On the Word “Prescriber”.
Please don’t call call me a “prescriber”. Yes, I know it’s easier to say “prescriber” than “psychiatric nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or psychiatrist”.1 The word “prescriber”, however, puts...
View ArticleCulture and Cure.
A note written by an internist for a patient with altered mental status:1 One option is to have someone (from patient’s culture) perform sacrifice and prayers for him. Another option is to find a...
View ArticleMy Thoughts about Torrey’s “American Psychosis”.
This weekend I began and finished E. Fuller Torrey’s American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System. (That’s not an inflammatory title. At all.) Though I...
View ArticleDreams.
“I had a dream last night, it was so vivid,” my father said. “Your mom was in the dream—I dream about her often—but she wasn’t the main character. She’s never the main character.” “Mm hm,” I replied....
View ArticleLiving in New York, or Assertiveness Training.
Over three years have passed since I moved out of New York—or returned to Seattle, however you want to look at it. I have had the good fortune to visit New York every year since my departure, though I...
View ArticleThree Comments about Race.
I’m currently reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. Learning about his experiences with apartheid in South Africa provide both hope and discouragement about current race...
View ArticleHow People Agree to Torture Others.
Atul Gawande posted a series of tweets, based on findings in the Senate CIA Torture Report, about the significant role physicians and psychologists played in torture. He comments, “But the worst for me...
View ArticleCommute Through the Jail.
To get in, out, and through the jail one must go through a series of locked doors. The doors are both taller and wider than standard doors; they are also thicker and made out of metal. Next to each...
View ArticleBelief in the Occult.
“Some weird things have happened in my life that I can’t explain,” I said. My friend, a radiologist, said nothing, though I could feel her rolling her eyes through the telephone. “I’m not saying that I...
View ArticleNegotiating a Job Offer (introduction).
I recently gave a talk to psychiatry residents about how to negotiate a job offer.1 Our resident cohort did not receive any formal instruction about this2 and I don’t know if this is a topic that is...
View ArticleNegotiating a Job Offer (I).
The first thing you should ask for—if you haven’t already received it—when negotiating a job offer is a job description. This is a document that often has bullet points that describes the title and...
View ArticleWanna Help Me with My Talk?
I’ve been invited to give a talk to psychiatry residents about “psychiatrists and social media” and my own experiences as an online physician. Could you, fine reader, help me by telling me why you read...
View ArticleNegotiating a Job Offer (II).
The second thing to ask for when negotiating a job offer is a table of organization. Like the job description, if you are able to review this during your interview, do so. That will give you the...
View ArticleNegotiating a Job Offer (III).
We’ve discussed the value of a job description and a table of organization when negotiating a job offer. You can negotiate specific items on either one of the documents, now that you know how your...
View ArticleNegotiating a Job Offer (IV).
Negotiating a job offer can make us all feel uncomfortable because the noise in our head stops us from asking for what we want (and often deserve). Ladies, this post is for you because, even as...
View ArticleJewelry in Jail.
When I started working in the jail, officers and health staff alike told me, “You will get more comments about your jewelry here than anywhere else in your life.” I don’t wear much jewelry, but...
View ArticleThe Golden Rule.
People in the meeting room returned to their seats: The Governor was about to enter the room! The judge, wearing a smart blue suit, rose from his seat. He fastened a button of his single-breasted...
View ArticleAsylums are not the Answer.
The New York Times recently featured an op-ed from a psychiatrist, Dr. Montross, who argues for the return of the asylum. I understand her frustrations: I have worked with homeless individuals in both...
View ArticleKing Solomon’s Ring.
I often smiled to myself while reading King Solomon’s Ring by Konrad Lorenz. In this delightful book he shares stories of animal intelligence and character that humans often disregard. It reminded me...
View ArticleWe Want to See Them Better.
When he and I first met he told me that he had a doctoral degree in psychology, was the CEO of the jail, and could speak 13 languages. To demonstrate, he said, “Hong tong ching chong lai tai!” He then...
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