This is a more recent topic I’ve seen around, and it’s been on my mind some.

For a long time, I’ve felt like everyone could benefit from talking to a professional. I don’t know if that’s entirely true anymore.

Obviously, I think everyone should have access to mental health help when it’s needed. I think every neurotypical person deserves to have someone to talk to when something goes wrong, or when they don’t know what to do. I think it’s very important that access is normalized, so it isn’t shunned when the neuroatypical need the same help. Funny how that works.
I think if your mom died or your family is pissing you off or your job sucks or the state of the world is driving you insane, all of those are real reasons to talk to someone. But they’re all reasons that have some kind of “answer”, especially if you’ve got the mental capacity to make it happen.

Therapy, the way it’s encouraged for everyone, is the kind of therapy that doesn’t have an answer. It doesn’t have an end date. You can’t really fix chronic depression or BPD, and deep held childhood traumas take a little more work than a couple sessions of talking to understand, let alone conquer.

These are different needs that pull from the same pool of professionals. People who need that years long help struggle to find it because someone who doesn’t need the spot can afford it. In saying that though, who’s to say who genuinely needs that spot or not? Suffering is relative, the world is genuinely very scary right now, and you can’t always see someone’s wounds from the outside.

On the opposite side of things, are people who probably do need actual help but have instead just learned the words and how to weaponize them against people.
“Therapy speak” is everywhere now. I’d say “if you pay attention” but you barely have to.
Calling someone toxic, for example.
They aren’t dangerous, they’re just obnoxious, it’s fine, but calling them toxic? That’s bigger. That’s a scarier word. You can call someone toxic on purpose. You can use that against them. You can make yourself a victim, and them a villain.

There’s all kinds of other examples, but it’s all for the same end goal so I don’t really need to repeat myself.
Manipulative people have always been manipulative, and I feel like giving them this professional level vocabulary made explicitly to explain people’s feelings is. Concerning.

Tangentially, learning to talk women into a corner when they’re already afraid of saying no to men is also a terrifying side effect.
Did you guys know you can buy courses online teaching you to be an Alpha Male, and all the rules of getting women are more or less to ignore her no’s? That’s it.

No is a challenge, and talking around it is absolutely a way to win.