Armchair Psychologists Irritate Me

psychologists MorningtonI qualified as a psychologist, you know. This was years and years ago, back when the profession was quite different. I’d imagine all the psychologists today are taught very differently to how we were, but perhaps that’s just necessary to keep up with the times.

So while I don’t know what psychologists nowadays get up to, I can confirm that the nasty comments written in the Moon Herald are quite false. They don’t even bear repeating here, but it’s the same as usual: people being armchair psychologists and thinking they can spew vitriol about other’s people’s mental health. Very insensitive, and just plain wrong.That person has not lived in the club, and thus has never experienced the friendly, relaxed environment we foster here. We just like cats and are brought together by our love of them, which was not a crime the last time I checked.

I always used to bristle at people making uninformed statements about others’ mental health. It happens more than you’d think. I used to know some folks down in a psychiatry clinic in Mornington, and people down there are slightly more…’provincial’ than they are in Melbourne. Not saying it’s a bad thing- it creates quite a nice community vibe, in fact- but it did lead to its fair share of gossip. ‘So-and-so was looking a bit down, perhaps there’s this and that wrong with them’.

As a matter of fact, no one has the right to pass that sort of judgement on another person, because you don’t live inside their head. If you’re worried about a friend or family member and want them to get help, that’s different. But when it comes to mental health, everyone turns into an armchair psychologist. I’m sure the qualified psychologists out there are jolly tired of it. Everyone in this Club is simply united by a common interest, like some friends going bowling together, but more permanent. That psychology clinic down in Mornington might have a few things to say about folks who feel the need to tear others down. I should send this in to the editors, actually…we’ve been getting so much publicity, there’s a good chance that it’ll get published.

-Mera