The Shrink Who Cracked

The following is an extract from an article on Psychology Today about the recent shootings at Fort Hood.

www.psychologytoday.com...

Shrinks aren't perfect. They're human. Flawed, imperfect humans in whom others put their faith, sometimes misguidedly. Thankfully we have never before heard a story of a psychologist or psychiatrist going postal in such a way-and hopefully we never will again. But as people talk about the event at the office, at the bus stop, in the deli, a theme is emerging: "A shrink. Can you believe it?" "Doesn't that take the cake-a psychiatrist going nuts?"

Nidal Hasan is not your typical psychiatrist, and your typical psychiatrist is far from a homicidal sociopath. Many are compassionate, incredibly well-trained, and capable of literally saving your life. But why are we so surprised that someone with psychiatric training, someone who heals for a living, is so undone by fear and demons that he kills just like a civilian? What do we expect of psychiatrists in a war zone, anyway? The lessons of Nidal Hasan may be many and profound. But one of them may be a simple case of recognizing that war is hell, and trauma is hell, and mental illness is hell, and sometimes even a shrink who has slipped through its nets can't fix it. So he does much worse.

It raises some very interesting points. Most of all, even psychiatrists are human. Sometimes we forget that the people we go to see to improve our state of mind could very well be having problems of their own.

And staying professional and keeping your problems at home is easier said than done.

Especially if your job is to listen to all of the terrible war stories, day in day out, im sure it has a deep effect. Then to be told you must step into their shoes and go and do your duty on foreign soil, it must be frightening.

What he did was terrible, and an obvious sign of somebody who has mentally broken down.

It raises so many questions and we need to learn from episodes like this, to avoid them in future.

War is Hell.

Peace.

This is what I have been trying to say all along. It was too much for one person.

He already served himself. Was going back. Humans are not meant to deal with 8 years of war.

We all complain about how long our workdays are. IMagine his. First appointment: I watched my bf lose his leg to a mine. Second appointment, my wife left me. Third appointment, I accidently shot and killed a child. Fourth apointment. I found a family that starved to death. Fifth appointment. I live in constant fear of being killed. Sixth appointment. I am worried about my family. /seventh appointment, I am having a hard time wth the trauma I see everyday.

And I doubt his workday was eight hours. I am sure psychologists have one of those jobs that as soon as someone finds out what you do they take advantage. Or that friend needs a pep talk at 1am.

ks aren't perfect. They're human. Flawed, imperfect humans in whom others put their faith, sometimes misguidedly. Thankfully we have never before heard a story of a psychologist or psychiatrist going postal in such a way-and hopefully we never will again. But as people talk about the event at the office, at the bus stop, in the deli, a theme is emerging: "A shrink. Can you believe it?" "Doesn't that take the cake-a psychiatrist going nuts?"

Given the fact that the highest suicide rate in a profession are psychiatrist and psychologist this shouldn't be a big surprise as shocking as it is, why they go into this profession is more for self-help than helping others.