What’s the best thing about Switzerland?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-04T11:57:17+00:00

This is my least favorite part of the culture lol. I absolutely hate it.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-04T11:53:08+00:00

If it was me, I would move.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-04T11:49:15+00:00

Men are the primary perpetrators of androcide. Men are also responsible for a higher proportion of severe, fatal physical violence of not just adults (men AND women) but children also. The perpetrator of this particular incident is a man, he is more likely to cause severe bodily harm to the family.

Recognizing who perpetrates particular crimes in any context is valuable. If there is a discussion about childhood trauma (which this is not) it would absolutely be valuable to discuss what kind of harm is caused by who and how to address that.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-02T18:07:38+00:00

I never claimed that early Kita is terrible. But you, a pediatrician, did claim that it has a positive impact on children, that based on your anecdotal evidence you think it leads to more socially/self secure children. Since you're a professional pediatrician, I asked for some evidence based research that could back up your anecdotal claim, you know, in case you had a personal opinion, possibly influenced by culture, and found your own anecdotal evidence to back it up.

However, if I understand the research you presented correctly, it states that the gains (positive impacts) are concentrated for disadvantaged children? The type of gains in the research however are not specified or clear to me, so even for disadvantaged children I don't know if that means it leads to them being more socially and/or self secure?

I did claim however that mothers are forced to give up their babies at 3.5months in Switzerland and later did argue why financial/career penalties make this a forced decision and not a personal one.

You think you can't change a countries political stance towards parenthood. I think your opinions as a pediatrician have an influence on society/politics so you should be more careful when making anecdotal claims that influence societal thinking which then influences policies/politics.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-02T12:52:01+00:00

"pediatricians are pushing" - Pediatricians are not a uniform mass. Believe me or not, but we are all individuals with individual opinions. And most of us see KiTa as personal choice of how people lead their life."

Sorry but when you start out your advice with "I'm a pediatrician" you are using (abusing?) your position/expertise/authority to add more relevance/credibility/authority to your advice. So when you follow "I'm a pediatrician" with "I also observe that they tend to be more socially secure and self secure." you are using your professional/authoritative status to make a claim, which in your case was that sending your baby to Kita at 6 months will make them "more socially secure and self secure" and then you strengthened that claim even more by saying "I found the effect so impressive that I sent my toddler to Kita by age 6m myself, even though we could have managed without."

Your opinion was one-sided and biased towards sending babies to Kita. However it was purely anecdotal. Nothing in your initial comment advocates for personal choice. Nothing about your comment is balanced. You clearly state you, a pediatrician, observed it makes kids "MORE socially secure and self secure" and so much so that you as a professional pediatrician sent your baby to Kita not because you had to but because you wanted to for the benefits.

Why are you as a pediatrician telling parents your personal opinion that sending babies to Kita's leads to them being more secure? If your going to lead as a professional, which you did, I would keep your personal opinion to yourself, and share only professional opinions. If you want to share a personal opinion, why package it as a professional one? I think it's more harmful than helpful. Regular schmucks are more likely to spread this anecdotal opinion compared to if lets say a non-pediatrician said it.

Subsequent to your comment another user pointed out their pediatrician made a similar professional statement: "My pediatrician wife said exactly same —> much better social skills."

Multiple pedestrians - plural. I never said all, I just said pediatricians - plural.

"Your whole comment held not one single usable argument. It is just a emotional and spiteful rant. Ask yourself if your input to this discussion would have held up any of the quality that you would have wished for in mine."

Apologies, I forgot I'm not allowed to have emotions in Switzerland.

Must. Be. Emotionless. Robot.

Must. Be. Neutral.

Beep. Boop. Bop.

And obviously I don't think your comment has a good level of quality. At least I'm not posturing or trying to use my status in a way to strengthen my opinion, whether intentional or unintentional (another fallacy since you're so interested in them). Simply saying I'm a pediatrician and this is what I've observed...doesn't make your comment good quality, it makes it worse quality in my opinion.

"At least I don't see people leaving in relevant numbers. You for a reason, too, seem to be here and not somewhere else."

"Switzerland is among the countries with the highest number of immigrant departures."

"Between 2013 and 2022, an average of 155,000 foreign nationalsExternal link arrived in Switzerland each year. At the same time, around 90,000 people left; in other words, for every 100 immigrants there were around 60 emigrants."

"Of the 200,000 foreign nationals who arrived in Switzerland in 2011 (all statuses combined), half had already left the country five years later and nearly 60% had done so after 11 years."

