Many years ago, Paul J. Fink, M.D. was head of the American Psychiatric association, and made a remark in a speech which I have never forgotten, although I can’t find the text of the original speech.
He said something to the effect that prostitution and psychiatry had the same problem — the amateurs think they are as good as the professionals.
I can’t give any kind of a reasonable assessment of how this would apply to professional prostitutes. It seems to me as if there is a tremendous amount of information available to anyone who seeks it with assiduity. Besides, I am unaware of structured training, university degrees, or licensure or any kind of proof of skill for professional prostitutes.
As for psychiatrists, I am constantly amazed by how many people are unaware of what we really do. Misinformation abounds in the media, films especially. Read more on Leave Medical Comments Out Of Politics…
Filed under Doctors, News, politics, Psychiatrists by on May 22nd, 2014. Comment. 
I was poking around, looking for what is brewing in psychopharmacology; a field I am no longer particularly proud I spent a lot of time studying and working in. Strange, or maybe not so strange, that I’ve met both of the principals allegedly involved in this pharmacological ghostwriting scandal.
I saw Dr. Schatzberg when he led various sessions at a large professional meeting on the coast. My main memory of him is that he looked tired, maybe even a bit depressed. I was told I had to write a lot of articles and do a lot of research projects, so maybe someday when I grew up I could do this kind of work. I was told, often and a lot, that I had plenty enough neurons, so it would only take work, and a lot of it. Dr. Nemeroff actually came to Kansas between visits to the coasts. He was friends with my preceptor in psychopharmacology. He came to speak at our grand rounds, where we were awe struck by the large amount of patients seen, as well as the large amount of numbers and lovely statistics.
Filed under big pharma by on Dec 27th, 2012. Comment.