‘Miracle cures’ in psychiatry?
Current Psychiatry. 2019 September;18(9):13-16
September 1, 2019|Current Psychiatry
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“I take very small doses of it regularly against depression and against indigestion, and with the most brilliant success.... it is only now that I feel I am a doctor, since I have helped one patient and hope to help more.”
– Sigmund Freud (May 7, 1884)1
Tempering excitement with caution
Our patients are not the only ones desperate for a miracle cure. As psychiatrists, many of us are desperate, too. New compounds may ultimately change the way we treat mental illness. However, we have an obligation to temper our excitement with caution by remembering past mistakes, and systematically evaluating new miracle cures to determine if they are safe and effective.
