I have decided to make some changes to my practice. I am no longer accepting new medication management patients. This means seeing myself as a psychotherapist. I worked hard to become a doctor and letting go of that identity isn’t easy for me. Of course I am still a doctor, but I will be practicing very little Psychiatry now. I used to think primary care wasn’t the place for psychotropic medication prescribing, but I now see it as the right place. Many primary practices are moving toward a model of Integrated Behavioral Healthcare. This model is supposed to help de-stigmatize patients seeking mental health services. I think it may help with that. I think where it makes the most sense is for someone who strictly wants medication management. I know there is a place for Psychiatry and when I went into this field 27 years ago I had planned to do psychotherapy and medication management.
Finding Eros
As I have reflected on the direction my professional life should go, it has become clear to me my true passion lies in practicing psychotherapy. Someone might say it is where my eros lies. It is a question I frequently ask my patients. What is their eros? Eros was the Greek God of love and sexual desire. I see eros as that intense feeling of desire. It can be in the form of making music, cooking good food or writing. It is crucial that we have it. Finding eros can bring change. As we all know change can sometime bring on anxiety. It can also be marked with astounding beauty.
