Why Psychologists Do Not Only Deal With Crazy People. A Clinical Psychology Podcast Episode.

I don’t think anyone can go through their psychology journey without encountering any myths about psychology. A few years ago at a gender reveal party, I was talking to my brother’s dad (we have different ones) and he explained how he needed to see a psychologist because of an injury before he could go to work. Yet when he was younger and even now, he wouldn’t do it because everyone back then knew psychologists only saw “crazy” people. After I explained the types of people who psychologists actually helped, he was more relaxed about going. This is just one out of the millions of myths that psychology and psychologists face every day. Therefore, in this clinical psychology podcast episode, you’ll learn about the “crazy people” myth about psychology, who psychologists help and more about clinical psychology in the real world. If you enjoy learning about psychology myths, careers in psychology and mental health then this is a great episode for you.

Today’s psychology podcast episode has been sponsored by Myths About Clinical Psychology: A Psychology Student's and Professional's Guide To Myths About Clinical Psychology. Available from all major eBook retailers and you can order the paperback and hardback copies from Amazon, your local bookstore and local library, if you request it. Also available as an AI-narrated audiobook from selected audiobook platforms and library systems. For example, Kobo, Spotify, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Overdrive, Baker and Taylor and Bibliotheca.

WHY PSYCHOLOGISTS DO NOT ONLY DEAL WITH CRAZY PEOPLE? (Extract from Myths About Clinical Psychology by Connor Whiteley COPYRIGHT 2025)

If there is any psychology myth that is going to get me on my soapbox then it is definitely going to be this myth because there was so much to unpack and I'm actually really excited about this chapter. Therefore, in this myth chapter we're going to be focusing on the stupid idea that psychologists only deal with so-called crazy people.

This is going to be a lot of fun.

Little Recap

So the main reason why this myth is automatically wrong is because it builds on the idea that only mental health professionals and clinical psychologists are psychologists. Also, this myth completely forgets there are other types of psychologists. For example, business psychologists, social psychologists, experimental psychologists, academic psychologists, and on and on and on.

Therefore, even if this myth was true and psychologists only saw crazy people (I absolutely hate saying that) then it would just be impractical for psychology to only see crazy people. For example, you might be able to argue that a social psychologist and an academic psychologist might meet with a crazy person for academic research. But I would have no idea and no explanation as to why the hell a business psychologist would want to work with a crazy person because business psychologists only really working HR departments.

Therefore, this myth is just unpractical from a practicality standpoint and how the psychology job market actually works.

What Even Are Crazy People?

Now then if we jump on my soapbox for a moment what the hell are crazy people. I have no idea what crazy people actually are because it just comes back to this myth in general society that only crazy people like Psychopaths, murderers, evil abuses and paedophiles have mental health difficulties. It is one of the most disgusting myths ever that if you have a mental health difficulty then you're a crazy person, you're dangerous, you’re insecure, you are unstable, you're going to hurt someone or kill someone.

Like forgive my language but is absolute bullshit. I absolutely fucking hate this myth because it is so dangerous, disgusting and these people just need to learn what psychology actually involves.

And even if someone was apparently crazy in terms of being psychotic for example. It doesn't mean that they are a bad person, it doesn't mean they don't deserve support, it doesn't mean they deserve to be helped any less than anyone else. Because people with psychosis can live good lives, they can receive mental health support and they can do really good things about their lives if given the right mental health support and treatment.

The very idea that just because someone's crazy according to this horrible societal myth or idea about what a bad person looks like. It's just horrific because even a psychotic person still deserves good treatment, good support and to live a good life. I just absolutely hate this myth that says certain people just because they have sudden conditions are lesser or dangerous or they’re evil.

Of course, I am not saying that psychopaths, sociopaths and some people with psychotic disorders are perfect or nice and they don't commit crimes. Yet the idea that you would want to tarnish an entire clinical population with the same brush and say all of them are bad people that are going to commit crimes and hurt people is disgusting.

