Posted by Ritch on May 6, 2002, at 23:33:10
In reply to And HMOs help? Ritch.. ;O), posted by Uppendown on May 6, 2002, at 21:38:48
> Hey Mitch,
>
> I just wanted to add to what you're talking about... I'm sure you saw the article about the Amer. Psych. Ass. Annual Conference.. where P-docs were resigning at that conference, publicly denouncing the current HMO system that alows them 15 minute visits with their patients.. ( You spoke of this previously..). They said that they didn't spend all those years, getting all that training so that they could become "pill pushers" for the pharmo companies ! They said it was impossible under the current system to do any meaningful therapy, which made that option a non option. It is "pills", or nothing.
> And.. I do agree with you about the "cop-out" thing. I don't think the vast majority of folks that are taking meds for things that aren't "mental illness" are even aware of it. I think they truely and honestly are in pain.. I think they are honestly looking for help from "professionals"... but have no idea that the "help" they are getting is mis directed.. that they are being mis-diadnosed... As we have seen even here, recently, patients are being misdiagnosed all the time... and if they aren't educted enough to question the DX.. they get on that med tread mill.. They become card carrying members of "ClubMed" ! LOL!
>
>
> Just more thoughts... I think this is a serious problem ! Did you, by any chance, see 60 Minutes last night ? They had a story about Breast Cancer, where a doc said they thought *80%* of the people getting treatments for that were getting unneccessary treatment !! Think THAT through! So much unneccessary suffering...
>
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> UppendownHi,
That is interesting. No, I am unaware what was happening with the APA and pdocs complaining about 15 minute visits and HMO's. Well, historically speaking-that has been what pdocs have been relegated to be-meds folks (in the last 30 years anyhow). Obviously, you probably have two different batches of MD psychiatrists out there. One set is more interested in the psychology and the different therapy strategies to helping patients and the other is more like an internal medicine dude-and is happy to be considered a "psychopharmacologist" instead (give me SPECT scans, charts/input from the psychologist/SW "therapist", and I will make the med decisions in my 15 minute time-frame). I don't see great harm in that really. The tragedy is with the pdoc that spent all that $$$ and *doesn't* want to be a psychopharmacologist, but wants to get the premium daneiro and still do therapy, and is running into all of these barriers. Question is: Does the pdoc that can do all the hurdles and "barrier classes" of med school and be primarily interested in therapy be a truly *superior* therapist than someone who has a Master's in Clinical psychology or Psychiatric Social Work that didn't have to do all of the bio-chem and calculus?? Are they just finding themselves the odd-man out? I don't know.
Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:104929
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105373.html