Harold Pincus, M.D., says that surveys of practitioners show that psychiatrists already treat more severely mentally disordered patients, as well as patients with general medical conditions and health problems. Across all different levels, the New Yorker cartoon image of the psychiatrist as the guy who takes care of a Woody Allen character is outdated. Psychiatry is not the same field it was 20, or even 10 years ago, according to Pardes. And part of the field's strength may be an improved image-a force that can make a positive difference in people's everyday lives. I think that, if anything, psychiatry is better positioned than it was 20 years ago.
Psychiatrists are deans of about a dozen medical schools.
That tells me that medicine has embraced psychiatry as a full partner, and that there's an increased regard for the field. For a printed copy of this issue of Psychiatric Times , use the information at the top of this page. Permission to repost or reprint any material on this site must be obtained by contacting the Webmaster .