Does It Bother You?

[craigos25]

I have seen some amazing results with ECT. Although the procedure is daunting to watch, it certainly can make a HUGE difference!

[ben_]

ECT is not barbaric, it is simply unfamiliar. The fact that its method of operation is not fully understood doesn't help public perception of the treatment. Another reason it has become symbolic of the unfeeling psychiatric establishment that exists in the popular imagination is its unlovely portrayal in fiction (such as Plath's The Bell Jar or the film Requiem for a Dream). As far as we can tell, ECT works.

As to the scientific basis of psychiatry, this is a very interesting topic. The issue of whether psychiatric disorders are "scientific" or not goes to the root of the interaction between mind and brain. Physicalist philosophers believe that the states of the mind are directly connected to (or "are supervenient on") the states of the brain. Although there is much disagreement on this point, my personal opinion is that it is probably true - neurology teaches us that physical degeneration corresponds with mental degeneration.

If we accept this point, then it would be logical to think that the unusual thoughts and feelings which we associate with psychiatric disorder have a basis which is observable through scientific observation. This is the underlying supposition of the emergent field of neuropsychiatry - that faulty perceptions of the world ("people on the bus are laughing at me", "a disembodied voice is giving me instructions", "the psychiatrist is controlling my thoughts") are related to a dysfunction in the brain itself.

However, this conclusion is complicated when we include other conditions that have traditionally been lumped in with psychiatric disorder - for example, depression or anorexia. These conditions can be fairly said to be social in origin, and do not necessarily result from a faulty perception of the world. In fact, it may be that these "disorders" result from the individual attempting to achieve a goal which is rational in itself - for example, securing more attention for him/herself, or attempting to conform to a certain standard of beauty.

In my opinion, there is a valid field to be made out of psychiatry - but it is not the one that exists now; which for historical reasons occupies a strange hinterland between neurodysfunctional and social maladies. Is it any wonder that it doesn't perform especially well at dealing with either?

[hXc Medic]

I've been taking ritalin for a while now...best thing that ever happened to me :P

[litte_puffin]

I used to think ECT was barbaric, something from one floo over the cuckoo's nest then i watched it being done and witnesses the results. If i was ever severely depressed or had severe post natal depression i want definitely want ECT sooner rather than later.

[Henrik88]

Does it Bother me? That some people, who i find, i cannot hide this, profoundly ignorant dismiss the field of psychiatry and cannot reckognize its importance, No it doesnt bother me in the slightest.

I have a mother who has recently become diagnosed Paranoid Schizophrenic, about 4 years ago now i suppose, it feels recent although i suppose it is no longer quite.

Having grown up with the most loving caring single-mother and then watch her fall into alcoholism and in the end fall prey to paranoid schizophrenic thoughts, watching one of the most beloved persons to me in this world suffer so greatly made me realize that one of the most important fields one could ever undertake would be to help people combat mental illness.

Knowing what i know, that this field has sicknesses so pervasive and utterly overwhelming to everything reminiscent of life to the persons hit by it, i know that this field has every right to grow into something much grander a field than it is yet.

I feel the doctors responsiblity and foremost task is to heal and remove or alleviate pain where possible, and i know that the psyche of humans is one of the places where we can be hit the worst, yet left so sorely alone fighting an uphill battle and left to rot in darkness

[crajee]

What bothers me about psychiatry is that I want to use my medical degree and knowledge to help those in third world countries (esp. India), those suffering in their countries for political reasons, etc.... and I am not sure how significant (looking at the bigger picture) psychiatry would be for those who are suffering physically due to a lack of immunisations, proper healthy diets and broken arms and legs...

I am not for one second saying that psychiatry is useless, because I know it isn't. And I am not saying that those in third world countries and those suffering from the effects of war are not mentally affected or anything, because I know they would be... I just honestly don't know how much of a priority psychiatry would be for active, hands-on help...

... am I making any sense? :/

I guess it comes down to your interests and how you would want to help, at the end of the day... but if anyone has any thoughts on this, it'd be much appreciated!

