Commentary

A unifying manifesto


 

Dr. Henry A. Nasrallah’s “A psychiatric manifesto” (From the Editor, Current Psychiatry, April 2010; available at http://bit.ly/9tOuvi) is a precise description of the beauty and hardships unique to our ever-evolving specialty. I am proud to share this description with medical students, psychiatry residents, and fellows and urge others to consider doing the same. I find myself reflecting on each of these core themes during the day. It is true that as we stand on the brink of great neuroscience discoveries with potential to benefit millions of our patients, we simultaneously face “more detractors and self-appointed critics than any other medical specialty.” I am hopeful that this living manifesto will bolster collective adhesion within our field while also helping to educate non-psychiatrists of “who we are and what we do.”

James G. MacKenzie, DO
Medical director, consultation and emergency services
Department of child and adolescent psychiatry
Children’s Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL

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