COMPETENT physicians
Joseph,
>>...should be referred to a competent physician..<<
Isn't it enough if they're just physicians? Why should the criterion of
'competence' be introduced here? I automatically assume that any physician is
basically competent in his or her field of specialization.
>>Rule out physical causes before treating alcoholism/addiction "as if" it were
a mental illness.<<
I very much agree that 'ruling out causes' is a useful part of the diagnostic
process. There is however much to be said for the opposite of what you propose,
using the very same argument.
For instance: Let's take chemical imbalance. Given that alcohol abuse causes
chemical imbalance, it may be a good idea to cure the addiction before doing a
comprehensive medical check-up. Excluding the chemical imbalance caused by
excessive drinking, a much better medical diagnosis will be possible.
And a 5-day program, as apparently developed, is a small investment in terms of
time. We're not talking 15 years of psychoanalysis here. So, imagine a medical
doctor would say: "I'd like you to sign up with Bernhard Frit, come back in
week's time and we'll do some checks to see if anything else may need
attention". Wouldn't that make a lot of sense? The least it will do is exclude
the booze from the blood-samples.
Kind Regards,
Rene Duba
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