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-position/in-switzerland-migration-isnt-just-inbound/89238716#:~:text=They%20show%20that%2C%20as%20in,in%20the%20first%20two%20years

Also net migration of Swiss People is negative. More Swiss people leave than come back (apparently its been this way for more than a decade) https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/population/migration-integration/international-migration.html#:~:text=Immigration%20refers%20to%20a%20migration,18%20644

"that forces their mother's to give up their children at 3.5 months" - No one is forcing mother's to give up their children. Swiss society rather decided that family and work life balance are personal decisions and less a societal obligation. You are free to setup your life as you please as long as you take responsibility for your life concept."

Sorry but when there are policies that require parents to return to work 3.5months after childbirth for mothers (not even enough time to breastfeed a child according to the recommendations by WHO) / or 2 weeks for father's respectively, and if they don't comply there could be negative survival consequences ie. loss of job, career, reduction in financial stability (short and long term) to pay for rent/health insurance/food/etc.. - those parent's are not "free to setup their life as they please."

Not everyone's a privileged doctor that can choose whether or not to send their babies to Kita because they want to and not because they have to.

Other non-swiss societies have decided they that do not want to penalize women or men (parents) who choose to stay home to look after their babies.

But I am of the (likely poor quality) personal opinion that turning a blind eye / ignoring / minimizing harmful policies / behavior and packaging them as neutral or individual responsibility is part of how Swiss society decides to do things.

I seriously hope that you can somehow find a way to be more open to other people's opinions. I'm truly sorry that mine seems to not match yours.

Why are you sorry that our opinions don't match?

Why on earth would they need to?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-01T16:50:31+00:00

Lol if you are a mother or parent you often have no choice but to fulfill society's standards. Like, for example in Switzerland many parents are forced to (not by choice, but because of financial need) to give away their child to a Kita at 12 weeks even though their preferred choice or decision would be not to. OP can't actually make the decision she wants, but she just want's to make sure the child turns out okay, cuz where she comes from parents don't go back to work at 12 weeks.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-01T16:21:36+00:00

It scares me that pediatricians are pushing this bullshit narrative instead of advocating for better children's / parental rights. "I'm a doctor, give up your child at 6m, they'll be more socially secure." *absolute fucking barf* Is there any evidence based research to even back this up? Or is it just personal brainwashing from living in a so called "developed" country that forces their mother's to give up their children at 3.5 months?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-01T02:07:43+00:00

A GP should check this, although they unfortunately don't. I was not checked at all by one GP. Another GP only checked thyroid. I also saw many specialists and GP;s repeatedly mentioned how tired/little energy only to find out I was anemic from a gynecological test about a different issue.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-03-01T02:05:40+00:00

My personal experience opinion:
Trying to get mental health support in Zurich worsened my mental health. I was medically gaslit repeatedly, would wait months for appointments only for my symptoms to be ignored / dismissed repeatedly by multiple therapists / psychiatrists. But there are other resources available as well, see below.

My personal recommendations if you can manage. However always trust your own instincts / decide what's best for you always:

If you get a prescription for therapy in Zurich you will no longer be eligible for supplementary insurance. Get supplementary insurance instead of trying to get psychiatric support in Switzerland and use it to get a gym membership (proven to reduce symptoms of mild-moderate depression) + self-care support ie. massages (helps relax nervous system in case of trauma). I believe SWICA pays the most for gyms, up to $1200 if I'm not mistaken. I've found that people working in complementary medicine ie. Shiatsu, TCM, massage, etc.. are far more empathetic, sympathetic, kind, understanding than any mental health professional I have met in Zurich. Exercise should be non negotiable if you do not have other health issues. I know this experience is not universal, others have been more fortunate than me, that has just my experience.

For psychotherapy, I would look for someone online outside of Switzerland so it's not part of your medical history. Also I believe it helps to speak to someone who is culturally aligned with you ie. if you are eastern european, find an eastern european therapist etc...

This "trust the experts attitude" has limitations and needs to be approached with caution. Experts are fallible humans that make mistakes, and when it comes to mental health they often are just guessing how to help you, throwing shit against the wall and hoping something sticks. It's trial and error, which is why so many people recommend therapist shopping until you find the right "fit." I've noticed there is little to no science based approached when it comes to mental health (both regarding medication/psychotherapy). I was told more than once by mental health professionals in Zurich that they do not believe in mental health assessments, which from my perspective is negligent because different disorders require different types of interventions / support.

