Michael Sharpe: Mind, Medicine and Morals: A Tale of Two Illnesses (2019) BMJ blog - and published responses

Interesting wording.

Is there any other group of doctors that would say "patients with these particular features are of increasing interest to us"?

Perhaps cosmetic surgeons?

 

Perhaps the situation around 1990, when the internal markets within the NHS were being developed, needs to be viewed purely in terms of economics. Faced with an oversupply of psychiatrists the options were either to deal with a reduction in value or to expand the market.

 

OMG, @Michiel Tack, this is indeed an extraordinary find. It really explains why so much hangs on this for them.

 

I do not remember the source but I have a recollection of reading that in the shake-up of the NHS in about 1990, there was a proposal to close the Maudsley and merge its operations with Kings. There was, as one would expect, substantial, and ultimately successful, fightback. Clearly that must have involved detailed, high level, negotiations, strategic plans, cost/benefit analyses, agreements and collateral agreements as to the basis for long term funding and service provision. We know nothing of any of this.

I have thought, for a long time, that Wessely and Sharpe et al are merely a symptom of the problem and that we may never know what went on "behind the curtain", just as we will probably never know the details of how Peter Lilley came to introduce LoCascio and UNUM into the DSS.

I know. I'm a conspiracy theorist. So be it.

 

It is not conspiracy theory to believe that a lot of things go on behind the scenes and are never publicised.

Before my eyes went wonky I read the BBC History Magazine. It was amazing how many things that were headlined in the papers of the time as lies and malicious rumour turned out to be true when secrets were revealed years later. Things like Harold Wilson being watched by special branch, all strongly denied at the time.

 

Steve Lubet of Northwestern University and i wrote a response to Sharpe/Greco. It has been through two rounds of peer review and was finally accepted for publication yesterday. It should be out within 3-4 weeks.

 

I basically agree with you but would like to put it another way..

It is a conspiracy theory to believe or show evidence that things go on behind the scenes. That's the very definition of people gathering evidence together of some other parties conspiring.

People conspire that's a fact.

What's happened is that the term conspiracy theory has deliberately been given a negative connotation so that often the person forming, even an evidence based, theory can be ad homed in an attempt to detract others from their content.

The police form conspiracy theories everyday as part of their normal work, that's how you investigate crimes.

There is conspiracy theory, fact, which often leads to conspiracy fact.

I am a conspiracy theorist, I am out and proud.

 

Doing a formal response will have required to thoroughly read it and try to make sense of it. Now that's courage. I hope the void did not gaze back.

 

Are you referring to the courage of parsing the paper or the courage of submitting to the peer-review process? That to me is equally a void.

 

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: The Interface of Psychiatry and Other Medical Specialties
James A. Bourgeois, OD, MDMichael Sharpe, MD
FROM THE ACADEMY OF CONSULTATION-LIAISON PSYCHIATRY

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/ar...face-psychiatry-and-other-medical-specialties

 

Interface? Exciting opportunities? Vanguard for territory grabbing would be more accurate.

 

"Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry is a major psychiatric subspecialty that, within general medical/surgical and academic medical and increasingly in primary care settings, serves as the “tip of the spear” for psychiatry."

The "tip of the spear" that can get anyone, in the gut, even with out psyschiatric comorbidities.

 

The language of the used car salesman.

Vanguard reminded me of the sort of thing they used to handle. Made by Standard Motors of Coventry I believe.

 

There are many exciting opportunities for C-L psychiatry to [insert text --- make money/increase turnover/increase profit --- ]

If you can't be part of the solution then make money out of the problem!

 

More like Mindless Interference of Psychiatry into Medical Specialities.

 

Couldn't resist skimming the vanguard's text - so, another quote:

Consultation-liaison psychiatrists will also continue to lead in many areas. These include emerging areas of medical genomics in psychiatry, the monitoring of drug-drug interactions, and the management of behavioral and cognitive syndromes with complicated attributable systemic illness causes. Consequently, C-L psychiatry has an important place at the forefront of clinical, academic, and administrative leadership for psychiatry.

Any proposals for a pseudoscience gang tattoo?




From Department of Mind-Blowing Theories by Tom Gauld.

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/837107945/scientists-are-human-too-questions-for-cartoonist-tom-gauld

 

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