i find the online assumption that a therapist is an essential member of each individual's life to be really disturbing, one shaped less by mental health than market forces

on one hand, sure, let's not burden our friends and family members with the bulk of mental illness—a trained, unbiased voice (that can also dispense medication if needed) is good. but on the other, therapy is not immune from critique, not everyone can afford it,

and, to me, part of destigmatizing mental illness is being able to discuss it more freely with your friends and family, alongside therapy work…? it's not exactly feminism to pathologize everyone and shove them into potentially fraught institutions