Why This Blog?

I thought that a blog written by a psychiatrist who has no stake in bashing psychiatry and who has successfully treated patients for over two decades is long overdue. In the absurd world of today's media and their completely unrealistic portrayal of psychiatry and psychiatrists, political arguments can be advanced against the field and that leads to a rapid acceleration of bashing of the field fueled by others who frequently don't know a thing about psychiatry. I plan to post a few examples in the days that follow about that process and also about the political motivations for that process.

I also do not want to set myself up as a guru or somebody who is unique. That is often the viewpoint taken by critics of the field. At this point in my career, I personally know hundreds of technically competent psychiatrists who are every bit as skilled as me. In fact, I like to provide the example of a patient who came to see me for geriatric consultation. At the end of the visit she produced a previous evaluation from a colleague who trained with me at the University of Minnesota. That note right down to the diagnostic evaluation and plan was identical to what I had in my handwritten notes to that point.

Finally, the viewpoints expressed here are probably not mainstream psychiatry. Psychiatrists in general like to avoid conflict and attempt to resolve problems in a non confrontational manner. Physicians in general seem to ascribe to this tactic. While I agree completely that it is necessary to be neutral in all interactions at a clinical level, that does not extend to politics - especially in an era where an activist government and a managed care cartel are restricting psychiatric care at a much higher rate than they are restricting access to medical and surgical care.

What follows here is strictly my opinion and not the opinion of any of my current or past employers or of my professional associates.