I was surprised by the way that Dr. Black described his decision-making process – whether he would recommend admission to the hospital for a young person who had made a suicide attempt. Dr. Black said he wouldn't admit a person to the hospital unless the admission could make a meaningful change in a risk factor for the young person. If Dr. Black couldn't make something better by admitting the young person, then he wouldn't admit them. An admission to the hospital, by itself, isn't a protective move. That was a surprise to me.
Dr. Black’s positions were logical and pragmatic. I think I was looking at things from a perspective that’s more “romantic” --
– the doctor, and the medical system, can be protectors, in all situations.
Dr. Black said that’s not the case.
The doctors, and the social worker, in the Frontline video were clearly not able to be protectors in all situations.
The Frontline video stressed how the doctors, and the FDA, are hampered by incomplete data and are forced to guess, when trying to treat pediatric patients.
The doctors, especially the man from the FDA, did not appear to have very many answers. And the doctors, even doctors from powerful research universities, could appear to be confident in their reasoning and their findings, but their positions were weakened by disclosures about their funding sources.
I felt that the parents in the Frontline video (and the children) were the most sympathetically portrayed.
Finally, the Frontline video did not paint the company Brain Matters in a very positive light. I looked up the company, and the social worker who appeared in the video. The social worker, Nancy Goodhue, is (or was) an owner of Brain Matters. Another person, John Goodhue, was also an owner (and is now in venture capital, apparently). Brain Matters appeared to have the Colorado-based office or offices shown in the video, and there’s records of a Brain Matters office in Seattle. Brain Matters also filed for bankruptcy in 2008 (which was the year of the Frontline video).
Anyway, as the video stressed, parents are really motivated to try to help their children. I hope, when I get into clinical practice, I can help steer families to evidence-based therapies.