Author: artsmuklermd

Art Smukler, MD was born and raised in Philadelphia, went to college and medical school in Pennsylvania, and completed his psychiatric training at UCLA. He is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in the treatment of adults with a subspecialty in adolescents. As a member of the UCLA faculty, he ran an award-winning psychotherapy conference for psychiatric residents and received the coveted “Golden Ear” award. He has published in psychiatric journals, and won the award for excellence in creative writing at The Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Now a full-time author, he applies his deep understanding of the human psyche to the motivations of his fictional characters.

WHAT CAN 44 BILLION BUY? by Art Smukler, MD, author & psychiatrist

Well, it can of course buy Twitter. Just ask Elon Musk. Is it fun, Mr. Musk, having millions of people furious that you have so much control? I don’t think that it really bothers him. Perhaps being the richest man in the world or sadly now the 2nd richest, buys a lot of FU money? Also, he can afford the mere 44 bill. If you’re angry at him, just drop off Twitter. Not so complicated. If everyone ignored Twitter it would soon be worth 0 Billion. On the other hand, he really makes a great car. Seriously, Tesla is terrific. Spend your time reading about E cars and ignore Twitter. Maybe that’s the solution?

But, let’s think about it. What can 44 billion buy? 20 or so Empire State buildings. Really! It would cost approximately 1.4 billion to buy one.

It can buy ocean liners, many many planes, Fortune 100 companies like Kraft and Ford etc., thousands of houses, it can get millions of homeless people off the street, build dozens and dozens of acute psychiatric hospitals, and on and on.

So everyone. Come up with a new good idea. Make some money. Buy what you want. If people are angry that you’re driving around in a Tesla rather than a beater, that’s their problem. It would also be nice if you donated your new found millions and billions to build psychiatric hospitals and help get the psychiatrically ill a safe place to get treatment so they can pay it back and become productive and happy.

Also, buy NINE NORTH and THE REAL STORY. You’ll love them.

#44billion #elonmusk #Twitter #Insidethemindofapsychiatrist #NINENORTH #THE REALSTORY

WHO’S REALLY CRAZY? by Art Smukler, MD, author & psychiatrist

In 1963 President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act into law. $365,000,000 was authorized to start community based mental health treatment programs, so that the mentally ill could be treated at home rather than in horrifying, ancient hospitals where they were often just housed. The act was lauded as the beginning of a new era for treating mental illness.

Now 50 years later, the results are utter chaos and inhumanity. Many of the mentally ill now sleep under freeways, roam the streets, urinate and defecate wherever, and attack random people because they feel that they are being threatened. 

Why did this wonderful idea fail?

Politics! The politicians refused to allocate enough money to fund community mental health centers and build new state-of-the-art acute-care hospitals. 

It really is that simple. Psychotic people need laws to get them admitted, against their will, to a hospital. Plus, their psychological treatment needs to be funded. 

Closing the antiquated psych hospitals was a great idea, but then all the saved money went to everything but mental health. 

Did the politicians really believe that psychiatric illness would just disappear? Poof!

They’re crazier than the poor psychotics roaming the streets. 

Oh. And did I mention that the politicians cared more about getting re-elected than doing the right thing? Silly me. Finally, after 50 years of chaos, maybe things might change.

Please check out THE REAL STORY and NINE NORTH. Thanks.