Don’t abandon psychotherapy

I was surprised that I did not see my first choice of challenges to psychiatry on Dr. Nasrallah’s list: psychiatrists doing “med checks” and ignoring psychotherapy. This trend is bad for patients and psychiatrists.

Our relationship with patients is what allows healing to begin. Medications are fertilizer for the barren soil, and psychotherapy is the hard work of planting and tending the fields. We kid ourselves when we think medications are going to “fix” people.

Craig Heacock, MD
Fort Collins, CO

I was surprised that I did not see my first choice of challenges to psychiatry on Dr. Nasrallah’s list: psychiatrists doing “med checks” and ignoring psychotherapy. This trend is bad for patients and psychiatrists.

Our relationship with patients is what allows healing to begin. Medications are fertilizer for the barren soil, and psychotherapy is the hard work of planting and tending the fields. We kid ourselves when we think medications are going to “fix” people.

Craig Heacock, MD
Fort Collins, CO

I was surprised that I did not see my first choice of challenges to psychiatry on Dr. Nasrallah’s list: psychiatrists doing “med checks” and ignoring psychotherapy. This trend is bad for patients and psychiatrists.

Our relationship with patients is what allows healing to begin. Medications are fertilizer for the barren soil, and psychotherapy is the hard work of planting and tending the fields. We kid ourselves when we think medications are going to “fix” people.

Craig Heacock, MD
Fort Collins, CO