Handling “Too Convenient”

Handling “too convenient” encompasses the whole spectrum of quality, quantity, and cost. Maybe things shouldn’t be quick and easy every time.

A patient had a helluva time coming off their nicotine vape pen. Firstly, nicotine is not only super addictive, but putting it into a method without the hassle means that it’s a recipe for disaster. The world did not need an option of diminished hassle when it comes to acquiring and using nicotine. 

Standing outside in the extreme cold or heat. The lingering smell of smoke. Having to buy ever increasing costs of an item that can just end up smashed in your pocket. Yellowed fingers and teeth. All of these were nuances of cigarette smoking that “helped” make it less appealing.

Smoking cigarettes is naturally inconvenient, and this is the bargain smokers strike whenever they decide if the cigarette is worth it at the moment (aside from the known and reported negative side effects and health detriment of smoking).

This patient said they “had a helluva time” stopping vaping because it was “too convenient.”

Sometimes the easy-out and quick answer can be detrimental to your health. Go ahead and read that sentence again. We are conditioned to want only the best at the cheapest price in the quickest time. Instant gratification and unlimited choices in every type of product or service we can imagine seems like the greatest gift in the world, but the ramifications of such a “perfect” predicament are perilous at best.

Mental health practice has similar nuances. If there was a happy pill and one had access to their therapist 24/7, life would/could be grand, right?

Our brains are naturally designed to build heuristics. Brains love making shortcuts and building efficiencies. While we at Simply Psych are fans of efficiency, we err on the side of quality over quantity. The shortest route may indeed be the best route sometimes, but definitely not every time. Letting our brains grow and learn and develop so our cognition can find ways to minimize input to maximize output is part of evolving. But there are times these heuristic shortcuts can be individually and socially dangerous.

Take ADHD for example. The symptoms sound straightforward: trouble focusing, concentrating, paying attention. But when you put those concerns in an individual’s context (e.g. they just went through a breakup, family kicked them out, they just got a huge new promotion that is actually three separate jobs in one), there’s a pretty good reason for being distracted that is better explained than ADHD.

Yet there are mental health “mills” coming online that offer “fast and cheap” solutions to mental health problems. (We aren’t going to waste your time by showing any of these ads or naming the companies as we don’t want to give them any merit or attention. Just check your TikTok/Instagram/Facebook/Twitter feeds.)

As the saying goes, “Quality, Cost, or Convenience: Pick Two  (cuz you can’t have ‘em all).”

Simply Psych and our clients focus on quality first. We are experts in managing the back office functions for mental health experts: our clinicians. By providing the services to help therapists run a smooth, convenient practice (for both themselves and for the people they treat), financial returns are multiplied. So perhaps you actually can get all three?