Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “During addiction, the brain becomes ‘hijacked,’ which then ‘exaggerates the need for the drug and minimizes the dangers associated with the use of the drug.’ …
Category: Psychiatry
5 tips for treating seasonal depression during the holidays
Although the holidays are typically associated with feelings of joy and thankfulness, it is imperative that people should not automatically assume these emotions are commonly shared. Three percent of all individuals are impacted by seasonal affective d…
A physician’s remedy for stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “My own burnout episode forced me into some heavy-duty soul-searching and serious reflection. I got lost in the world of seeing as many patients as possible, battling for more operati…
The transformative power of EMDR
I became a self-involved status and achievement “junkie” in order to tune out unbearable inner voices that repeated, “You are worthless … you’re a fraud … you’re a failure.” I was obsessed with grandiosity: I owned a…
A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers
On the day before the last day at my last job, I reviewed my patient roster. Five of my seven most worrisome teenagers were currently admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt. This was not completely surprising. It is the fall. Teenager…
PTSD after medical education
Dear Art: On Friday, June 11, 1982, members of the faculty convened to discuss the performance of the psychiatric residents during the last six (6) months. The following is a summation of their comments as they apply to your performance. The faculty…
By failing to discuss strangulation, we are failing our patients
Six seconds is the amount of time it would have taken for him to render me unconscious. Shortly thereafter, I might have lost my life. One month before I finally found the strength to leave an abusive ex-partner, he rushed at me with unexpected force d…
What does self-compassion look like in your life?
I’ve spent years deeply uncomfortable in my skin. Wanting to disappear. Last night, a wave of anxiety hit me as it often does when the world gets quiet. In tune with my body for a brief moment, my heart ached. Why? I envisioned that moment when w…
Letting grief make you stronger
Grief is powerful and can break your heart for the rest of your life, or you can learn from it and become stronger. Losing a loved one is something that everyone will go through, but not all come out as survivors in the end. It’s part of life, bu…
We’re confusing resilience with grit [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “It’s not that physicians need to be more resilient. We’ve failed to provide them with the goodwill to be human and embrace their “whole selves” (people who are resilient often but no…
