Here are both the original article and the review in “Mad in America,” a fairly radical review of opposing viewpoints in psychiatry which, I am often downright embarrassed to have to agree with.
The two German psychologists are right. Their initial assertions are unquestionable, Mental illness is going up indescribably quickly. Psychotropic medication is going up indescribably quickly. Read more on Biological Psychiatry…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, depression, Diagnosis, Disease, Education, medicine, News by on Jul 30th, 2018. Comment. 
My preceptor — the professor who was responsible for teaching me about psychopharmacology — continuously complained about “polypharmacy.”
I would roll my eyes heavenward and give him one of my usual “clever” retorts like,”Who the heck is she? Your cleaning lady, maybe??” Read more on What We Do With Antidepressants…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, depression, Diagnosis, Disease, Education, News, prescription drugs, Psychotherapy, Research by on Jul 20th, 2018. Comment.
She is confused and hurts but does not want to take the time to change her antidepressant now.
She tells me that all of her doctors, her pain management doctor and now her new consultation endocrinologist, are doing more and more of the same thing and it is making her worse. Read more on Doctors and Knowledge…
Filed under Diagnosis, Doctors, medical errors, medicine, News by on May 22nd, 2018. Comment.
I often think of Emma Bovary.
In 1856, Gustave Flaubert’s first novel was helped along in sales by a trial for obscenity. And yet the school of thought Flaubert embodied was called “literary realism.” Read more on Literature and Psychology…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, Brain, Diagnosis, Disease, medicine, News, Psychology by on May 17th, 2018. Comment.
I was not over 12 when my parents invited me to perform on the banjo which I played rather minimally for a family of synagogue friends.
I went straight to my best song, at that time “Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” by Peter, Paul and Mary. Read more on How Long Does This Continue?…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, depression, Diagnosis, Disease, Doctors, Education, life, Mental Illness, News by on May 13th, 2018. Comment.
I recently started seeing a patient whose previous psychiatrist ran him through absolutely every antidepressant drug that his (expensive) genetic testing suggested he would respond to. He had no improvement with any of them.
I will admit to having been an enthusiastic supporter of genetic testing not long ago. The science was sound on paper. Read more on Bipolar Genetics…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, Diagnosis, Doctors, medicine, Mental Illness, News, Psychiatrists by on May 9th, 2018. Comment.
America has created wonder drugs for the world.
Then it rendered them unusable.
Both antibiotics and corticosteroids are not what they once were. Read more on Meds To Cure (or Harm) The World…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, Diagnosis, Disease, Doctors, medicine, News by on Apr 23rd, 2018. Comment.
I remember when Sesame Street first came on the air, there was great concern that we were in effect “training” children to pay attention for shorter periods of time.
How could even the cleverst primary school teacher compete withthe live (often musical) fun and games with cute characters on Sesame Street? Well, I guess the kids grew up and they want stuff like these Resources for Stress and Mental Health. Read more on How Fast A Quick Fix?…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, Diagnosis, Doctors, News, Stress, Stress Relief by on Mar 11th, 2018. Comment.
Should I be inclined to comment on the physical or mental health of a public figure, I would need to start with a humongous disclaimer.
I suppose it is common decency that would force me to say I had never met the patient and/or had never been their doctor and/or had never had any access to their medical or psychiatric record. Read more on Approach, Not Author…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, Diagnosis, Disease, Doctors, medicine, Mental Illness, News, prescription drugs, Psychiatrists by on Feb 27th, 2018. Comment.
I recently had a patient who walked in to see me wearing a vintage Dior suit. I complimented her, of course, as I think that an ideal way to dress. She presented as powerful, and in control of her life.
She looked me straight in the eye, as if she were delivering me a deep and secret truth. Read more on Useless Phase For Today: “Chemical Imbalance”…