Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Have You Ever Been in Psychotherapy, Doctor?

By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.
Published: February 19, 2008
A curious thing happened to one of my psychiatric residents not long ago. One of his patients caught him off guard with a challenging question: “Have you ever been in psychotherapy yourself?”
"...Psychiatrists who have had the humbling experience of therapy themselves know something of what it feels like to be a patient — the sense of frustration, anxiety and dependence it entails.
As such, they can better understand the emotional reactions patients have to their illness — and to their doctors.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the kind of psychiatrist I would want taking care of me."

When Doctors Become Patients

A new book talks about what happens when doctors navigate the medical system as patients.
Published: February 8, 2008
From the article:
"When doctors get sick, they discover fissures in the health system that they didn’t know existed. They learn that seemingly small annoyances they never paid attention to as doctors — like long waiting times or a broken television in a hospital room — really are a big deal when you are the patient. Even doctors who thought of themselves as compassionate recognize they can do better once they experience life as a patient."


Books on Doctors as Patients and a few on the Doctor-Patient Relationship