Just in case there's anybody out there that gives a damn, I'm changing my user name her at Daily Kos to "candid psychiatrist", which not coincidentally is the name of my website. The reason for this change is because I am setting out to write many more diaries focused on the corruption and general bullshit that is plaguing contemporary psychiatry. In addressing these issues I feel it is helpful to state my professional credentials in each of my posts, so people will know that I am speaking from the perspective of a whistle blower with inside information rather than, say, a disgruntled consumer. Having to do so in each of my diary titles has become cumbersome and a waste of effort, so I have concluded that I can best do so (and, what the hell, promote my website as well) by changing my user name.
I've recently updated my website as a personal Christmas present to myself, and eliminated features I either wasn't using or were difficult to maintain (i.e., my forum). The new website will be geared more toward writing and the aggressive pursuit of psychiatric reform. Issues to be addressed there include the sham science that is used to prop up biological psychiatry, the corruption of its practice by Big Pharma and managed care, the insecurities of psychiatry as a medical specialty, the unrealistic expecations of consumers, legal issues, and just about anything else that might either be of interest to my readers or simply satisfy my urge to express myself.
This New Year will be dedicated to this cause as well, as I begin to integrate my passion for politics with these professional concerns. The time is ripe, since there seems to be creeping awareness both within and outside of the profession that there is something rotten in psychiatry. I will be crossposting from my blog to here whenever I have posts of particular interest to the progressive community at large. I hope that my greater activism on these issues will raise awareness among the general public of how utter nonsense has come to dominate the practice of psychiatry today. This is "paul minot" signing off for now..."candid psychiatrist" will be back in about a week.