Language and professional power
This tweet came across my timeline some time ago. The tweet and the thread are about whether ‘die’ or ‘pass away’ should be used in palliative care. It’s another of a zillion tweets telling people how to speak and how they should be spoken to. In this blog, I want to make the point that it serves little point apart from the exercising professional power. It serves only those who discuss and not those in their care. Continue reading “Language and professional power”
Linguistics of wine tasting
I like wine. I like drinking it, I like reading and talking about it. So, recently, I was delighted to join a tasting session focusing on wines the Loire Valley. I was particularly pleased, as two wines from the Loire, Pouilly-fume and Sancerre, are among my favourites. As it was my first ‘formal’ tasting session in Poland (and in Polish), I was also looking forward to the communicative side of the event. And this is what the blog is all about – linguistics of tasting. Continue reading “Linguistics of wine tasting”
On the power to cancel psychotherapy sessions
For the last 15 months, I have been in (psychodynamic) psychotherapy. During this time, I have attended all sessions. Alas, last week, I said to my therapist that I had to cancel this week’s sessions for professional reasons (I have meeting that cannot be re-scheduled), giving the therapist a week’s notice. I was asked to pay for the session anyway. I will not. Here is why. Continue reading “On the power to cancel psychotherapy sessions”
On medicalisation of suicide
It takes two years to get healthy, proposes the American Psychiatric Association in its newly published revised text of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). This is the time it takes to shed the diagnosis of the re-defined ‘suicidal behaviour disorder’, which the text pushes forward towards recognition as a fully-fledged illness. I would like to comment on the text of the DSM, and also on the idea itself. Some might find this blog controversial and difficult. Continue reading “On medicalisation of suicide”