Oh dear
It seems I've confused psychiatry with counselling. Fuzzy's post above does a pretty good job of explaining the difference. Apologies to anyone I may have offended. But despite this, some people have replied with the sort of answers I had in mind. Some of these are really good advice! I like helping out others by sharing whatever pearls of wisdom I have that may help them out or just cheer them up.

I agree that every person and every situation is different, but I find in practice that some of the things I say get said in many different situations and contexts, and I was just collecting together the things that have become a theme in much of my advice - be it to strangers on the fucking Interweb or friends I've known more than 20 years.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 29 Apr 2009, 23:01, Reply)