Conversation

@djsumdog @marine @mitchconner @PurpCat @jeff @PNS @Flick >I don't think he wanted to see himself as the problem.

This 100% is how my parents were and from talking to my friends about this sort of thing, it just so happens that they have the same thought. Proud and/or manipulative parents. I got punishment instead of help for a lot of stuff. I think some of it came down to image, or perceived image. Like, getting your child help for issues is seen as acknowledgement of those issues and the possibility that you caused/exacerbated them. Grounding them and holding God over their head, telling them to go to the bishop to repent, it's less of an admission on the parents' part. If that makes sense.

I didn't know I had a mood disorder until I was 18 and I didn't know it entailed hypersexuality until I was 24. Would have solved a lot of problems, needless to say. Although I would have needed actual help instead of more drugs and I'm not confident that would have happened... In the end I'm just glad I figured things out for myself eventually, but I catch myself thinking about what could have changed every now and then. I can remember even as a child having these symptoms and it was always brushed off until it couldn't be anymore, so it just got left to fester and it took a lot of work on my own part to begin healing. I'm really lucky to be where/who I am today.

For my other siblings, after my parents' divorce, they had a really good therapist they all liked but he called CPS on my dad because he identified the problem... so my dad switched them to a different therapist that sucked. Later on, my brother tried to an hero and didn't want to take therapy after that, dad forced him to go anyway and when he skipped out on a session he got kicked out. Went with a friend to go pick him up. Was a fun night. My dad's a lot less of an issue now that we are all out of the house, but damn, it was rough.

When you're not content with how things are and you want to change them, and you're resistant to someone just telling you to be content and calm and go with it, and the drugs they give you make you complacent and apathetic, it's torture. Therapy is only good for having someone to vent to. If you really want change you have to take the bull by the horns until your hands are bloody, but nobody wants to tell you that because it's uncomfortable and can sometimes cause a bad image for people. I think having a good, close friend to help beat you up but still catch you when you fall is so much better, but not everyone has that.