Gerald Fernandes <[email protected]> wrote: We are all aware that psychiatry is a very demanding and stressful profession, quite akin to the vocation of Catholic Priests administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the Catholic Laity. However the murder-suicide rate in Catholic Priests is almost negligible verging towards non-existence. Can modern Psychiatry and Training Programmes for Professional Psychiatrists take a leaf out of the training of Catholic Priests?
The Harvard Medical College has accepted the role of Spirituality in mental health. Should refresher courses in Spitituality be a prescribed ,mandatory part of Continuing Education Programmes for Psychiatrists? Perhaps, this could save them from themselves and the mounting stress occuring through patient- doctor transference. == Dear Gerald, I believe that there is a major difference between the 'profession' of a priest and that of a psychiatrist. Confession is almost always a one way street. The person confesses and the priest listens and provides absolution. In psychiatry, the two-way discussion (by way of history, repeated office visits and the counselling sessions) often drags a susceptible psychiatrist into an unprofessional relationship with the patient. That is the starting point of trouble - esp IF the psychiatrist is married, is wealthy and the 'new sweetie' starts calling the wife and ........) Priests who get involved in counselling (sometimes in private confessions requested by troubled women - who actually need psychiatric help, not confession) also fall into traps like this. The priest is also likely to fall victim to blackmail - because society expects him to be a practising Bramachari. While I am opposed to enforced celibacy, I believe that these 'relationships which follow confessions' are not only unfair to the priests, they also are nearly always likely to take the priest towards disaster. One reasons why (like doctors examining patients) priests should not 'hear' confessions in visual privacy. Audio privacy helps maintain confidentiality, Visual privacy is a set up for problems. So, I doubt it has anything significant to do with courses in "spirituality" as far as the Psychiatrists are concerned. Often, the not-so-smart (and lazy) physicians go into psychiatry (Less night calls). They provide a fertile ground for trouble, especially when they attract the attention of troubled women (who may have the looks but may never have needed to use their brains to achieve anything). A penny for your thoughts. jc ps: The above comments do not refer to ethical psychiatrists.
