Ayd, pioneering father of psychopharmacology, is dead.

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He taught for a few years at the Pontifical Gregorian ... not something that many psychiatrists do, is it? What did he teach there, I'd love to know. Is there a "theology of psychopharmacology"? ;-)

Or maybe the psychopharmacology of theology... Or seriously, maybe something about exorcism (the Church still performs exorcisms, but the rule is that they are performed when a patient's problem *cannot* be explained as mental illness ... for this determination, exorcists rely on the aid of mental health professionals ... so it's possible).

UPDATE: I did find through google that he had an older brother, a Jesuit priest named Joseph D Ayd, who died in 1999.
 
manwhoisthursdy said:
He taught for a few years at the Pontifical Gregorian ... not something that many psychiatrists do, is it? What did he teach there, I'd love to know. Is there a "theology of psychopharmacology"? ;-)

Or maybe the psychopharmacology of theology... Or seriously, maybe something about exorcism (the Church still performs exorcisms, but the rule is that they are performed when a patient's problem *cannot* be explained as mental illness ... for this determination, exorcists rely on the aid of mental health professionals ... so it's possible).

UPDATE: I did find through google that he had an older brother, a Jesuit priest named Joseph D Ayd, who died in 1999.
Click to expand...

Catholic orders, the Jesuits in particular, do not limit their scholarship to merely spiritual matters. I had not heard of the Pontifical Gregorian University until this post, but one should not assume that they would be uninterested in psychopharmacology.

Interestingly, Dr. Ned Cassem, former chief of psychiatry at MGH, is well known as being both a psychiatrist and Jesuit priest, and received an APA award recognizing significant contributions to religion and psychiatry.
 
OldPsychDoc said:
Catholic orders, the Jesuits in particular, do not limit their scholarship to merely spiritual matters. I had not heard of the Pontifical Gregorian University until this post, but one should not assume that they would be uninterested in psychopharmacology.

Interestingly, Dr. Ned Cassem, former chief of psychiatry at MGH, is well known as being both a psychiatrist and Jesuit priest, and received an APA award recognizing significant contributions to religion and psychiatry.
Click to expand...

George Murray, director emeritus of the MGH consult fellowship, is also a Jesuit. Both Ned and George are world renowned consult psychiatrists, and excellent guys to drink with (if you can keep up with them).
 
Doc Samson said:
George Murray, director emeritus of the MGH consult fellowship, is also a Jesuit. Both Ned and George are world renowned consult psychiatrists, and excellent guys to drink with (if you can keep up with them).
Click to expand...

That sounds like it would be a wonderful way to pass a rainy Saturday afternoon in Boston! 😀

I envy you...

<sigh> [imagining myself listening to C/L war stories over single malt scotch and irish ales...] <sigh>
 
OldPsychDoc said:
That sounds like it would be a wonderful way to pass a rainy Saturday afternoon in Boston! 😀

I envy you...

<sigh> [imagining myself listening to C/L war stories over single malt scotch and irish ales...] <sigh>
Click to expand...

Academics aside, that's one of the chief reasons that the MGH consult fellowship is such a fantastic experience.
 
OldPsychDoc said:
Catholic orders, the Jesuits in particular, do not limit their scholarship to merely spiritual matters. I had not heard of the Pontifical Gregorian University until this post, but one should not assume that they would be uninterested in psychopharmacology.
Click to expand...

True, Catholic institutions deal with all sorts of secular learning ... it's almost a given, as the university as we know it in the West developed from Church institutions, at least according to the history I've read.

But the Pontifical Gregorian is not just any Catholic university... my understanding was that in general it emphasized the study of liturgy, theology, sacred music, church history, canon law, etc., especially for priests and seminarians seeking further study. They do have a faculty of psychology, but it's certainly church-oriented ... not sure what would attract an American psychopharmacologist unless there were something else to the story.

Whatever he taught there ... I'm curious to know!
 
manwhoisthursdy said:
He taught for a few years at the Pontifical Gregorian ... not something that many psychiatrists do, is it? What did he teach there, I'd love to know. Is there a "theology of psychopharmacology"? ;-)

Or maybe the psychopharmacology of theology... Or seriously, maybe something about exorcism (the Church still performs exorcisms, but the rule is that they are performed when a patient's problem *cannot* be explained as mental illness ... for this determination, exorcists rely on the aid of mental health professionals ... so it's possible).

UPDATE: I did find through google that he had an older brother, a Jesuit priest named Joseph D Ayd, who died in 1999.
Click to expand...

Very cool derailment. I'd love to read more about Catholic church history in the differential in demon possession and use of psychiatrists in this role.
 
Anasazi23 said:
Very cool derailment. I'd love to read more about Catholic church history in the differential in demon possession and use of psychiatrists in this role.
Click to expand...

I think this would make an excellent topic for our "personal tutorial" with Drs. Cassem and Murray. Doc Samson, name the bar and I'll buy the first round!😀
 
If you're drinking with Ned and George (or with me for that matter), then you're pretty much looking at Bass or Smithwicks.

Last year they both went out to L.A. to be filmed for a documentary on the very subject of demonic possession (haven't heard yet when it's due out). They're both pretty firm on the point that most cases of "possession" are most likely complex partial epilepsy and/or factitious DO vs. borderline. Jesuits are required to have multiple graduate degrees and encourage diversity of education, so it's possible (given that he was Jesuit educated) that Ayd had an interest entirely outside of psychiatry.
 
Doc Samson said:
Last year they both went out to L.A. to be filmed for a documentary on the very subject of demonic possession (haven't heard yet when it's due out). They're both pretty firm on the point that most cases of "possession" are most likely complex partial epilepsy and/or factitious DO vs. borderline. Jesuits are required to have multiple graduate degrees and encourage diversity of education, so it's possible (given that he was Jesuit educated) that Ayd had an interest entirely outside of psychiatry.
Click to expand...

Interesting....If you hear of it, can you let us know when when this is out?
 
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