Anonymous M.D.

A couple of months ago, I read an interesting book called "Unprotected: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student." My Catholic/socially conservative friend recommended it to me, so I assumed the subject would lean in that direction, but I was determined to keep an open mind and started reading. You know when you find out about something amazing and you feel like you have to tell EVERYBODY what you have learned...? That's what happened to me. The author, Anonymous M.D., paints such an accurate picture of the college experience in today’s world - it's incredible. I want every woman I know to read this. She uses medical evidence to argue that the American Psychiatric Association is overly concerned with being politically correct, which ultimately forces psychiatrists to focus on the physical well-being of young college women rather than their emotional well-being. She discusses fertility, abortion, STDs, religion...pretty much everything. The best thing about the book is that she seems to understand my generation and knows how to argue with us. We've been taught to rely on fact and she uses nothing but scientific evidence to support her main points. The only real downside is that she mentions that she is religious. I didn't like that because it is completely unnecessary and probably turns a lot of people off, which is a shame because the book is fascinating. Here is a quick overview from the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (I shortened it a bit):

According to a 2004 survey by the American College Health Association, nearly half of all college students report having felt so depressed at school that they have had trouble functioning. The National Survey of Counseling Center Directors revealed last year that nine percent of all students sought help at their college mental health center. Many suffer eating disorders, self-mutilation, binge-drinking, the stress of boyfriends, exams, and broad-spectrum angst.

In this sobering expose, Dr. A argues that the culture on campus--and in her profession--is so steeped in political correctness that it hamstrings the ability of therapists to help college students. The doctor's frustration steams off every page: "We ask about child abuse, but not last week's hook-ups," she laments. "We want to know how many cigarettes and coffees she's had each day, but not how many abortions in her past. We consider the stress caused by parental expectations and rising tuition, but neglect the anguish of herpes, the hazards of promiscuity, and the looming fertility issues for women who put their career first."

In the training workshops she attends, Dr. A would like to see less focus on sexual experimentation and social oppression in the counseling of young people and more consideration of meaning, hope, and purpose. "Many would benefit from being less self-absorbed, not more," she says. Indeed, the general sensibility on campus, as the author paints it, is a jumble of mixed messages.

A cardiologist, she argues, feels perfectly justified in offering judgments about a patient's sedentary lifestyle. The truth may hurt, but no one worries that a fat man with hypertension will be offended by being told he should lose weight and exercise. But if a mental health physician has the gall to suggest to a young female patient displaying serious symptoms of depression that she might improve the quality of her life if she changes her casual attitude toward sex—well, that crosses the line. That's a value judgment and not medicine, she is likely to be told. Anonymous begs to differ. "I argue as a scientist," she says, "with biological facts, not biblical ones. Forget Leviticus—as you'll see, my data is from The New England Journal of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Anyway, I thought of this book again last night, went online to see how people are reviewing it and made some frustrating discoveries. Judging from their comments, it seemed that most of the reviewers hadn’t even read it. They were immediately turned off by the fact that the author argues that men and women are fundamentally different. As a result, they completely write everything off. I was so mad.

What made me the most upset is that I had to try really hard to find reviews at all. This book isn't sold in stores and hasn't gotten a lot of attention. everyone should read it, especially if you're still in college. It really rang true for me and if anything, it provides for some interesting discussion.