Inktober 2019, Day 7: Enchanted

The prompt, "Enchanted," reminded me of the Emperor's New Clothes aspect of psychiatry. I'm not opposed to the profession, in fact I find it interesting and full of hope. But it is admittedly weird, its foundation is more of a leap of faith than other medical fields, and its history is riddled with major problems. I've come to see it as a flawed tool, used by flawed people, doing their best to help other flawed people. The foundations of "professional detachment" and the "authority" of the medical community are especially ephemeral in interactions between what are essentially two flawed people. I think most patients know this, even as they choose to continue. Most psychiatrists would probably agree as long as they're not feeling attacked and have not drunk the Doctors Are Gods kool-aid (which, to their credit, a large number have not). Anyway, that is what I mean by the "Emperor's New Clothes" aspect of the profession: both patients and psychiatrists must do a lot of pretending to make it work.

Psychiatrists. Inktober 2019, Day 7, prompt word, "Enchanted." Dip pen and ink, 8 x 11 in. by Ciana Pullen. [Image description: Black and white contour pen drawing of a group of naked people standing examining around an object or person of interest (not pictured). One young thin man leans down and extends a pointer finger as if about to push a button. A woman with short hair slouches and holds a clip board. A tall older fatter man with a beard stands with his legs planted far apart and his arms crossed. The background is blank.]