Printer iconPrint Page

Dr. Burnout

Millie Niss
mldeed@verizon.net

Bookmark and Share

Is not in he’s taking the afternoon off
To vacuum his office barcalounger
And test the springiness of the upholstery
With the new Jamaican receptionist
He’s been eyeing for the last two weeks
Dr. doesn’t want to hear about your feelings
After all, they’re immaterial the fall
Of psychodynamic psychiatry is well-past
So please stick to symptoms, side-effects and such
And leave the feelings for your twelve-step group
On overcoming therapy addiction.  Diagnosis
Is a mere formality useful for insurance purposes
We wouldn’t want you to read in any more
Meaning than can be coded in ICD-9 instead
We’d rather characterize your condition
By the characteristic response you have to
Certain pharmacologic agents so rather than to say
That you’re depressed which has so many extra-clinical connotations better to say you have
Prozac-responsive syndrome.  Don’t bother to detail
The depths of your despair how you want to throw yourself
In front of the number 104 bus and end it all, enough
To say you have suicidal ideation and not waste
The doctor’s time he is busy preparing his suntan
For the Psychiatric Association conference in Acapulco
Where it wouldn’t do to have pasty skin so please be brief
And to the point and pay your bill promptly the dr.
Is running a business not a charity so have your
Visa or mastercard ready (sorry no American express) as
You leave and please do not forget your next appointment
Careful follow-up is essential to correct treatment.

 

About the Author

  • Millie Niss died in 2009 at the age of 36, probably from Behcets Disease and a terminal episode of Septicemia.  She was a widely published poet who worked throughout her short life with her mother, Martha Deed, who cared for her, accompanied her to the many clinicians and hospitals she encountered, and edited and collaborated in her writing.  These two poems are  published in their anthology, CITY BIRD, published in 2010 by BlazeVOX books in Buffalo, NY.

    Published: November 7, 2011