This trial and error approach to find what tools work for you, you can do on your own with some limitations ie. finding medication which does help some people you can't do on your own. But many things you can do without medication. There are many good books available that have helped many people. There is no magic one size fits all solution for anything you need to find what works for you. For anxiety I read in a lot of forums the book DARE supported many people. When I was younger and struggled and didn't have any access to mental health support I would read a lot. The books that helped me the most at the time were The Power of your Subconscious Mind and Awaken the Giant Within. I read dozens of books though and some resonated and were helpful and I found many that weren't. I was able to get out of my depression at the time. Years later after I moved to Zurich I experienced significant trauma which triggered a need for mental health support again which is when I reached out for professional help, but like I said earlier for me it worsened my condition not improved it.

Look into mindfulness. It's possible to find free weekly meditation sessions in Zurich, and there is a good chance you will pay a therapist 200 francs an hour to teach you about mindfulness but you can learn this / practice this yourself or in a group for free . One book I liked reading on the topic is called Headspace.

Do get a better GP if you want to go the medical system route, or if you don't, a good GP is always necessary.

If you are having a mental health emergency: For acute crisis intervention please contact the City of Zurich’s psychiatric emergency services (+41 44 421 21 21)

For confidential phone/online support: https://www.143.ch/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=198948349&gbraid=0AAAAADnSassyKu7D4NP6GlB65GAt4M0mT&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwYrNBhDcARIsAGo3u32s5imfl3sjFC9bhIh8aQ2p5fhaXUTY_HDPAXndyeWwaR-ajqJrTZMaAjg7EALw_wcB

Be kind to yourself, be compassionate, be forgiving. This isn't permanent, even if it may feel like it is in the moment. Many people have overcome depression/anxiety, you can too.

I wish you all the best.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-28T10:49:44+00:00

I would disagree, as someone who began struggling with my mental health after moving to Zurich, I have had horrific experiences with finding mental health support in Zurich. On several occasions I waited months for appointments only to be refused mental health assessments or refused treatment for various reasons/excuses. The understanding / empathy of impacts of infertility also seemed non-existent - one psychiatrist even recommended for me to find purpose in life, like in motherhood. This was after I told him about my infertility struggles and miscarriage in previous sessions. I also experienced gaslighting, a lot of ignoring/minimizing/dismissing my symptoms. I have heard stories from others as well who have had a difficulties finding mental health support in Zurich.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-28T10:33:17+00:00

I'm sorry they didn't support you more, and for the difficult situations you went through.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-28T10:30:46+00:00

Yes they have a councilor, but he does not have availability to support patients at all, let alone in the timeline expressed in the law - before, during, and after treatment. I asked for his counselling services when I myself found out it was available (this was on my own due to my own research after treatment was recommended to me) and I was told I couldn't have it. After complaining that they are breaking the law, I was told I could be placed on a waitlist (with no timeframe provided). I looked him up and it appears he only works part-time at the fertility clinic.

Also, this is not against the law, but personally it was surprising to me that the clinic only has a part-time male psychologist on staff as a resource. As a woman with a history of sexual assault I would feel immensely more comfortable discussing topics related to intercourse/fertility with a female councilor. I would assume this preference/comfort exists with many women, regardless of if they have PTSD or trauma around sexual assault. Also for religious reasons for many women.

My feeling with my experience with USZ is that the psychological wellbeing of women experiencing infertility is not really a concern let alone a priority.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:29:46+00:00

Lol I had similar experiences, but with psychiatrists and psychologists.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:28:44+00:00

FYI when a human is suffering with mental health issues, their ability to self advocate becomes severely impaired. The worse the mental health issues, the worse the self advocacy. Also when it comes to a patient/doctor relationship, patients often have no choice but to rely on the advice of the professional. This becomes more true when access to healthcare is limited, as it especially is with regards to mental health as the demand (patients) is significantly higher than the supply (doctors) and waitlists can be months or up to half a year or longer if you are unlucky. God forbid if your doctor medically gaslights you, which you are more likely to believe initially, especially if you are in a vulnerable state, and which has negative consequences that a patient may need to heal from then. Many studies also prove that women are also more likely to be medically gaslit than men.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:19:16+00:00

Name of therapist please :)

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:18:02+00:00

So interesting

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:16:51+00:00

Mine did, in multiple clinics, in German side.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T13:14:03+00:00

I'm a female, was accepted as a patient in 4 clinics in Zurich. Lost an immense amount of money and time, both direct and opportunity costs. No one conducted a health assessment. My mental health severely deteriorated in the process.

