Unhinging Dr. Carlat

No, this is not a review. I have not read the book, and I don't entirely disagree with Dr. Carlat's ideas.  I did, however, read a review, which I cannot now locate, but which included a short case said to have come from the book. A brief look may demonstrate the extent to which a different perspective can influence a psychiatrist's approach and challenge the notion that psychiatrists prescribing medication should also provide psychotherapy to most patients. (Let's not blame Dr. Carlat for any of this. The reviewer may have misread Carlat, and I may have misread the reviewer. If I didn't get it right, apologies to Dr. Carlat.)

As I recall the case involved a patient prescribed zolpidem for insomnia. Because of oversedation he nearly or actually wrecked his car. The patient had not been able to muster the courage to contact the doctor about the sedation because of his reluctance to confront authority figures, such as physicians. According to the reviewer Dr. Carlat argued that had he been treating the patient with psychotherapy the patient might have overcome his reluctance, telephoned the physician, and avoided the accident.

Here's how I would approach the case: First, I never prescribe zolpidem. Even if I prescribe a drug for insomnia I prefer melatonin, gabapentin, or a very sedating antidepressant like mirtazapine or trazodone. But before prescribing I want to know the source of the insomnia, and in some cases will recommend a sleep medicine consultation. I also like to address sleep hygiene (behavior) before resorting to a drug. Why would I want to prescribe a drug like zolpidem that can lead to dependence and has been associated with patients eating a buttered cigarette or driving while asleep?

But suppose, against my best professional judgment, I do prescribe zolpidem. I would do so only after warning the patient about the risks involved. And in fact the pharmacist would probably offer the same warnings orally and in writing when dispensing the drug.

But let's say it still boils down to that problem of psychological reluctance to call the authority figure. Successfully addressing such a problem in psychotherapy could take months or years, and there's no reason to believe it would happen any faster if the psychiatrist were providing the psychotherapy rather than a non-physician. Furthermore, we should not assume that psychotherapy would address said reluctance. Many kinds of psychotherapy don't address such problems at all, at least not directly. What would make a difference, however, is how often the patient visits the physician, even for a short visit to talk about medication effects, wanted and unwanted, and even with no psychotherapy.

This case also begs the question of whether psychiatrists should provide psychotherapy so patients can muster the courage to call between appointments about a side effect. I argue that psychotherapy should address a diagnosable mental disorder (however we choose to define it).

And wait. Suppose a sleep medicine physician, or heaven forbid an orthopedic surgeon, prescribed the zolpidem. Would we want all physicians to provide psychotherapy? Orthopods don't even do physical therapy.

This case provides little or no support for the position that psychiatrists should provide psychotherapy. It does underscore the importance of careful selection of medication, avoidance of medication when possible, and adequate patient education. In some cases there may be advantages to one-stop psychiatric shopping, but in this case the frequency of contact, rather than overcoming a psychological problem with psychotherapy might have made the difference.