Are you a perfectionist? Did you know that perfectionists are actually some of the biggest procrastinators? Yes, really. In theory, perfectionism sounds like a good thing. Who doesn’t want to do and be their best? It can even seem like a harmless…
Category: Psychiatry
Destigmatize burnout and let those facing pain in silence know they are not alone
An excerpt from Finding Purpose: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey of Hope and Healing. Each year, almost 400 physicians die by suicide. Reading that sentence should be enough to give anyone who has dedicated their life to helping and saving others cause for co…
A child psychiatrist on Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter
As a child psychiatrist, it was such a pleasure to see a play about a child who suffers psychologically and finds a way to heal that does not require an epic quest, a magical ability, becoming a princess, or even fixing the problem itself. Sarah Silve…
The claims data dilemma: 4 things to consider
I recently met with leaders of provider organizations representing a range of specialties and geographies. One of the themes that came through loud and clear was their ongoing struggle to obtain claims data from their payers. As providers continue thei…
A bullied medical assistant’s tragic story [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. “Today, I’d like to tell you the story of one who was exemplary. He was never late to work. He never came in and insisted on finishing his breakfast at his desk before rooming our first patient. He was so pers…
The “golden consult” revisited
For years, scholars have thought the perfect surgery consult was impossible. Comedic ophthalmologist Will Flanary, a.k.a. Dr. Glaucomflecken, characterizes the golden consult as one in which the surgeon is not consulted too soon — because the patient i…
It’s time to invest in trauma-informed ACEs interventions
Last year, I witnessed the extreme consequences of untreated childhood trauma as a medical trainee rotating through multiple safety-net hospitals in Los Angeles County. I helped care for children who arrived in our emergency departments after multiple …
Why the new 988 hotline has the potential to transform mental health care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. “The federal 988 hotline represents a promising new approach to alleviating the nation’s growing mental health crisis, but several key challenges loom that could derail this well-intentioned initiative. …
The new 988 hotline has the potential to transform mental health care, but challenges loom
The federal 988 hotline represents a promising new approach to alleviating the nation’s growing mental health crisis, but several key challenges loom that could derail this well-intentioned initiative. One significant information technology chall…
Protect the rights of licensed health care workers to take buprenorphine
Early in my addiction medicine fellowship, I met a patient for the second time while shadowing another physician in their practice. The patient was a former nurse with opioid use disorder on maintenance therapy with buprenorphine (commonly called Subox…
