Posted by Peter S on March 9, 2011, at 12:51:52
In reply to NYT Article - Psychiatrist's rationalization$$, posted by jane d on March 9, 2011, at 0:08:58
My concern is not that psychiatrists no longer practice therapy, but what they practice is not really "medical science" in the sense that no one really knows how these medications work (or why they work for some but not others). Treating depression involves a crap shoot of trying a limited number of types of meds and combinations.
It seems like you really need very little training to practice psychopharmacolgy: "Here's an SSRI- oh that doesn't work- let's up the dose- let's try another- oh that one has bad side effects- let's try another- that one is pooping out- maybe let's add an atypical antipsyhotic like Abilify- oh that doesn't work- maybe a tricyclic? That doesn't work- let's go to an MAOI."
Basically there are only 3 classes of meds with some evidence that they treat depression. When you run out of these options- that's it. I don't blame psychiatrists- but it must be very frustrating to be dealing with such a limited hand.
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?ref=health&src=me&pagewanted=all
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> Also the comments at: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/less-talk-more-medicine/
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> There was an interesting, and fairly critical, profile in last Sunday's NY Times of a psychiatrist describing why he switched from doing talk therapy to just doing 15 minute med checks.
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> My own problem with this is not that he is using medication instead of talk therapy although that is the focus of a lot of the critical comments. I believe that the right medication at the right time can be a wonderful thing. But I can't see how he can actually do a decent job providing that in the limited time he is spending with his patients.
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> I found this article horrifying. The psychiatrist I saw didn't do this but he certainly sounds like many that have been described here. Is this really what most of them are like today? If so, why would anyone pay for this?
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poster:Peter S
thread:980286
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110220/msgs/980300.html