Hmmm... What would my long-time, recently retired psychiatrist say? I speculate he would say he tried to be a good psychiatrist, that he tried to do the best for his patients given the constraints of knowledge and resources.

I can say with me he was honest. I don't believe he ever lied to me, though I strongly suspect, given how busy he was and his longevity in the profession, he was not fully up on the latest developments. He did not try to push any particular form of treatment, but he was "married" to providing antidepressant medications. Interestingly, he advised me not to seek inpatient treatment in his system because, in his words, "It would not be therapeutic for me."

After years of care I'm still depressed. I ceased participating in society years ago. Could a "good" psychiatrist have "cured" me? My case is complicated by other health problems. A "medical psychologist" told me my case was akin to "chronic pain" and required analogous management. I think my old pdoc did that pretty well, I think.