Avoid Bad Psychiatrist by Sam Kris

A psychiatrist and a person are having a conversation:

Day 1.

Person: “I’m so depressed, because my dog died.”
Psychiatrist: “It’s a disorder inside you. I’ll help you to fix it.”
Person: “Thanks, but you can’t bring my dog back.”
Psychiatrist: “No, I can’t, but my first question is: Did you really have a dog?”
Person: ”What?”
Psychiatrist: ”I’d like to prescribe some medication for you. It brings the order back.”

Day 2.

Person: “I’m so depressed, because my mother died.”
Psychiatrist: “I’m so sorry. It’s a disorder inside you. I’ll help you to fix it.”
Person: “But you can’t believe, how much I loved my mother!”
Psychiatrist: “No, I can’t, but my first question is: Did you really have a mother?”
Person: ”What?”
Psychiatrist: ”Hmmm… I’d like to prescribe some medication for you. It brings your love for your mother back.”

Day 3.

Person: “I’m so happy now, because I’ve lost my trust in you.”
Psychiatrist: “It’s a disorder inside you. I’ll help you to fix it.”
Person: “But you can’t bring my trust back.”
Psychiatrist: “No, I can’t, but my first question is: Did you really have trust in me…?”
Person: ”Yes, I had trust in you.”
Psychiatrist: ”Hmmm… I’d like to prescribe some medication for you. It brings the depression back.”

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A note: Everything is interaction. Everything is interpersonal. In any relationship.

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It’s a fictional conversation. However, it was inspired by psychiatrists.

I’m an improvising guitarist, cinematographer and writer living in Helsinki, Finland. I’m a member of Mad in Finland collective.

Poet’s Instagram: @samulikris

Website: samkris.com

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Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussion—broadly speaking—of psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.