We physicians often feel as though we are running up Heartbreak Hill. For many of us, the spring in our step just ain’t what it used to be. Pictured above is Ethiopian runner Worknesh Negefa, the fourth-fastest female marathoner in history and the winn…
“As if COVID-19 weren’t bad enough during the pandemic, another public health crisis – substance use disorder (SUD) – has gone from bad to worse, while access to behavioral health services is shrinking. As of September, more than half (52%) of co…
An excerpt from About Natalie: A Daughter’s Addiction. A Mother’s Love. Finding Their Way Back to Each Other. I look around at the pale walls of the emergency room. Yes, we are back here. Not for an overdose, but this time for an abscess so…
To be the best healers possible for others, we have to show compassion for and take care of ourselves. I wrote a previous article published in KevinMD titled, “Self-care is not selfish: It’s imperative to save the practice of medicine.̶…
“My grandchildren are appalled.” So said the elderly patient I saw yesterday. This lovely woman came to our practice for the treatment of extreme pain. At 99-years of age, she has survived multiple cancers and their associated treatments. S…
One of our most talented residents committed suicide during my psychiatric training. I remember relaxing with him in a VA hospital call room several months before his death, laughing together at some of the idiosyncrasies of our unit attending. He open…
An excerpt from Tenacity in Children: Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success. Did you ever wonder why babies quickly develop a social smile and look you in the eyes? Is it surprising to learn that the muscles in your ears are set within the…
On April 26, 2020, the nation was shocked by the suicide of Dr. Lorna Breen, a New York City emergency physician who was recovering from COVID-19 in Virginia. Dr. Breen is one of an unknown number of health care professionals who have experienced menta…
I am a psychiatrist who volunteers his time on the clinical faculty of the local medical school. This is a role I have valued over the years that has allowed me to give back and mentor young residents as my senior colleagues did for me during my traini…
“Suicide is a path, whether fast or slow, that a person chooses to take because of their own reasons. We certainly can never predict suicide or truly understand it. But with that said, every time it happens, it is a tragic loss of life that time …
