Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:174-177
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
The psychiatrist's responsibility and the public trust
PG Bourne
The author notes that psychiatrists alone can change the public image of
their profession. This image has been tarnished in the past by grandiose
claims of psychiatry's ability to right social wrongs, by the perceived
lack of scientific underpinnings of the discipline, and by internal
disputes within the profession. If they are to gain the public trust,
psychiatrists must determine for themselves what unique skills they have to
offer and how they can best provide their knowledge and expertise to the
public in an effective and credible way.
