From Bill Pring
Clare Wilson’s article on how doctors diagnose mental health problems took a tone that was rather sensationalist and negative (10 May, p 10).
It strikes me that those working at the front line of anthropogenic climate change are generally portrayed in your magazine as heroes. Their scientific evidence requires further refinement, but it is considered by most that we should act prudently to prevent climate deterioration.
Psychiatrists treat people more effectively now than 20 or 50 years ago, using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a rough guide. We understand that it is flawed, and don’t use it as a bible.
There are other areas of medicine in which doctors have fairly generic approaches to treating conditions that require further research to clarify the cause. Prostate cancer, rheumatism and even skin conditions remain somewhat mysterious but do not face the same kind of criticism. Those specialists are not in need of a “reboot”, so why is psychiatry?
Burwood, Victoria, Australia
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