October 2011
September 2011
“In response to a string of at least 10 unsolved sexual assaults in Brooklyn, New York police are reportedly stopping women on the street who are wearing clothing they say is revealing and advising them to cover up if they don’t want to be raped.”
—
Oh, okay. (via synecdoche)
(via aatombomb)
Glenn Beck To Launch Children's TV Show →
npr.org
Hide your kids.
Hello! So as I mentioned before, I'm studying to become a psychiatrist. I'd really like to have a conversation with you about this - did you mention that you had some issues with psychiatry? (And I'm not trying to start an argument, I just haven't had anyone to discuss my career with before.) I know a lot of people argue that we're becoming too medicated as a society, but how do you stand on it?
Hi! I love dialogue about this kind of stuff!
I do have some issues with psychiatry. However, I’m not going to go all Tom Cruise on anyone and proclaim that psychoactive drugs are crutches. From a personal standpoint, I truly believe that medication shouldn’t be the first option. There are many psychotherapies that have tons of evidence to support their efficacy. Many people rush into medication because that’s all they are aware of, and that’s all the doctors do for them. People want quick fixes, and are not willing to put the work into truly changing behaviors. Additionally, we have been seeing a change in the view of psychological disorders. More and more research is highlighting the rewiring of neural networks and deemphasizing the role of neurotransmitters.
Saying all that, there are many circumstances that medication must be used as a first option. There are times we need to use medication just to get the individual to a point where they can go to therapy and get the most out of it. There are obviously many populations that benefit greatly from medication, and many that need medication . I’m not against medication at all, I just think we should examine every individual on a case-by-case scenario and evaluate if they should try a psychotherapy first before medication. This is more of an assessment issue and really depends on whether an individual goes to see a medical doctor first, or a psychologist.
My problems with psychiatry vary from issue to issue. While there are psychiatrists that prescribe medication AND perform psychotherapy, I have noticed less and less of them doing this anymore. Currently in our healthcare debacle, it appears that psychiatrists are used mainly for medication management. Individuals see a psychologist for therapy, and then get referred to psychiatrist to get their medication. I just think a lot of that should be eliminated. I have always been a proponent of training clinical psychologists for prescription privileges, so we can streamline mental healthcare for our patients. I also believe that psychiatry as a discipline needs to place more emphasis on psychotherapy. We have seen time and time again in the research literature that psychotherapy + medication almost always results in the best outcome. Primary care doctors are so overloaded they might just hand you a prescription for a psychoactive drug and never see you again (as they did with me). This is dangerous, and inefficient.
So there’s a little about my views on psychiatry (and primary care doctors as well). As a whole, I’m a centrist in the overmedicated society debate. We definitely prescribe too much, but we can not get rid of them as they are extremely helpful to some people, and get people to a point where they can start to work on their behaviors. I do think there needs to be a reemphasis on psychotherapy first, or at least in addition to medication.
(Oh and the American Psychiatric Association that writes the DSM definitely needs to let some psychologists in on their revisions for the DSM. They operate behind closed doors and do not let anyone in on their discussion. This is detrimental to the field because psychologists use this manual too.)
I wouldn’t advise you against psychiatry at all. I would advise you to keep psychotherapy as a mainstay in your practice and/or research though. There are many evidence-based therapies that are extremely effective.
Thoughts?
Do Humans Think Less Clearly When They Have To Urinate? →
huffingtonpost.com
Haha. This is why I love research. There is so much creativity expressed in research. It bewilders me that more professors do not emphasize the importance of creativity in a good researcher. Sometimes you can’t directly measure what you would like, so you have to think of ways around it.
The Ig Nobel is an award given to research that makes you laugh and may even be beneficial to society. This years winner: Peter Snyder of Brown University. He co-authored the paper “The Effect of Acute Increase in Urge to Void on Cognitive on Cognitive Function in Healthy Adults.” Read it here if you are interested.
Past winners have been honored for studying:
- Why toast falling off the breakfast table tends to land butter-side down.
- Peter Barss: “Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts”
- George and Charlotte Blonsky: who invented a device to help women give birth by spinning them at high speed>
- British Standards Institution, for publishing a six-page document specifying the proper way to make a cup of tea.
- Don Featherstone (1996 art prize, for creating the plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament).
- Dan Meyer (2007 medicine prize, for co-authoring the medical study “Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects”).
- Deborah Anderson (2009 chemistry prize for testing whether Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide).
- Hyuk Ho Kwon (1999 for inventing the self-perfuming business suit).
Your Tumblr is perfect. I'm studying right now to become a psychiatrist, and anything psychology related is my passion. I could not find a better blog to follow to get my psychology fix! Thank you!
Thank you! I have some harsh criticisms of psychiatry sometimes, but definitely open to dialogue. Yay for anything related to psychology.
When Your Therapist Is Only A Click Away →
nytimes.com
This is becoming more and more viable. I had a little post about this last month. The popularity of web-sessions is growing, along with some excitement about the use of technology in therapy as well as some growing concerns about the practice.
“In three years, this will take off like a rocket,” said Eric A. Harris, a lawyer and psychologist who consults with the American Psychological Association Insurance Trust. “Everyone will have real-time audiovisual availability. There will be a group of true believers who will think that being in a room with a client is special and you can’t replicate that by remote involvement. But a lot of people, especially younger clinicians, will feel there is no basis for thinking this. Still, appropriate professional standards will have to be followed.”
I am a proponent of this, but I can understand the trepidation of its opponents. There are serious confidentiality and legal issues that lie beneath this growing trend. However, I believe the most pertinent aspect of the quote above highlights the crux of the issue: older therapists and psychiatrists are less likely to embrace this. Medicine, psychiatry, and to a slightly lesser extent psychology, are all old boys’ clubs. This can be seen as a threat to their way of life, and their livelihood.
Click the link above to read the article and check out the link to my last post if you are interested in psychiatry, therapy, or counseling. This could be a part of your future studies and work.
Just letting you know that this blog is amazing. I really love it. I'm glad to have finally found a good psychology blog.
Thank you! I love me some psychology, so don’t be shy.
I am really glad you showed up on my tumblr radar.. I am a psychology student myself (just finishing up my bachelor) and I really really really like your blog!
Thanks! I just noticed that post on the radar. Very exciting.
Breathe
Alexi Murdoch
Breathe- Alexi Murdoch
Keep your head above water
But don’t forget to breathe
Very good advice.
So many little blue dots! Which one?
You can only see it on the high resolution version. It is just outside the well-defined rings, toward the top left. It looks like there is a reddish hash mark on each side of it.
