Welcome to Planet Psychiatry
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Editor’s Note: This piece is an edited excerpt from the author’s 2020 book, Butchered by Healthcare.
Most physicians view psychiatrists as somewhat feral animals. We suspect with some justification that many of their ideas are hot air. Unlike any other specialty, psychiatrists take care of people with normal labs and radiologic tests. They keep only patients with purely subjective problems. Psychiatrists pass patients with “organic” issues such as thyroid disease to others. These are the ones with identifiable physical signs, symptoms, and tests. Likewise, psychiatrists base treatment outcomes solely on their theories and observing patient behavior rather than on measurable, objective results.