explaining value to my friend the psychiatrist

[Omega 3 snake oil]

Let's say I have a friend, a young psychiatrist. We've spoken only as friends but in doing so I've told her a lot about myself, my hopes and fears, sources of joy and anxiety, my overall health, relationships, etc. I recently confided in her that I've come to believe:a) I've been badly undervalued by the people in my life thus far, andb) the root cause for people's undervaluing me is that they have deep seated emotional problems.example of this include family members who were abusive toward me, friends who took me for granted, and women I've dated. And these are not blanket statements; for each incident I can recall the exact circumstances, what I believe the person was thinking/feeling/hoping to achieve, etc. Granted, I'm far from perfect myself, and have made my share of mistakes, but one mistake I feel I have not often made is taking people for granted. I've never been dishonest or manipulative, and I think I'm less selfish than the average person. So, my psychiatrist friend (who I might add has confessed to having had romantic feelings for me) basically disregards what I told her, saying "if you're that dissatisfied what don't you consider getting help". I told her, because I don't need to be shown what my problems are. I've got that part figured out. What I need now are good, supportive people who recognize my value rather than deliberately undervaluing me to their own selfish or neurotic ends.Anyway, I just felt like sharing this little anecdote, which for all intents and purposes you should take as fiction. I think it says a lot about psychiatry, the overall aim of health care, and about the state of modern discourse regarding men's emotional/spiritual needs.