April 6, 2021

Film and television continue to depict psychiatrists as heartless swindlers

"Have you ever watched a movie, television show, or read a book where the villain is a medical doctor? If you are a psychiatrist, you will be alarmed by how many times the villain in these stories turns out to be a psychiatrist. In all fairness,...

"Have you ever watched a movie, television show, or read a book where the villain is a medical doctor? If you are a psychiatrist, you will be alarmed by how many times the villain in these stories turns out to be a psychiatrist. In all fairness, psychiatry has had its share of blunders. However, in recent years psychiatry has made a significant effort to enhance the use of evidence-based medicine and procedures. The diagnostic criteria for mental disorders continue to be revised and updated regularly. New medications and procedures are developing at an increasingly rapid rate. With all of the advances in the field, why does popular media continue to represent psychiatry as a barbaric field with poor patient outcomes and medications/treatments that do not work?"

Garrett Rossi is a psychiatry resident who blogs at Shrinks in Sneakers.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Film and television continue to depict psychiatrists as heartless swindlers." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/film-and-television-continue-to-depict-psychiatrists-as-heartless-swindlers.html)