Hi, The state of things is the state of things. There are many ways to look at this problem and the first is: The state of things is the state of things. The world of medicine and the world is developing continually we are not in a perfect world yet. Much of the country does not have access to psychiatry at the level suggested here, even in many urban areas and certainly in many underserved areas. The standard statistic is that ½ of all psychiatry is done by general docs. General Doc’s, Family Practice, General Interests, GP’s, Pedestrians actually can and often do become very good at mental health care. Why? - They are not stupid. True there is a long way to go. But one can certainly criticize much of psychiatry for simply doing medication management and leaving the talking to the therapist. Many GP’s do the same thing but many don’t and many don’t have the option. Overall, from my perspective, the state of mental health care is still quite inadequate for lack of any real core theory, the overall core belief in much of society that medication alone can fix anything (it may in a few cases), and the myriad of types of practitioners. That said no doubt much medication is being prescribed in not optimal ways. It is also for sure that medication can be and is a great impediment to anyone getting “better” long term. This, however, we should not put solely at the feet of doctors but at the feet of society. These medications work otherwise people would not demand them, and demand them they do. These medications work well, often, but I believe only in the short term (And short term can be years. The question is when will, if ever, the use end?). When will the society in general try and actually figure out their emotional lives and care for one another?
- They often actually care about their patients.
- Their patients often want them to take care of all their needs.
- In any therapy the core ingredient is the therapeutic relationship and technique. Does the patient feel they are being cared for and being shown interest?
Brian Lynch
brianlynchmd.com
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