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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

The psychiatric profession: an expertise under siege?

Hugo De Waal¹, Amit Malik, Dinesh Bhugra

¹East of England Postgraduate School of Psychiatry, UK. dewaal@doctors.org.uk

The International Journal of Social Psychiatry

|October 14, 2009

Summary

The expertise of psychiatrists is challenged by public discourse and a shift in language. Reasserting professional boundaries and acknowledging patient expertise is crucial for the psychiatry profession.

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Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

Area of Science:

Medical Humanities
History of Medicine
Psychiatry

Background:

The psychiatry profession faces significant challenges in the UK and USA due to scandals, funding shifts, political pressures, and evolving public expectations.
Changes in medical knowledge have further complicated the discourse surrounding psychiatric expertise.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the historical factors contributing to the perceived decline of the psychiatrist's expert status.
To analyze the linguistic and societal influences impacting the profession of psychiatry.

Main Methods:

Historical analysis of figures and their writings.
Overview of historical perspectives on the psychiatry profession.
Examination of professional communication language in psychiatry.

Main Results:

The language of psychiatry has become increasingly similar to lay discourse, leading to misappropriation by non-experts.
Psychiatrists' limited use of persuasive technology contrasts with other medical fields, diminishing a symbol of expertise.
Increased consumerism further complicates the professional landscape.

Conclusions:

The erosion of the psychiatrist's expert status is linked to both real and perceived factors, including linguistic shifts and societal influences.
While patients are experts on their lived experience, psychiatrists remain experts on psychiatric illness.
The profession must clearly define its scope and capabilities to reassert its expertise.