The time has come for "post-psychiatry"

doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7342.0/g

The time has come for "post-psychiatry"

Modern psychiatry encourages a biomedical model that encourages drug treatment to be seen as a panacea for multiple problems.Antidepressant prescription rates have increased alongside thenumber of consultants in psychiatry, which have been rising steadily.Double (p 900) is sceptical of this approach and questions thelegitimacy of psychiatric interventions for common personal andsocial problems. He says that psychiatry should return to a biopsychologicalview and recognise the uncertainties of clinical practice. Suchan approach has been called "post-psychiatry," which emphasisessocial and cultural contexts, places ethics before technology,and works to minimise medical control.