Emotional reaction vs. intellectual duty

Today I had my first therapy session with Doctor Livio after his "holiday". It started as usual, with me telling how I feel in general and how this month without him was. I told him I have been writing a lot, and I mentioned my online diary. At this point, he asked me a very strange question. He asked me if I know how a blog works, because allegedly there is a colleague of him, Doctor Del Don, who is slandering him in his blog. I saw this Doctor Del Don on television in a talk show about the case of the pedophile a week ago. He is a very aggressive, quick-tempered and intransigent man. Not really the one I would like to have as a psychiatrist. I explained to Doctor Livio how blogs work, I explained him how my blog works, because even if he ever read it, I have nothing to hide. 

Since I mentioned the fact that I saw Doctor Del Don on television in a talk show about the pedophile’s case, I disclosed the fact that I had been following it on the media. As a consequence, that I knew about the fact that he, Doctor Livio, took the part of the accused. I had the impression – I might be wrong – that he wanted to trigger this discussion. I just said that the whole case has left a bitter taste in my mouth,  that I am nobody to criticize him since I am not even a professional, but I was shocked when I got to know that he was the one to make a psychiatrist’s report for the defense. People like that damned pedophile should be kept away from society for the rest of their miserable life. This was my emotional reaction, the reaction of an indignant citizen. Doctor Livio claimed that this was also his first reaction. 

Then, he was called to make a psychiatrist’s report by the defense because the accused’s lawyer found the psychiatrist’s report made by the psychiatrist called by the Public Prosecutor imprecise. Doctor Livio spoke with the accused, tried to have a general idea of him. He was not convinced at the beginning. Then, he went there a second time, with a colleague. They spent a whole day making personality tests and they could outline the situation. Doctor Livio did not agree with the psychiatrist’s report given by the Public Prosecutor, and felt that it was a sort of intellectual duty to make another report. A report which he found more precise. He stressed that in such situations, the freedom of a human being is at stake, so that every detail has to be taken into consideration. He said to me that he would have made the same report even if he had been asked by the Public Prosecutor to do so. I believe him, I think he is honest enough not to lie about such a thing. 

Well, I consider Doctor Livio a man of Order, Truth and Justice. Whatever he does, he does it because he is convinced that it is in line with ethic and morality. Speaking about it with him was good for me, maybe now I found the way to be on good terms with him again. Indeed, I had been questioning his morality a lot during the last month. 

I might write more on this on a later stage, now I’m off to read my friends since I’m very tired. I had a busy week. Take gentle care of yourselves.