On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:18:10 -0700, Sue Frantz wrote: > Just like speed dating, you get 3 minutes with a psychiatrist or > psychologist before moving on to the next one. > > People looking for a quick fix? Or a good way to shop for a new > therapist? > > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/nyregion/31therapy.html I'd really like to hear what the clinicians on the list (or elsewhere) think of this activity. I can only see two positive aspects to doing this:
(1) It serves as an ersatz screening process for detecting severe psychopathology in the persons attending these activities. It is hoped that the psychiatrists and psychologists engaged in "speed shrink" recognize who is seriously ill and make accommodations to get them into appropriate care. (2) If most of the people attending these things are among the "worried well", then perhaps what they will hear during the 3 minutes will calm whatever "neurotic" complaint they have at the time. Of course, the purpose behind these activities is to sell books, CDs, and other media that the psychiatrist/psychologist has produced as well as "soliciting" for new clients, but aren't there ethical issues regarding this kind of conduct? I realize that people like Dr. Phil and other "TV therapists" have left the impression in the general population that many problems can be quickly solved by someone who "appears" to be a sympathetic, wise, and compassionate listener (the automated versions of which have been presented in the movies THX-113 by George Lucas or the action-adventure "Demolition Man"). Perhaps this may be true for some segments of the "worried well" but isn't it part of a clinician's responsibility to take a history that would help them understand what the person's problem is (e.g., is it really what the person is complaining about or is it something that the person isn't aware of such as being passive agressive, deliberating engaging in self-defeating activities, etc.). Having had some experience in taking such histories for psychiatric research, how can the appropriate information be collected in three minutes while still resisting the effects of the representativeness, availability, and other heuristics/cognitive biases? Send me something. -Mike Palij New York University m...@nyu.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