Anyway, that is my rant over and that is me jumping off my soapbox because I hate this idea that there are crazy people in the world and it is absolute fucking bullshit.

What’s the Truth?

Let's now look into what clinical psychologists actually deal with and the amazing people that they help. So in reality clinical psychologists help and they deal with anyone has a mental health difficulty or mental health condition. Some examples of these mental health conditions or difficulties can include suicidal idealization, depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, or disordered eating to be honest. Trauma survivors with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another possible group too.

As we can already see clinical psychologists deal with a lot of different conditions and people and some of them are really normal. For example, neurodivergence, like ADHD and autism, and clinical psychologists can also deal with learning disabilities. And it is this really wide range of people that you get to deal with and you get to help that makes me love psychology and really makes me love clinical psychology even more because you can do so much with it.

Since at the time of writing in February 2024 so far, I've done two major bits of psychology work experience and I've done tons of different bits and pieces on the side. I've worked with people with learning disabilities and this was quite wide-ranging and if you go check out the backlist of The Psychology World Podcast, you can actually find the episode that I wrote about my experience. And then I've also worked with transgender individuals at a Gender Identity Clinic, which I really loved. So as you can see just from those two really simple examples I worked with such different people with different needs, different mental health difficulties and they were in very different situations.

And then a final example before I start making my point about the truth behind this myth is that I've also spoken about this on the podcast before and I do have A Memoir and it might be out by the time this book's released, but I've also been through some trauma and abuse and I went for mental health support I went for person-centred counselling. And the very idea that I'm crazy, I’m messed up and I have a problem just because I needed some counselling, I think it's very disgusting to be honest. Not so much hurtful because I've heard it all before but I think the fact that people want to judge me for what I went through and how I dealt with it is beyond disgusting and I just don't understand it. Like the very idea that someone says I'm a bad person for what other people did to me and how other people traumatised me and how others abused me, I think is laughable. Due to you can tell that these people who are saying these things just don't understand what it's like to go through certain stuff.

And if you've read any of my books, if you listen to my podcast and I hope that you've understood this through my tone and how passionate I am in these chapters, I hope you know that I'm a lovely person, I love helping people and all I want to do is support our amazing clients in the future when I do become a clinical psychologist.

Overall, this serves as a great segway into my point about what the truth behind this myth is, in reality, clinical psychologists deal with normal people with normal mental health difficulties in normal situations, and sometimes extremely abnormal situations, like abuse and trauma. Clinical psychologists deal with people that laugh, that love their families, have children, are sons, mothers, daughters, and children, and maybe trans. They are just normal people. These clients that clinical psychologists have to deal with like going out with their friends at the weekend and they might drink. They like having fun with their friends, they like watching TV, they might like reading, they might like watching movies just like you.

All these people that clinical psychologists have to deal with that makes them different from other people is just that they’re brave enough, they're courageous enough and they are amazing enough to admit they need mental health support to improve their lives, decrease their psychological distress, and give themselves power. To me that makes them flat out amazing and I will not have anyone saying they're crazy or bad or evil people just because of some stupid myth.

And if my passion in this chapter has offended some belief of yours. Then I'm not sorry because this is such a dangerous annoying myth that I do want to stamp out because it's not fair on our client so it isn't fair on people like me who've had mental health experiences and it's just a disgusting myth that Society does need to remove.

I really hope you enjoyed today’s social psychology podcast episode.

If you want to learn more, please check out:

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Myths About Clinical Psychology: A Psychology Student's and Professional's Guide To Myths About Clinical Psychology. Available from all major eBook retailers and you can order the paperback and hardback copies from Amazon, your local bookstore and local library, if you request it. Also available as an AI-narrated audiobook from selected audiobook platforms and library systems. For example, Kobo, Spotify, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Overdrive, Baker and Taylor and Bibliotheca.

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Have a great day.

Clinical Psychology Reference and Further Reading

Whiteley, C. (2025) Myths About Clinical Psychology: A Psychology Student's and Professional's Guide To Myths About Clinical Psychology. CGD Publishing. England.

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