Of all the fields of medicine that I have been involved so far, mental health is, by a large margin, where I hear the phrase “more resources” most.  If we had more resources, problems would go away…  It seems a bit odd, because I feel like I have observed a bunch of time wasting, also more than I have in any other field.  Now, it’s true, nothing happens fast in psychiatry, and I suppose that is good.  We can’t have a bunch of snappy decisions guiding treatment that is going to end up taking years and then wonder later on if we did the right thing (diagnostic uncertainty, etc.).  But at the same time, sometimes it feels like the mental health machine just pushes in the clutch and sits there and revs the engine.  I have been party to meetings that literally cost thousands of dollars in the wages of those around me (lots of people) that really do nothing (eg. How we are going to get everyone’s signature on the fire safety sheet if everyone hasn’t done fire safety).  It’s frustrating to be in the paradox of health care, where nothing happens without money, but money alone doesn’t make something happen.  Trying to make something happen with money is sometimes exactly like pushing a rope.  Unfortunately, I don’t have any brilliant solution.  I just see part of the problem.

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