Reflections on Psychiatry, Therapy, and Mental Health

a popular book with poetry, inspired by the Blotto game I was first exposed to the test as a teenager when I was administered the inkblot test by a psychologist. I remember little of the experience other than enjoying it and feeling engaged, it was so open ended and felt creative. The examiner later told my mom that I was imaginative and that made me feel good, otherwise, I learned little of the results. Years later the test emerged in my life once again. I had helped a ps

When I was three, I was taken to the hospital in the afternoon for a tonsillectomy the next day. This was almost 70 years ago, a time when parents didn't remain overnight, preoperative sedatives were limited, and anesthesia consisted of ether delivered through a mask. I have limited memories of this experience. I was an adventurous little fellow and don't remember missing my parents. Rather, the staff were friendly, and I assume I responded to their kindness. The morning of m

There are a number of perspectives on Ketamine as a therapeutic agent. One is to marvel at its biological activity, being an agent that can provide rapid relief of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. This is essentially the somewhat static box that Spravato, the branded form of Ketamine, is locked into. Pharmaceutical guidelines require its use under a so-called risk management system that restricts its use to just two indications: treatment-resistant depression and su