How does therapy help mental health issues or mental illness?

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How does talking to a professional about your problems help you in any way? I’ve been in and out of therapy for years and I simply don’t find any use in it. I just tell the therapist about my emotions and my life, they try to be understanding and offer some very basic advice I already knew about. Why is therapy often recommended more than medication and thought of as a better solution when it’s literally just normal discussion that can’t change brain chemistry?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

1) because brain chemistry isn’t the sole cause. Harmful thought patterns are less chemical and more just bad habits, and therapy can help teach you to recognize and overcome them.

2) because what you’re describing is only one of many kinds of psychotherapy. If this one isn’t working for you, I suggest you read about other methods and try to find providers familiar with them. 

You can also ask your therapist to try a different tack. Understanding + basic advice is the sensible place to *start,* because anything more demanding or confrontational than that might scare off newcomers who are unsure about the whole “therapy” thing; doesn’t mean that’s where you have to stay. 

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