CBC, Opinion:"Psychiatrists don't know all. Sometimes, they need to defer to..."

CBC website, March 27/19, Opinion section:

"Psychiatrists don't know all. Sometimes, they need to defer to patients' lived experiences"

"A recent study supports what patients have long said: they are being weaned off antidepressants too quickly"

https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/antidepressant-weaning-1.5069789 

O, right

Nope

They'll accuse you of being in denial about your 'condition' (there's a name for that that escapes me now...agnosia? Something like that).

Everyone knows you can't believe anything a crazy person says.

Try again....

Psychiatrist don't know all.

Psychiatrists aren't experts at anything. In the first place, the DSM manual is an absolute sham in my opinion. It seems to add more and more mental disorders, and one wonders whether just being a human with emotions will be on their list next.

Psychiatrists certainly aren't experts on pills. They have no knowledge of what pills do to an individual system. And pills are the very foundation of their practice.

I would go so far as to say that without deferring to patients' experiences, they have no true knowledge base whatsoever.

This part is so important:

Listening to patients

Fortunately, many physicians are pushing back against medical paternalism and antiquated ways of thinking. Perhaps we should reframe the dialogue to be something like: "Don't confuse your couple of hours worth of lecture on antidepressants with my lived experience of taking them for many years."

Truly listening to our patients requires us to step back from clinical dogma and defer to their lived expertise. Improving communication between doctors and patients can actually improve outcomes.

Many physicians are trained within a bygone version of the "medical model," which emphasizes a counterproductive dichotomy between doctors and patients. Yet a number of psychiatrists from my generation are speaking up about shifting toward more holistic, recovery based, and trauma-informed approaches treatment. A future where psychiatrists can be more for our patients is possible, but only if we take the time to reflect on what makes us the experts.

Yes, I agree, Lapis!!

And that goes for ALL doctors. I'm certainly glad that psychiatrists are recognizing this. It's unfortunate that a lot of the studies that doctors would read to get information are tainted with conflict-of-interest issues and pharmaceutical meddling, which makes it very difficult to get valid information. Listening to patients would certainly help!!

Truly listening to our patients requires us to step back from clinical dogma and defer to their lived expertise.  :thumbsup: