Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ tragic death highlights the importance of mental health

Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C
Conditions
December 17, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

A prominent celebrity named Stephen “tWitch” Boss of the Ellen DeGeneres Show took his life at 40. Boss’ contagious love of dancing, carefree spirit, and milewide grin brought joy to millions. From the outside looking in, we saw a gentle soul – a successful actor and dancer with a wife and three children.

Just days before his passing, Boss shared a joyful video on social media of him dancing with his wife. His shocking death is yet another sobering reminder that mental illness is a disease that insulates people – even those known and loved by many.

As a practicing physician associate/assistant (PA) for over 20 years, my ever-present fear is that one of my patients or my loved ones is suffering in silence and, like Boss, hiding pain and hurt behind a beautiful and warm exterior. I expect that my colleagues in the health care community share this fear. We continually ask ourselves what more we can do to help break the stigma associated with mental illness to ensure those who are hurting so much are never afraid to seek help.

Today, an estimated 158 million Americans lack adequate mental health care access. The human beings behind this astounding figure are our mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Mental illness is a disease that does not discriminate and ravages families and communities across the country. On average, the delay between when a patient first experiences mental illness symptoms and when they receive treatment is an astounding 11 years. We must close this gap – and do so quickly.

In every state across the country, patient demand for mental health services outpaces provider supply. According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, many states, including where I reside in Illinois, lag behind the rest of the nation in meeting the behavioral health needs of its residents. To meet the national need, our country needs another 8,000 practitioners. And with the current health care workforce shortage, that won’t happen anytime soon.

However, securing more mental health care workers is not – and cannot be – our only call to action. Our health care workforce must be fully empowered and mobilized to meet the growing demand for mental health services. Every member of today’s modern health care team must be allowed to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and experience, or else we will continue to struggle to meet patients where they are.

With more than 500 million patient interactions annually, America’s PAs have the necessary experience in primary care and many settings, including emergency rooms, to diagnose and treat anxiety, depression, and more severe mental illnesses. However, many patients may not realize they can discuss their mental health concerns with a PA or another care provider outside a mental health care setting. I want all patients to know that all providers, including PAs, are here for you – and we’re listening.

While we recognize there is no single or easy solution to the mental health crisis, we also recognize it is time for each of us to turn words into actions now.

Action starts with each of us! Provider or otherwise, I encourage each of you to take the time to reach out to your colleagues, friends, family, and loved ones. Check on them. Talk to them. Ask them if they are ok.

And on behalf of our patients, our families, our friends, and our communities, I urge policymakers to act now to ensure every health care provider can meet the needs of their patients by being allowed to practice to the fullest extent of their license.

Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation to save one person’s life. We must stop talking about what to do and take action.

Jennifer M. Orozco is a physician assistant.

Prev

Overcoming the epidemic of loneliness

December 17, 2022 Kevin 0
…
Next

The Christmas miracle and the music box

December 17, 2022 Kevin 0
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Overcoming the epidemic of loneliness
Next Post >
The Christmas miracle and the music box

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C

  • Give health care workers a break. Get a vaccine!

    Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C

Related Posts

  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • Improve mental health by improving how we finance health care

    Steven Siegel, MD, PhD
  • We need a mental health infrastructure bill

    Jennifer Reid, MD
  • The new mental health education mandate doesn’t go far enough

    Brandon Jacobi
  • A step forward: a way to advance the mental health of health care professionals

    Mattie Renn, Thomas Pak, and Corey Feist, JD, MBA
  • Mental health issues and the African American community

    Lashawnda Thornton, MSW

More in Conditions

  • Diabetes and Alzheimer’s: What your blood sugar might be doing to your brain

    Marc Arginteanu, MD
  • How motherhood reshaped my identity as a scientist and teacher

    Kathleen Muldoon, PhD
  • Jumpstarting African health care with the beats of innovation

    Princess Benson
  • Voices from the inside: 35 years as a nurse in health care

    Virginia DeFranco, RN
  • Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?

    Sylk Sotto, EdD, MPS, MBA
  • Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction

    Travis Douglass, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?

      Pamela Adelstein, MD | Physician
    • Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Rethinking medical education for a technology-driven era in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From basketball to bedside: Finding connection through March Madness

      Caitlin J. McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • In medicine and law, professions that society relies upon for accuracy

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Tech
    • Diabetes and Alzheimer’s: What your blood sugar might be doing to your brain

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
    • How motherhood reshaped my identity as a scientist and teacher

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Conditions
    • Jumpstarting African health care with the beats of innovation

      Princess Benson | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?

      Pamela Adelstein, MD | Physician
    • Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Rethinking medical education for a technology-driven era in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From basketball to bedside: Finding connection through March Madness

      Caitlin J. McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • In medicine and law, professions that society relies upon for accuracy

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Tech
    • Diabetes and Alzheimer’s: What your blood sugar might be doing to your brain

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
    • How motherhood reshaped my identity as a scientist and teacher

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Conditions
    • Jumpstarting African health care with the beats of innovation

      Princess Benson | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ tragic death highlights the importance of mental health
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...