General
freud squad
What does freud squad mean?
What the rest of the hospital calls the psychiatry department when they roll in for a consult. Half mockery, half affection — psych gets ribbed for the long interviews, the soft voices, and the fact that nobody else wants to manage the agitated patient in bed 4.
"Call the Freud Squad — this guy's been talking to the curtain for an hour."
Origin
American hospital slang popularised by Samuel Shem's 1978 novel The House of God, which catalogued a whole generation of intern jargon.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Freud Squad" mean in a hospital?
Freud Squad is an affectionate staff nickname for the psychiatry team.
How do you use "Freud Squad" in a sentence?
"We paged the Freud Squad to assess the patient in bay three."
Why is the psych team called the Freud Squad?
It's a lighthearted nod to Sigmund Freud, the figure most associated with psychiatry, used affectionately among hospital staff.
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