I don't want to come off too accusatory here but both your statement and the parents are damaging in my opinion. Depending on your issues you may be able to treat your own physical health and mental health but in both scenarios there may come a time when you require professional help. It may be different depending on where a person lives but for me there is no cost in visiting the doctor or getting mental health treatment. So in the example you gave of your arm it would make most sense to go to a doctor immediately rather than spend several months self treating when they may have a much more effective solution to the problem. Also, for mental health in the UK you general require a referral which can take several months so the longer you delay going to the doctor the longer you have to live with the issue. It doesn't apply in your case but it may in others. Not only may you get a solution immediately instead of spending months self-treating unsuccessfully but you may prevent the damage getting worse and in the case of mental health you can spiral downwards pretty quickly. I would say that if you recognise you have a mental health issue you should seek immediate professional help as if you let it get worse you can easily get to a point where you no longer have the right frame of mind to seek treatment even though it is even more necessary.

Right, totally understood. My point is that there are shades of grey.

- My arm. Did I mention this is the 3rd time I've hurt it this way? Since I'd seen this scenario before, I had heard professional opinion on how to treat it.+

- The cost. Time cost is real. In my case (and most founders), time is more valuable than money.

Should we encourage more people to talk to more professionals than do today? Sure, yes, I do think so. But we should also encourage people to self-educate and self-treat. Those aren't at odds with each other.

> Also, for mental health in the UK you general require a referral which can take several months so the longer you delay going to the doctor the longer you have to live with the issue.

In England it's a bit complicated.

IAPT (Improved Access to Psychological Therapy) should provide easy access to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. People should be able to self-refer without using their GP. But it's different in different areas.

And while CBT is great for some people it doesn't work for everyone, and if you need a different therapy you're going to have to be referred. This will involve potentially very long waits - ideally at most 18 weeks from GP to start of treatment, but in practice people can wait for over a year.

Cold is different from diabetes. You can self-treat one, but not the other.