Posted on 06/15/2013 7:19:49 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
I had a disturbing conversation with a therapist about reporting/seizing patient’s guns. It revolved around the recent FR article reporting a 72 year old man had his musket collection seized because his therapist requested it. (A link would be appreciated.)
We’ll call the therapist Bill. Bill: “A therapist must follow the ethical guidelines of the practice plus any state laws. So, if the patient had expressed any suicidal ideation or depression, the therapist may be obligated to report this and the weapons will be seized.”
Me: “Do you think that might damage the trust relationship with the therapist?”
Bill shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Probably, but it’s a requirement. The therapist has no choice.”
Me: “It seems then that the relationship with the therapist isn’t one between medical professional and patient, but between the therapist and the government. Where does the therapist’s loyalty lie?”
Bill: (This is reduced to carry the flavor without being an exact quote.) “The therapist is a required to follow the law. The law differs from state to state.”
Me: “Do you think there may be an agenda where the therapist doesn’t like guns or gun owners?”
Bill: “It’s certainly possible. But without knowing any of the details, I can’t say.”
Me: “Do you think having the government swoop in and search your house and seize your property might have a negative psychological impact on the patient?”
Bill: (Again, a shrug.) “You do what the law and the ethical standards require.”
Me: “It seems to me that anybody who was honest with a therapist is an idiot.”
Bill: “It may lead to people not being open with their therapist, yes.”
In a side note, Bill said that the patient’s records belong to the therapist but the contents of the record belong to the patient. (Really fine delineation, but he was trying to get at patient privacy. But if he sends the sheriff to your house to search it, then what is the privacy worth?) Several years ago, I worked on a classified project. A woman employee had experienced a nervous breakdown and was “temporarily” removed from the project. She’d been with the same group for 25 years and they were family to her. She wanted back. They pulled the bureaucratic slow-roll on her, assuring her she’d be back when the paperwork cleared. But they had no intention of reinstating her clearance. One day I walked up on a conversation where the program’s security officer was reading from this lady’s medical record and they were having a good laugh. I was appalled. Nobody had any right to see that psychology report and less still to discuss it with other employees. Classified project people tend to see the world in us vs. them terms. This poor lady was no longer “us” and had become, therefore, “them.” Because this lady didn’t get her clearance reinstated they laid her off.
This experience has colored how I see doctors and the security establishment.
How does it impact your employability when you’ve officially had your weapons seized?
That is Florida. Pastoral counselors are licensed in other states.
The problem with that theory is that neurotransmitters also often act as moderators and antagonists of other neurotransmitters. Here is a simple model of one process:
When a neuron is stimulated, it produces and transmits a small amount of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which travels across the synaptic gap. When it reaches the other side, the dendrite, its reception causes an electrical impulse to be sent down the nerve. After a short length of time, it then chemically binds with another neurotransmitter, cholinesterase. This then turns off the electrical signal being sent.
Then the two combined chemicals, called acetylcholinesterase, travel back across the synapse until they return to the neuron. They are then split apart, and the cholinesterase returns to the dendrite on its own.
Inhibiting the process can be done in many ways, both naturally and artificially. Just consuming the amino acid precursers to them will likely not have a major impact, as they exist in balance to each other. Attempting to increase one would be resisted, as it would imbalance the system.
And trying to increase a bunch would seriously fail, because there are over 50 known neurotransmitters and related chemicals. It gets complicated in a hurry.
However, there is one known substance that is remarkable in that it can foul most of them up. Ethyl alcohol.
Roger that.
Bill: “It’s certainly possible.
93% of members of the American Psychological Association are self described liberals.
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