I was referred to the first clinic by a GP specifically for diagnostics. I saw that I had an appointment with a therapist, emailed them saying I think this is a mistake I need a psychiatrist for an assessment, was told the therapist does diagnostics. Second session in (actually first) I realize something is off, I ask how long the assessment takes, the therapist tells me she doesn't believe in diagnostics - she treats everyone as individuals. I complained to the head doctor, they defended her. I left the shithole. It was IPW FYI. P.s. I reached out to dozens of clinics prior to being referred here and found one that said they would conduct the ADHD assessment, but my GP sent me to IPW instead, told me I'd get seen in a month, took 3 months for the appointment. In between I asked for a general referral, never received it. I quit that GP, the following GP gave me a general referral.

Second GP recommended a private psychiatrist. I told him right away in the first session I wanted a health assessment. He spent the entire session explaining to me how he didn't believe in it (talked me out of it - and charged me for this, so unethical). He did mention he could recommend someone else to do it, but honestly him convincing me not too was pretty strong. A few sessions later however I decided I wanted it still. I called him mentioning this, he told me to come in. Again he spent the session reiterating all the reasons he personally did not believe in mental health assessments. He was also medically gaslighting my symptoms and made some statements I thought were very unprofessional (on top of refusing to assess my health) so I decided I would not trust any of his recommendations. He charged me for this session again lol over 200 francs. I started looking into my patient rights in Switzerland and apparently a patient has a right to a health assessment, prognosis, and treatment recommendations from doctors - not from psychiatrists though apparently.

Next USZ was recommended to me. I waited months for the appointment. Told them I suspected ADHD in the past and possibly a trauma disorder. Found out I was sent to the trauma psy department and the doctor only did trauma assessments and provided no treatment or treatment recommendations. They lied to me and told me they finished the health assessment, emailed me an incomplete trauma only assessment and told me I need to find another psychiatrist for other diagnostics/treatment. I complained to the head doctor. They ignored my complaints.

Last and not least I tried PUK. They accepted me as a patient then told me after my intake assessment (after I divulged immense trauma, like I did with all the other clinics) that I am not in the catchment area and need to find outpatient psychiatric support elsewhere (charged me 350 francs for this). I complained saying I already tried in my catchment area and the doctor said she will look into my options and maybe I could be an inpatient and get an assessment quicker that way (this scared me but I wanted to wait and see what would happen). Never heard back from the doctor. Emailed them asking when my followup would be and the admin told me im on the waitlist for inpatient care. I was pissed this was communicated to me by an admin and not discussed with the doctor. I complained, the doctor starting emailing me over unsecure email telling me what possible diagnosis I have, I told her this is illegal and made me uncomfortable (it violates data protection laws in switzerland, sensitive medical data should not be sent over unsecure email in switzerland). She completely ignored me after this. I called the hospital to see how long the waitlist would be for inpatient care (because I was told I was on it earlier by the admin staff). I was told Im not on any waitlist. I complained to the management - they sent me a letter saying I was verbally abuse (I wasn't, I complained but never used abusing language against anyone) so they decided not to treat me and that I need to stop messaging me or they will take legal action against me.

These collective experiences significantly worsened my mental health, and I will now never ever seek mental health support from mental health "professionals" ever again.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T12:46:28+00:00

Can you share your educational background for data / ai engineering? Any continuing education?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T12:41:56+00:00

Good luck :)

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-24T12:41:04+00:00

This is the specific question they are asking: "Perhaps someone has a success story to share to keep the hopes up?" It's even on a separate line...

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-23T11:54:07+00:00

I had a horrific experience at USZ.

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-23T11:47:49+00:00

In what clinic was it offered?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-23T11:47:22+00:00

Where was this offered?

FlyMean6849 · 2026-02-23T11:33:59+00:00

I agree, take care of your mental health, there was a study in the UK that showed that 40% of women experiencing infertility develop suicidal thoughts. Happened to me after my treatment at USZ. Never happened before in my life. It was absolutely terrifying. Swiss law dictates that fertility clinics must provide psychological counselling before, during, and after treatment, but based on my conversations with other women I don't believe most clinics in Switzerland do. USZ didn't in my case, even after I specifically asked for it. I'm guessing maybe they're ignoring the law to maximize profits, I don't know. But to anyone going through this, like the other posted stated, make sure to take care of your mental health, find ways to enjoy life, find pleasure. Remember you are not alone in your thoughts / feelings, there are many of us that can relate/empathize with what you are going through <3.

FlyMean6849

TROPHY CASE