“We know the ER’s revolving door will continue to spin for so many children and adolescents who seek help in the heat of their personal crisis. Some will need to stay in the hospital – to heal their bodies and minds and even fight for their lives…
Category: Psychiatry
Nothing prepared me for telehealth’s nightmare
The orders from the state seemed to come suddenly, although we all knew we would have to adjust our methods of treating our clients, the news wasn’t good, and seeing anyone in person was treacherous since many still thought it was a hoax and they didn’…
The dark truth of physician burnout
Burnout among doctors is not something new. In fact, way before the pandemic, 69% of physicians reported they were somewhat or incredibly happy in 2020, before the pandemic started. This number drastically fell to 49% when COVID-19 stepped in. This is …
To the patient who wants to die: a psychologist’s perspective [PODCAST]
“I often think about how I can make you see these things about yourself that others see. I think about the ways I can tell you that things will get better even though the darkest of days is upon you right now. But I know I can’t make you see thes…
Surviving medical school with depression
I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder as a preteen after my teenage sister died. I attempted suicide three years later. This would be the first of several attempts and the first of countless times I felt my life was not worth living. But…
Attention mid-career physicians: Let’s find our ikigai [PODCAST]
“Mid-career colleagues: it’s time to go back to the future. Time to learn again. Time to build professional and social networks at work. Take a lunch break. Bring home a few fewer RVUs. I recently started a monthly journal club for our small sect…
People with addiction belong in clinics — not jails
“Doc, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m here right now.” Though in his mid-60s, my patient had the wide-eyed bewilderment more familiar of a child. He was late for our first visit together — but he was there and agai…
Health care leaders’ roles in pandemic recovery: Caring for caregivers [PODCAST]
“These are extraordinary times. Leaders have the opportunity to seize the day, to lean into this turning point in health care delivery, to drive organizational transformation, and to emerge from the devastation of the pandemic with an organizatio…
Tap — yes, tap — to relieve stress
The pendulum in the physician wellness space continues to move, and for good reason. When mindfulness started becoming more mainstream in medicine, it was often touted as the solution to burnout and, subsequently, led to a lot of mandatory workplace mi…
The connection between mental health and what we eat
There is a connection between mental health and what we eat. Food can be a surrogate for our emotional needs. We could say that you are what you eat, but the truth is more complicated than that. Our food habits often mirror how we’re doing emotio…
