title: The naming of our species: appellations for the psychiatrist.
abstract: A number of appellations for the psychiatrist are discussed from a historical semantic and political perspective. Many are ambiguous, which may reflect an ambivalent attitude towards those who manage mental illness. The current designations, "headshrinker", "shrink" and "trick-cyclist" have considerable scope for interpretation. The expression "psycho, the rapist" may signify a disturbing "postambivalent" linguistic stage. The profession's potential responses to this development are considered.
authors.affiliation: Northside Clinic, Sydney.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011639:Public Opinion; D012660:Semantics