How to get professional help?

[Tuukka40]

Okay...I am 19 years old and under my parents insurance. I really do not want anyone to know that I'm receiving therapy...I just don't want the attention.

While I haven't been diagnosed, I'm very sure I have SAD and have had it my entire life.

What is the best way to seek a therapist for it? I have a primary care physician, can I go see her first?

 

[Arthur_Dent]

If you're over 18, even if somebody else pays for you insurance, your medical record it's confidential, and your parents won't know you're seeing a therapist. That same fear stopped me for years to look for help. I say it's a good idea to see first a physician, they will give you a referral to a therapist.

One precaution you may have is to tell them to not call you home to notify you in case the doctor or the therapist can't make it to the appointment, but I guess that depends on how common is there to use a land line to make such notifications.

 

[Earthcircle]

I wince whenever I read a post from a young person actually wanting to go into therapy and even trying to find ways around parental authority to do so. That's exactly what I was doing when I was a teen, and I have nothing to show for it now.

 

[Tuukka40]

Are you saying you never got help? Or therapy didn't help?...when you say you have nothing to show for it?

 

[Remus]

CBT and exposure therapy for SA/PD worked well for me after dedicating myself to it. Some people don't respond as well. Though some people can have underlying conditions which require much more extensive treatments. Always best to seek a professional to discover that.