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Vince Di Antonio's avatar

Great article, Andrew, and thanks for sharing! The way that you deftly parsed out and elucidated the distinctions (and the overlap) between BPD and bipolar is a welcome reminder. A reminder to LISTEN first, to think critically, to remain curious and open to our patients' experiences, and to put ourselves in their shoes before asking them to accept the risks of our proposed treatment.

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Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP's avatar

Thanks Vince - I stumbled across this today that might be of interest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHTqu-_nq3k

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Vince Di Antonio's avatar

Thanks, Andrew. I hadn't heard of the Psychofarm podcast, but I am a subscriber now!

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Erica_Mae's avatar

This is SO spot on and SO well written.

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Emily Birnbaum's avatar

Love this thoughtful reflection. I have never lost a patient's trust by being humble and letting them know I'm unsure of something and am going to take time thinking about it, researching it, or discussing with a mentor. The trust is gained overtime when your treatment plans work.

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Mike Asbach's avatar

Great article Andrew! I think this book serves as an inflection point in our current political era and skepticism toward psychiatry. As a profession, I agree that thoughtful introspection of our own limitations and uncertainty is not weakness but an ethical obligation.

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Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP's avatar

I 100% agree, Mike. If we didn't do that, we'd still be prescribing bloodletting and arsenic.

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Awais Aftab's avatar

Nicely done, Andrew. Good to see convergence on many points in our respective reviews! https://www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/a-memoir-for-the-iatrogenic-age

A minor point: my memory of details is a bit fuzzy now but I don’t recall Delano specifically crediting DBT (skills) as being a part of her recovery.

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Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP's avatar

That may have been a bit of confabulation on my part, Awais... I'll have to go back and look. Thanks for your note and for the inspiration!

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Wesley Smith's avatar

extremely well written Andrew. Would love to speak with you about a chapter in a book I'm writing which touches on this subject.

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Andrew Penn, MS, PMHNP's avatar

Hi Wesley - feel free to drop me a line at andrew.penn@ucsf.edu

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