We, as humans, are incredibly uncomfortable with uncertainty. There are distortions, half-truths, shortcuts and frank lies all around us that society seeks in order to balm the wound of chaos. Tweezers and toothpaste are confiscated from weary travelers while the same jets are carrying around pallets full of airmail that is loaded on unchecked. One, three, five, seven, and fourteen day weather forecasts are broadcast every half-hour over the radio. Predicting the economy, something of our own creation, is done by armies of bright minds; you be the first to invest your life's savings in the next surefire investment.

Psychiatry is the art of turning chaos into certainty. Were you raped in your early 20s and now, ten years later, you're having intrusive thoughts about it? Are you so afraid of navigating large groups of people that you haven't left your apartment in 2 months? Is the death of your child three years ago still causing you to have a low mood? If so, Psychiatry has the answer for you. Well actually, it has three. They are...are you ready?..post traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and major depressive disorder. Not only can Psychiatry capture these incredibly complex life experiences in four, one, and three words respectively, but it can recommend a treatment too! Fluoxetine! Yes, that's right, it doesn't matter whether you were raped, have dehabilitating anxiety, or overwhelming grief, it is one class of drug for all of you. And there is no need to deal with any of that annoying psychotherapy either. Boring! Oh sure, you might benefit from something like CBT or DBT or EFT, but I focus on scientific things like diagnosis and medication. You should talk to someone else like a counselor about that. 

That is the state of Psychiatry today. If you are like me, then you feel frustration, fear, and injustice. This bothers you on a deeper level than spurious claims about the economy or rain on what was supposed to be a sunny weekend. This is because we are simplifying and pathologizing the human experience. A weather forecast is created based on a small chunk of information: what we have discovered and can measure. This information is used to generate predictions about a system about which we only understand a small fraction. We are doing this to the human experience. Just as a tornado can't appreciate why it's a tornado, as humans we are not meant to be able to understand our entire existence. And just as a tornado simultaneously demonstrates incredible beauty and ravenous destruction, we are not meant to blot out the bits of the picture we don't like. This is the paradox of uncertainty; acceptance of it is the way to a greater truth. Sometimes this involves experiencing tremendously intense emotions. That is part of the human experience. But the role of Psychiatry is not to accept and experience the pain of the unknown, but to define a clear enemy and destroy it.