Psychiatry And Anti-Psychiatry

Psychiatry used to be a biopsychosocial profession that allowed time to get to know the person, not just treat the symptom. But drastic cuts in the funding of mental health services have dramatically reduced the quality of the service they can provide. Psychiatrists are now forced to follow very large panels of patients. Most of the limited time they are allowed with each is spent discussing symptoms, adjusting the meds, and determining side effects. Little time is left to forge a healing relationship, provide support, and teach skills through psychotherapy. And patients usually get to a psychiatrist- if at all- as a last resort, only after other things have failed- and with the expectation by the patient and referral source that the main purpose of the visit is just to prescribe medication. Psychiatrists didn't invent this system, but they have to live within it (except for those whose patients can pay out of pocket for much more personalized care). Most psychiatrists do a good job of diagnosis, prescribing meds, and providing support. Of course, some are incompetent- every profession has its great practitioners, its boobs, and the full spectrum in between. Results overall for psychiatric treatment are good. The majority of patients improve at rates equal to, or above, those achieved by doctors treating medical illness. But, as in the rest of medicine, a significant minority of patients don't improve at all and a small minority get worse. Treatment failure may be due to th...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news