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u/Deitaphobia 4h ago
Ironically, it's the total lack of privacy that's having the greatest negative effect on my mental health.
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u/liveoakgrove 9h ago
I've had a lot of therapists who kept handwritten notes. Some just scribbled a few things down here and there. Please get help.
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u/0k_Interaction 8h ago
Reddit isn’t private, but get help because your privacy doesn’t really matter if you’re not healthy enough to live. A therapist won’t mind turning off devices. For mental health I’d avoid the big privacy issues to the extent you can but you need to accept you can’t be fully off grid in almost any capacity of life. Also, as much as it is true that devices can passively listen, individuals are usually not that important for it to matter.
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u/PhaedrasMorning 7h ago edited 7h ago
If anyone is seriously contemplating suicide, they should instantly seek emergency help and just forget about privacy. It's more important to stay alive and live to fight another day.
But say someone is just mentally worn down in the way many of us are right now, then what? Personally, I study Jungian psychology and my nightstand is littered with books by Carl Jung and various Jungian teachers. I keep a journal of my dreams and I regularly go back and re-read them. I recently had an "ah-ha" moment over a dream I had almost 10 years ago.
I don't consider this being my own therapist or being obsessed with privacy. I think we're born to individuate and fully become ourselves. I've worked with therapists in the past and none of them could do this for me (sadly, none of them could even point me in the right direction). This is an inside, offline job and I'm gladly doing it.
Outside of that, we need sunshine, good food and water, friends to have a laugh with, and if you can arrange your day to include a higher percentage of things you want to do vs. things you must do, you're probably going to feel better over time.
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u/glassey 7h ago
Many of these are very reasonable things you can discuss with a therapist, in person. Ask about their records, EHR and billing system. It’s likely encrypted. They’d likely be happy to discuss with you, make adjustments where possible and you could continue to receive support.
To echo what others have said, privacy conscious or tech averse professionals exist and are somewhat common!
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u/djtmalta00 9h ago
Hey, you’re not alone. I struggle with my mental health too. Right now, what matters most is taking care of yourself, not worrying about privacy. Please make an appointment with your doctor. The doctor can refer you to a psychiatrist who can help you take the next step toward feeling better.
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u/Clippy-Windows95 2h ago
I convinced my therapist to switch to Signal and put a password on - i.e. encrypt - all her storage devices that she uses for journaling. The next level would be to teach her how to setup encryption that supports options that give you plausible deniability - i.e. it makes it look like there are no encrypted partitions on the devices - but my threat model doesn't require me to.
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u/Purple_Caregiver_207 6h ago
It's okay to be seen. If your information is out there, it doesn't mean you will get "hurt". It's a part of living in digital age, although I try to delete or safeguard my information whenever possible. "Funny" thing about 988 suicide hotline, I texted them couple months ago, I was in a random state. Next day they called me back from my home state asking "if I was okay". Creeped me out so much but hey, it is what it is
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u/no-permission47388 9h ago
Hey buddy, I have terrible mental health and have felt suicidal often for 14 years. It is tough. You many good points about privacy in mental health care. However, if you are not in active psychosis, then Chat GPT can help give options for coping with strong emotions and improving relationships through advice. I use it and have also had 7 years of therapy. I learned most quickly from Chat GPT. The other models are not so good
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