Give and Take: A Roadmap to Understanding a Psychiatrist

By Stephanie H. Mullany MD MAR

No one plans to be uncomfortable, ill, or emotionally and physiologically exhausted. Unfortunately, the symptoms arrive unannounced and stealthilymuch like an ambush that interrupts ones focus elsewhere. And if that were not enough, the search for a mental health professional can be a daunting, intimidating, and frightening process. In Give and Take: A Roadmap to Understanding a Psychiatrist, a seasoned psychiatrist shares guidance, advice, and tips on how prospective patients can engage in a healthy relationship with a doctor, ensuring a thorough evaluation and the formulation of a successful treatment plan.

Dr. Stephanie Hathaway Mullany practiced psychiatry full-time for over thirty years and relies on her diverse professional and personal experiences to provide valuable information for making informed decisions regarding appointments, clinical conditions, and treatment options. While dispelling myths and stigmas associated with psychiatric illness, Dr. Mullany offers an intriguing insiders glimpse into the compelling research that helps psychiatrists formulate a unique treatment plan for each patient.

An initial visit for psychiatric diagnostic and treatment assessment is often a journey into unfamiliar territory. Give and Take: A Roadmap to Understanding a Psychiatrist takes the scary out of the unknown and guides prospective patients through the process of taking charge of their mental health.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462026876

Stephanie H. Mullany MD MAR

Stephanie Hathaway Mullany, MD, has practiced psychiatry full-time since 1978. In her diverse career, she managed a private practice, practiced psychiatry at the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinics, and taught bioethics to medical students and psychiatric residents. Now retired, she lives with her husband and their three dogs in Terra Ceia, Florida.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie H. Mullany, MD, MAR

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4620-2686-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-2687-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-2688-3 (dj)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011909303

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 7/22/2011

This reflection on a lifetime of learning is written in memory of my father, Stephen G. Hathaway, who launched me on my way with a universal compass.

And to my former patients, I credit this conversation with future patients who will also bring their courage, interest, and habit of taking responsibility for themselves.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1

Chapter 1 One History—The Making Of This Psychiatrist

Chapter 2 A View From Both Sides Of The Historical Fence

Chapter 3 The Past Is Always Present

Chapter 4 The Patient’s Past Is Prologue To Treatment

Part 2

Chapter 5 Pitfalls

Chapter 6 The Diagnostic Process

Chapter 7 Informed Consent

Chapter 8 Treatment Considerations

Part 3

Chapter 9 Where Will We Go From Here?

Chapter 10 Summing Up

Afterword

Epigraph Sources

Bibliography

Biography

Glossary

Resources

Endnotes

PREFACE

So many people have contributed to the fabric of my being. This has allowed me the privilege of trying to keep other human beings company along a stretch of their life journeys. I shall address only a relevant few, otherwise the intended primer, Give and Take, will not begin.

Primary acknowledgment must go to my father, Stephen G. Hathaway, who set a powerful example for me of the fundamental life meaning of producing something of value to the larger world. He believed a goal was worthy only if it demanded the best of which one was capable and, above all, adhered to strict early New England values, such as honesty with oneself as well as with others. I treasure his most endearing traits: absolute reliability, generosity, authenticity, the tenacity never to quit, and his sense of humor.

The second influence on my life to which I am indebted, and which led me to work closely with others, was my high school Russian teacher. In the early 1960s, Russian-language instruction was a rarity in US high schools. I had chosen it because my junior high school guidance counselor recommended either German- or Russian- language skills for anyone interested in science as a career.

Paul S. Skrigan, the Russian instructor at New London High School in Connecticut during the 1960s, was an unusually gifted teacher with a talent for connecting with his students. His perceptiveness in discovering their uniqueness and endurance in scaling their best defenses taught me considerably more important lessons than language instruction. In retrospect, I realized that he had been the unconscious motive for my later choice of specialization in psychiatry and a role model of someone who was interested in understanding others; he was someone who cared enough to persist until he attained his goal. As described by the Jungian observation that the product of a chemical reaction does not resemble either of the reagents, each member of a relationship is affected and becomes a new being, if each takes the chance to allow change. He taught me that I, a unique human being, would find and bring meaning to the world, if I would allow myself to grow and change. Ultimately, I was able to let go of the unresolvable dilemma of being unable to reciprocate, by accepting the compromise—determination to pass the gift on.

I am indebted deeply to my husband, Dr. Lawrence D. Mullany, and our sons, Lawrence A. Mullany and Timothy E. Mullany. They, and our extended family, have provided life texture and given me sustained support and inspiration.

The last chapter of my learning and growth has been continuously refreshed and enhanced by the individuals with whom I have had the fortune to meet and work with professionally in psychiatric practice.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My patients may take credit for the inspiration and joy in writing this book. I am grateful to my husband, Dr. Larry Mullany, who has provided