If we want to improve mental health care, psychiatrists need to be part of the conversation, not excluded from it. At the @APApsychiatric meeting this week, there was discussion about government efforts to influence or change prescribing practices for antidepressants and other psychiatric medications. Some psychiatrists voiced concern about what they see as “government interference” in clinical care. At the same time, there are many people who feel harmed by psychiatry, harmed by medications, or unheard by the mental health system. Their experiences matter too. Dismissing them is neither compassionate nor scientifically responsible. These tensions are real. Psychiatry has helped millions of people. It has also fallen short, or even harmed, others. Both things can be true. If we want meaningful reform, it cannot come from attacking psychiatrists, nor from psychiatrists becoming defensive and refusing criticism. Real progress will require humility, open scientific inquiry, honest discussion of benefits and harms, and collaboration among clinicians, patients, researchers, families, and policymakers. The goal should not be protecting institutions or ideologies. The goal should be helping people recover and live better lives.