Mood Swings

A psychiatrist surveys the mind and the wider world.

by Dr. Nassir Ghaemi

God Syndrome

By Dr. Nassir Ghaemi on October 20, 2008 in Mood Swings

Doctors have the reputation for thinking that they are gods. I am not sure we mean to project that image; some of us do, but for others, I think, divinity may exist more in the head of the patient than the doctor. Read More

Destiny

Submitted by prophecy on October 21, 2008 - 4:11am.

I was just wondering if anyone believes in destiny?
www.GodYesOrN.com

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Thank you

Submitted by Vilda S Brannen, MS, LPC on October 21, 2008 - 9:14pm.

It is true those of us in the mental health field often find ourselves impotent when it comes to treating the illnesses that plague our patients/clients. It seems most often we must rely on a therapeutic alliance and a willingness within ourselves to simply listen to the hopes and fears of those we treat. We are not gods, but we can provide a safe place for our patients to express their frustrations regarding their treatment and hope for recovery.

When medications and interventions fail,we must continue to offer hope. Chuck Swindoll says it best: "Man/Woman can live about 40 days without food, about 3 days without water and not one minute without hope."

As practitioners, we cannot treat out of a spirit of power or fear, but rather rely on the alliance we have established with another human being--a human being helping another human being.

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Hello from a fellow PT blogger

Submitted by Toni Bernhard, J.D. on December 2, 2011 - 10:15am.

I greatly appreciated this article. Your honesty is refreshing. Yes, the practice of medicine is at least partially an art. I wish all doctors would acknowledge that fact and be able to admit that they can't always "fix" their patients.

I thought your readers might enjoy reading a post of mine on my encounters with doctors. The piece is titled, "The Stigma of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A debilitating illness leaves me no-win choices in the doctor's office."

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-straw-gold/201104/the-stigma...

Warmest wishes,
Toni Bernhard