"Bad" Mothers: The Politics of Blame Re: Radio Doug

[Marta Russell]

>RE wrote:
>>
>>  I agree that it's very important to be careful not to overlook physiological
>>  problems.  At the same time, for example, one fairly common misdiagnosis is
>>  to assume that an elderly patient suffering from memory loss may be sliding
>>  into Alzheimer's, when they may be suffering from depression.  So instead of
>>  getting treatment for depression, the retirement center evaluation machinery
>>  starts cranking up.  One shouldn't assume memory loss is repression-related,
>>  but you can't methodologically rule out repression, because it does occur.
>
>I would think that what needs explanation here is the medical practice.
>Why does this misdiagnosis occur? And I think the most important kind of
>explanation would be social/political, not psychological. We can do
>something politically, but if we explain it in terms of the
>psychology,motivation, etc. of the physicians, psychologists,
>nursing-home managers, we will be faced with the impossible task of
>individually transforming each and every physcician, psychologist, and
>nursing-home manager in the nation, which is impossible.
>
>Carrol

Part of medicine involves the individual because no two doctors are 
alike.  There are good doctors who are better at practicing the art 
and science of medicine and then there are doctors who sometimes or 
often misdiagnose.  It does not all have to do with one's training. 
A friend of mine, for instance, was warned by a doctor who lived in 
New York about moving to California because he said that the bottom 
of his class at Yale went to the West Coast.  There are levels of 
knowledge, application, attention etc. that do come from the 
individual, not the institution.  Believe me I have met lots of the 
ones at the bottom of the class.  They do exist just like George W. 
Bush exists.

Marta
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