[Alaina]

What bothers me about psychiatry is that I want to use my medical degree and knowledge to help those in third world countries (esp. India), those suffering in their countries for political reasons, etc.... and I am not sure how significant (looking at the bigger picture) psychiatry would be for those who are suffering physically due to a lack of immunisations, proper healthy diets and broken arms and legs...

I am not for one second saying that psychiatry is useless, because I know it isn't. And I am not saying that those in third world countries and those suffering from the effects of war are not mentally affected or anything, because I know they would be... I just honestly don't know how much of a priority psychiatry would be for active, hands-on help...

... am I making any sense? :/

I guess it comes down to your interests and how you would want to help, at the end of the day... but if anyone has any thoughts on this, it'd be much appreciated!

Hey, I know exactly what you're trying to get at! In 3rd world countries when people are dying, mental illnesses (that are treated with even more skepticism in those countries) are the bottom of the list when it comes to healthcare. I am increasingly being drawn to the field of mental health, although I am yet to have any real experience of it, but my future plans were to work abroad as well. I suppose families of people in 3rd world countries would benefit from social/psychological aid, in which case psychiatry may be a feature? But overall, I think it is a larger field in more developed countries.

Alot of people tend to frown when I tell them I'd be interested in psychiatry, and tend do have the opinion of 'but there's nothing you can really do for them' or 'itd be so depressing'.
Part of the draw for me is that there is still SO much to be done in this field. And I cannot wait to explore it more when we get to study a bit of mental health this upcoming semester

I think possibly alot of the negativities stem from ignorance.

[Gizmo says -]

I've been doing a psych placement recently and was shocked to discover ECT is still used!!! To me that seems barbaric, what do you guys think of this?

it works, though.
trepanning, it aint.

[truthbknown]

I changed majors when I could not find the scientific side to this science. It is based upon opinion and not facts. A fact is something that can be proven, duplicated by others with the same result. Brain scans to determine mental illness are purely conjecture. Current studies show the brain has the ability to remap itself, therefore changing the activity and area in use. The killer on my interest was watching an experienced psychiatric researcher, after being handed several brain scans performed in the same manner he had diagnosed mental illness. He could not discern the healthy from unhealthy mental conditions. Psychiatry is subjective at best.
How can you claim a chemical imbalance without doing any chemical analysis? I'm not the kind of man who could take someones money for performing a service that is not as it is represented.
caveat ēmptor

[pjm123]

I completely disagree with the idea that psychiatry is unscientific in comparison to other medical science. In fact, it can be far more precise, especially when you consider neurosis.

"More is known about neurosis than is known about the vast majority of human disorders," M Scott Peck (a psychiatrist). Using psychoanaysis you can trace the exact origins of a neurotic symptom down to the specific time, place and nature of the event.

If someone develops lung cancer you can diagnose and attempt to treat it. Can you say exactly when and why it developed? You can only really make assumptions by using potential risk factors. Not very exact is it? There are hundreds of other examples of lack of precision in medicine. Take anaesthesia! Propofol, (recently made famous by Michael Jackson) is a commonly used inducing agent, however we still have no idea how it works. All we know is that it does. The rest is speculation. You'll find this is true of a lot of anesthetic drugs and there are loads more examples of seemingly precise medical science in every medical specialty

Furthermore, i completely reject the idea that being a psychiatrist is more depressing than being a doctor because you are "powerless to treat and cure most mental illness." Most doctors are unable to cure disease. Treatments are quite often ineffective.

Finally, the idea that psychiatry is an unimportant specialty is quite obviously ridiculous. 1 in 4 people suffer from mental illness. Surely 1 in 4 doctors should be a psychiatrist? That may be hyperbolic, but you can understand my logic. Do you not think people in third world countries suffer from mental illness? The fact that mental illness often has a huge stigma attached to it makes people in those countries especially vulnerable.

Don't fall prey to the scientific dogmatism and professional discrimination that many doctors are guilty of! Psychiatry is a fascinating, fulfilling and scientifically based discipline.