Doctor Bias

The murder of Gabriel and Alicia’s incarceration were all unfortunate examples of a failing system caused by Doctor biases, both inside and outside of the Grove. In order for patients to be healed and crisis like this to be averted, the system needs to promote healing over a doctor's personal feelings.

There are many times throughout the novel that various doctors and officials fail Alicia. The first and most obvious is Christian West. As a psychiatrists, Christian should have listened to her fears and reacted accordingly. Instead, he assumed she was mad based on his previous diagnosis instead of handling the new problem. When he compares her current problem to a psychotic episode she had years prior, Alicia says, “That time I was sick. This time I’m not sick. Nothing’s the matter with me - apart from the fact that someone is...