Is good help hard to find??

From everything I've learned about the mental health field I have found that it takes a very insightful psychologist to be able to help someone who is suffering. Hospitilization seems to only be effective if there is a psychotherapist who understands what people are going through.
Most of the field seems to be mislead and I've only heard of a couple names who seem to have any idea what they're doing. (Judith Herman, for example)
Does anyone have anything to share about feeling like there are only a handful of individuals who can help, leaving thousands of people to suffer on the streets, at home, or in institutions (where they are usually pumped with drugs and ignored or misread by unsympathetic doctors)?
I believe that this is why people are so cynical of the field. Most of it is speculation with ulterior motives, although the practice was founded on compassion.

I have found a lot of evidence for your ideas. I also have found a lot of places to get help. Drugging me up took away my delisions, but also took away all my joy. Few professionals were able to help me much. I may have been so sick in the mind that I intimated them--they needed to medicate me to keep me at bay.

I found support, understanding, and useful advice in selfhelp groups like 12-step organizations and Recovery, Inc. Much of what was said in those places was not smooth and organized. Rather it was full of emotion, but also truth. Probably what benefited me most from these groups was that I was shown that the system worked. I was given hope. I saw people that were succeeding at every, single meeting. I've had a great life, and my present life is pretty stable. But, I have not forgotten where my help came from. I continue to return to AA meetings to demonstrate that yes the program works and that a better life is possible.

I found that my success at fighting my mental illness had to be based on my effort. No colored pills or words from a professional were going to change me overnight. People do not like what I have to say. We are all conditioned in our culture to just shop around until we come upon an easy cure. There are easy cures for some people. However, I never found any. Some people do not do well with medication. It may boil down to how many years are we willing to shop around to look for magic.
Good Luck,
Jim S

Jims--

You have a really good point that I discovered as well on my way to recovery (depression) and also my husband's--even with good help, it is up to the will of the person to do the work and commit to changing and helping themselves--which is what alot of groups like AA are about, too. Many people think that is harsh, or judgemental (implying that it is due to weakness or something wrong with them that they have a mental disorder) but I think it is (and mean it as) actually empowering--you don't have to depend soley on something else to help you.

In response to alabaster, I am not sure what your experiences are, but I think while there are a great many good therapists and psychiatrists out there, there are poor and unintelligent ones too (like any profession).

Also, due to the nature of the treatment, the doctor has to be a good match in personality and value systems. Otherwise, it can be frustrating and more harm than good.

Also, I am not sure if many people realize or have the wherewithal at the time (due to illness) to realize that they can "shop around" for the best fit for them, and not settle with a doctor-patient relationship that does not work--even if they do not have much money.

That's just my two cents!

I very much agree with everything that has been said so far. Good mental health professionals are so hard to find.