Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Woo in Psychiatry II

In response to my "Woo in Psychiatry" post, an anonymous poster advised:
read work by Steven Sevush MD

A quick google search reveals that Dr. Sevush is a geriatric psychiatrist, that he's done some work on Alzheimer's, and that he is written on consciousness. I am not sure if this essay is by him, but it came up when I googled "Steven Sevush MD and quantum".

Now quantum mechanics has some interesting philosophical implications, though it takes several years of advanced college mathematics (which I lack) to have even a basic understanding of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics has some interesting implications for the concept of consciousness. There has been some research looking at the speed of neural transmission, and whether an action can begin before the person makes the decision to carry out the action (I am probably butchering the concept, see Roger Penrose for more details).

I maintain my assertion that quantum mechanics has nothing to do with psychiatric treatment. I have no problem if a psychiatrist is interested in quantum mechanics and its philosophical implications. However, if a psychiatrist starts talking about "energy fields" to his patients, that psychiatrist is a quack.

At the last Psychiatric Congress (an annual CME seminar), I suffered through an hour session on psychotherapy in which a psychiatrist who thought he knew much more than he actually did about quantum mechanics erroneously said that quantum mechanics is about energy fields and that we are all connected by energy fields (quantum field theory has nothing to do with us all being connected). I had to restrain myself from telling him that he was a fool.
The only "energy" or "energy field" relevant to psychiatric treatment is the energy generated by an electroconvulsive therapy machine.

3 comments:

alwinder said...

"....quantum field theory has nothing to do with us all being connected......"

Probably that doctor was referring to Entanglement in quantum mechanics,that so far is suggestive of an interconnection of all things in our universe?

And if I may,I have a question:What is your view on Jung's psychology and the interpretation of dreams using mythological material?

Thank you

Alberto

alwinder said...

Nobody home I guess! :-(

Barnabas said...

I think every person ought to read it.
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