Glancing at literary works, from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to “Jane Eyre,” the imagery of confinement and escape is repeatedly emphasized, and madness, possible violent tendencies, and being detached from social rules have also become our imagination of psychiatric patients. But there is always a fine line between fiction and reality, are these portrayals of mental illness in literary works their most true appearance?
Looking at the present, psychiatry is also facing credibility crises and issues of supply-demand mismatch and imbalance. Some people are puzzled, even though they are deeply troubled themselves, doctors claim there is no problem during consultation, and in the end, they just conduct a survey and hastily end the visit; some question why there are no instrument examinations, and why medication can be prescribed through simple conversation and inquiry; some are curious about the differences between psychiatrists, psychological counselors, and counselors; and some ask, in what circumstances do they need to seek help from them, and who should they seek help from?
These questions will be answered in the sincere sharing of Tang Tang and Chen Pei (Xiaojing). The two met at the Dew Cloud Bookstore flagship store because of the book “What Can I Help With?” Tang Tang is a former attending physician of an ICU at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai and the host of the podcast “Three Parts Sugar to Cure Sickness.” Chen Pei is a physician at the Xuhui District Mental Health Center and the host of the podcast “Empty Well Effect.”
On this long summer afternoon, the two guests delved into the complexities of psychiatry, analyzing the origins of disease-shame feelings from social culture and clinical perspectives. Through the comparison of interrogation techniques between psychiatrists and internists, they clarified public misconceptions about the daily work of psychiatrists; they also started from depression and bipolar disorder, providing practical advice for medical consultations.
[Add] David Goldblum, [Add] Pierre Blayde, “What Can I Help With? A Senior Psychiatrist’s On-Site Medical Record,” Shanghai Education Press & Wanjing Press, April 2024, 368 pages, 68.00 RMB.
