Adapted from Understanding Antidepressants. In his often-quoted beginning of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy wrote, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” If we stretch this notion a little — going from families to individuals, and from unhappiness to depression — we come up with an interesting question, which is […]
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It’s officially that time of year. Summer is in full-swing, and all of America is getting ready to take a much-needed holiday. However, some Americans, particularly those who suffer from chronic pain, often dread getting away. They are afraid their chronic pain might prevent them […]
When I first started writing and speaking about physician burnout, I focused most of my efforts on the female physician — after all, most of my work stems from personal anecdotes, and I am of course a female physician. I could probably give a talk about women physicians and burnout in my sleep at this […]
I stood in line at the grocery store waiting to pay for my items. The woman behind me, who would be categorized as obese, was eyeing some of the snacks so conveniently placed in the checkout aisle. She grabbed a meal bar and analyzed it for a few seconds, then said aloud to me: “You […]
An excerpt from the Docs Outside the Box podcast, episode 2: How a physician found success and fulfillment living outside the box Dr. Nii: I have an exciting guest that I want to showcase for you. Her name is Dr. Melanie Watkins. She’s a psychiatrist who’s practicing in California. I’ve been following Melanie for quite some […]
Today is a strange day. I treated myself to a slice of nondescript doughy hospital pizza for lunch today. If this was an actual pizza place, and I had a choice, I would never order this pizza. But today, the pizza tasted fantastic. In fact, it tasted like the best pizza I’ve ever had. Why […]
July is upon us again: that New Year celebrated only by those in the medical field. A time when medical students begin as doctors, interns become residents, residents become fellows and, basically, everyone in every position is one year less experienced at it than the person who held that position the day before. This July […]
Dear third-year medical students, Welcome to the wards. I remember this stage — basking in the glory of completing pre-clinicals, in the excitement of finally switching heavy textbooks for living, breathing people, in the realization that medical education now lies in the hands of those I wanted to heal. I would be sleeping less, but […]
Author’s note: My personal reflection about the Sutherland Springs mass shooting was written before the horrific events at Stoneman Douglas High School and Santa Fe High School. The chorus of voices has only increased in amplitude regarding the calls to responsible action on firearm safety. While a larger debate continues in Washington, DC, I ask […]
Physicians all around us are dying from suicide. For me, some deceased colleagues I knew more closely, others were faces that you would pass on the wards. Even two physicians that I knew peripherally died just this past week. The issue of physician suicide is in the news now, and facts are available. At least […]
