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TOPIC: dottore

Dottoré!

Don't Look Back In Depression

"I did it all because basically, I’m an idiot."

Dottoré, when I look back at my life, I see only mistakes.

My job, my marriage, the children — even getting a dog ... I did it all because basically, I’m an idiot.

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A Woman’s Work Is Never Done

... unless she's a famous influencer?

“In the morning I get up at 5:30 a.m. I clean the house, then I wake up the children at 7. I get them ready, make them breakfast, then at 7:30, we leave for school. At 8:30, I start work. I clean two offices, then at 11, I go to a lady's house to clean until 3.30 p.m.

At 4 p.m. I pick up the children. I take them home and help them with their homework. Three days a week, I take my youngest to a physiotherapist at 5.30 p.m. The other days, there’s my daughter's catechism classes and my other daughter’s gym lessons. By 7:30 p.m. it's dinner time, because at 8 p.m. I have to go clean offices when they close. Then by 10 p.m. I come back and put them to bed.

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The Geopolitical Relevance Of Misheard Sting Lyrics

"There is no Napoli on common sense?”

As a child, I learned English by listening to Sting’s songs and translating them. I remember being mesmerized by his voice and I also loved how clearly he would pronounce the words, which made it easy for me to understand.

That’s why I was amazed, to say the least, when Stefano told me:

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The Way To A Doctor’s Heart

Our Neapolitan psychiatrist ponders the meaning of professional recognition, and lasagna.

Money, awards, recognition, promotions — those don’t mean a thing to me.

The real reward for me comes when patients cook.

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Dottoré!
Mariateresa Fichele

Facing The Shame, Sharing The Blame

Our Neapolitan psychiatrist is faced with the inadequacy of the Italian health system, and a mother’s helplessness.

I’ve been seeing Maria about her depression for a year now. Although she’s a skilled and sought-after embroiderer, she no longer works. I have often pressed her on this topic, but she's always been very reticent. Today, she reacted:

Dottoré, what do you want me to tell you — that my daughter shits on herself?”

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Dottoré!
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A Newborn Dies, A Mother's Blame

Our Neapolitan psychiatrist reacts to the public blame directed at an exhausted Italian mother, after she fell asleep while breastfeeding her newborn son at a Rome hospital .

They say that childbirth is, and must necessarily be, the most beautiful thing in the world.

So beautiful that it justifies all the hardships a mother must endure, without complaining or expecting relief from the pain. So beautiful that after it has happened, you are not even allowed to rest because you have to keep the baby with you to breastfeed.

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Italy
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In Troubled Times, What People Want

People don't give a damn about Putin, NATO, Ukraine, communism, democracy, freedom, gas, oil, national sovereignty, ideals. They don’t give a damn about each and every word, thought or opinion. People are just afraid of war. People want to live.

____________________________

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Dottoré!
Mariateresa Fichele

Treatment For Putin, A Psychiatrist’s Advice

Dear President Zelensky,

I am a psychiatrist, not a politician — though when it comes to the madmen of battle (in the fields of health, fortunately), I have fought more than you.

I would like to explain to you a fundamental aspect of my work: when it becomes necessary to convince a patient who refuses to get treatment. In these cases, it is crucial to never enter in symmetry with his madness. If he screams and is angry, if he commits brutal acts and threatens others, you as a doctor must try at all costs to do the exact opposite.

He must not perceive you as an enemy, but as someone firmly in command of his opinions and who doesn’t need to use such methods to pursue them.

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Dottoré!
Mariateresa Fichele

Requiem For A Stray Cat

At the mental health center where I work, we have always taken care of the area’s stray cats.

Birba had been around for a few years.

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Dottoré!
Mariateresa Fichele

Pandemic Paranoia II: Why People In Movies Don't Wear Masks

Last week, our resident psychiatrist explained the delusions of anti-vaxxers. This week, a patient has a theory of why nobody is wearing masks in movies and television.

"Dottoré, have you noticed how nobody wears masks in films and TV series?”

"They must have been filmed before the pandemic."

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Dottoré!
Mariateresa Fichele

A Doctor's Privilege

A rainy day.

On the television, people are talking and talking and talking.

I get ready to go to work.

I'll have to knock on some doors, and people will let me in with a smile.

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