Thursday, April 21, 2016

Shrink Rap Turns 10 Years Old Today!



Get out your tuxedos and gowns, the galas are about to begin!
Yes, Shrink Rap is now 10! We are the longest running psychiatry blog and with thousands of posts and years of faithful readers, we couldn't be more excited!

Okay, so no black tie gala.  We had planned a party with chili and beer and a cake with a duck on it, but a family emergency delayed the event -- to be rescheduled soon.

So let me tell you how much I've loved having this blog (a lot) and over the years, there's been a lot of evolution.  I write less than I used to, but I still write.  Clink comes by with updates on conferences and spends more time on Twitter.  Roy is still in it for the food and friendship, but he's moved on to some other endeavors-- perhaps he'll post an update to tell you about them.  We've blogged, we've have 70 episodes of our podcast, My Three Shrinks, there's been our book: Shrink Rap: Three Psychiatrists Explain Their Work, and our columns in Clinical Psychiatry News and Psychology Today, not to mention Twitter and Facebook.  As I've mentioned, our umbrella organization, The Accessible Psychiatry Project, is up for a Scattergood Innovation Award and you are still welcome to add a comment on their website because we'd really like to win!

Now, we're getting for the release of our second book in the fall -- details to follow. Also, Dinah has been working on a website that helps people find psychiatrists quickly in Maryland: http://www.marylandpsychiatrists.net/

So ten years and going strong.  Thank you for being part of our rather unusual psychiatric adventure, and thank you for being part of our lives!

Clink and Roy may have more to add soon.

 

8 comments:

The Neurocritic said...

Congratulations on 10 fantastic years!

Unknown said...

I loved reading your blog!

Anon said...

I'm curious about your collective take on the recent New Yorker article about the treatment of prisoners with mental illness in Florida. How should the profession be responding? The individual professionals working within the system are in a tough spot.

Dinah said...

ClinkShrink has been tweeting about the New Yorker article. Oh, but they are part of a conversation so I don't seem to be able to link to them. I bet she can.


Thank you, Donna and Neurocritic for the kind words about our decade of Shrink Rap!

Joel Hassman, MD said...

Just read that New Yorker article, not something, in my opinion, you "tweet" about.

That is not just a future post commentary, that is an ongoing dialogue that involves paragraphs at a time, not just characters.

And having done correctional work, just for 3 months, two things from that I will not forget and ensure I will NEVER do it again:

1. Correctional facility guards are more frightening than the prisoners for the most part, as I believe firmly in the adage "you are what you treat!", and

2. Administration makes managed care in the outside world look enjoyable and rewarding, as the formularies in prisons are just hideous and outrageous, and, the wardens want prisoners chemically restrained. So are we surprised that thorazine and elavil are still the most commonly prescribed psychotropics, for the most part in my travels getting patients released from prisons?

Oh, and being a whistleblower, yeah, you are villified by not just the immediate people you shine the spotlight on, but your more distant colleagues who seem to see you as a threat, yet, these allegedly not guilty colleagues shame you and not the parties who are initially outed as villains?!

Psychiatry, like most specialties in medicine if not the medical profession as a whole, is still acting like a college fraternity, and god forbid you "rat" on a colleague who needs disciplined, like yesterday?

What a shame it is one of the examples that gives some legitimate validation to the antipsychiatry movement. Sorry to Clink Shrink, but, most who work correctional psychiatry are not exemplary figures in the profession, maybe because they have to protect themselves first and foremost, but, this article is going to put Forensic Psychiatry practiced in correctional facilities back 20 years, and, in my pathetic opinion to voice, deservedly so!

Pathetic opinion that I have to note it! Because advocacy is part of the job, and frankly, go back to that earlier adage I note, "you are what you treat".

Hmm, do you think any shame or humility will show up here in some form? If they can be raised from the grave, that is!

SEELINA ANDER said...

There is a certain point you reach in life where you think that there is no hope. i was at that point when my girlfriend for 4 years just walked away from me. but thanks to the DR.AGBAZARA TEMPLE who helped me bring back my husband who left me for another girl. i did everything as instructed by Dr.Agbazara,And after 48hours my husband came back begging me on his kneels to accept him back. if you know your love is what saving contact DR.AGBAZARA TEMPLE on email: ( agbazara@gmail.com ) or call him on +2348104102662

NATASHA
TORONTO

Joel Hassman, MD said...

Interesting how the blog averaged about 20 posts a month the first 6 years, now at best 5 a month the last 3 or so years?

Run out of things to say, or, not invested in the site? Being around 10 years and what I opine as being half hearted does not make for strong praise to be around for 10 years. I wouldn't expect you to continue a pace of 20 posts a month, but really, only having 1 post for the past 30 days, doesn't that take a little away from your pride?

Well, happy anniversary, maybe some outrage from your upcoming APA meeting to provoke more writings by the end of the month?...

tracy said...

Maria Wish I knew a Psychiatrist like yours !i can't trust any health professionals after what one did to me...and I know I need therapy desperately!