In fact I can see where this over the internet psychoanalyzing could be harmful to fragile minds.

Too often people think they have the right to determine who is mentally ill and who needs professional help. There are many functioning, happy, healthy, people with mental illnesses and it is none of my business if the get treatment or not.

I am all for a well worded private message of concern but that is as far as it should go in this public arena.

Please understand this is not a personal attack I understand and respect your concern for your fellow man... It is just an opinion.

Butch

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ORIGINAL: Syrox

And I'm not entirely sure what's going on with this thread.  It seems to be getting bogged down in semantics which is a shame.

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Where is the line for you as far as clearing up inaccurate information? Is there a line?

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Am I the only one who thinks about this stuff?

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I do not feel this overwhelming sense of obligation to protect people from themselves, life can be overwhelming enough

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NO, no, that's cool. I often see people who are accountants trying to clarify things and computer people and such. I suppose where health issues are concerned, that's a different ball of wax. What I generally see people doing who are in medical fields is "get to a professional!!!" in a different way than folks who are dealing with my furnace doesn't work. Although, come to think of it, in that kind of instance people say "call a professional!"

Totally agree that it takes more than a few lines of chat... yup... that's why I said "Patterns" become obvious. I mean, heck everybody knows how different people are generally going to respond - you see people mention it all the time. That's why the *hide* button was invented so we can avoid those patterns! Thanks for your input.

Best,
sunshine

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I mean the medical field and i presume the mental health field is full of all types of contradicting information.

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When there are threads with blatant inaccurate information being touted, I have often felt it was my duty as a mental health professional to clarify if no one else did.

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I am going to give a general example off of the top of my head on how a diagnosis works. PatientX is diagnosed as a sociopath. There are 10 criteria for that diagnosis and PatientX must fit 4 of the 10. He does, so he is considered a sociopath. However...he has other issues of A, B and C which feed into or off of his diagnosis. Does that make him a classic sociopath? No. Does it make him less of a sociopath? No.
It makes him a sociopath with issues of A, B and C but he will generally only be referred to as a sociopath.

On the same plane in the medical arena...you have PatientB. He is in a cardiac ward because he had a heart attack. He also has a hx of alcoholism and has liver failure as well as an inner ear imbalance.
Do the issues of liver failure/vertigo lessen his dx as a status-post heart attack? Of course not. Do they add to it..sure.

So...does PatientX with issues of A, B and C have the same diagnosis (label) as the next patient diagnosed as a sociopath? Yes. With a different treatment.

Does PatientB, heart attack, vertigo and liver failure, have the diagnosis (label) as the next patient who had a heart attack? Yes...with a different treatment.

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Holly, I asked what you were not to irritate you or make you hostile -- i don't keep track of what everyone's license

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ORIGINAL: barelynangel

Holly, I asked what you were not to irritate you or make you hostile

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To me, if someone is going to demand someone take THEIR information as accurate over another, it does help to know what that "mental health professional" concept is and their level of expertise -- licensed or unlicensed, college educated with additional education in the specific field or not.  To me, offering contradictory information is good and well because it offers more information to everyone who can take or leave what they will and hopefully take what will benefit them  -- i agree with this -- but to state you are qualified to discount someone elses statements beause its your duty is where i have a hard time with.

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To me a license indicated a specific concept of education, as you said you have twelve years of education and you are required to have continuing education.   That says a lot more and gives you more credibility because you have guidelines you work under and by doing so you know what YOUR line is -- i.e., diagnosing as well as dispensing advise randomly.  

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ORIGINAL: Holly

You know as well as i do Sunny that the internet is a difficult medium for communication. Mental health professionals are visual a lot of the time (i am highly so) and i find it nearly impossible to have confidence in an assessment with no visualization.

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Maybe i should clarify why i am very interested in this topic I have seen people indicate in discussions on this board that they have no problem diagnosing someone etc, even when they aren't licensed.
So to me, it shows they don't appreciate the boundries of their profession. To me it goes towards credibility.

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From what you have stated Holly, i would find you credible because from what you have said you respect the boundries your profession has placed upon you even on someplace as anonymous as the internet. 

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I am just discussing this Holly, because i am ignorant of the mental health profession and what each concept means in terms of licensed, unlicensed, no college, some college, advanced education such as Masters and PhDs.  etc.  So i am trying to explain it in terms i understand which may confuse others lol.

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ORIGINAL: sirsholly
The medical field, all aspects, is an inexact science. The mental health field is more so. You are not dealing with perfect textbook examples in the mental health field but rather with unique individuals who deserve to be dealt with on an individual basis.

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Asking it publically was simply because in reading her OP, i was curious and to me it would effect how i respond to her POV about her duty.  You don't have to like it juliaceania.