Patricia Celan is a psychiatry resident.

How psychiatry fails trauma survivors

Conditions and Diseases
April 15, 2024

Psychiatry has a duty to be trauma-informed, given that 50 to 60 percent of the general population, and around 90 percent of people with severe mental illness, have a lifetime history of at least one traumatic event. Yet the mental health system often falls short.

Consider involuntary hospitalization in a psychiatric unit. Losing one’s freedom can be traumatic for anyone and triggering for those with past trauma of nonconsensual experiences. …

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How psychiatry fails trauma survivors

Pageantry: an unconventional education for aspiring psychiatrists

Physician
April 12, 2024

With the elegant gowns, stylized hair, carefully applied makeup, and moments in the spotlight, beauty pageants have attracted longstanding criticism for being allegedly superficial competitions that foster narcissism. But beneath the surface lies a wealth of opportunities for personal growth and skill development. Most modern pageants have moved away from being modeling competitions that assess superficial beauty. Instead, they have been reframed as personality competitions, evaluating qualities such as communication …

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Pageantry: an unconventional education for aspiring psychiatrists

1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

Physician
August 31, 2023

A young autistic surgeon makes several social faux pas, leading to clashing with his boss repeatedly. This eventually leads to the young autist being transferred to pathology against his will. Unable to cope with the change, he stands up to his boss to seek reinstatement as a surgeon, and he is consequently fired for disrespecting authority by standing his ground.

Sound familiar? That’s because it’s one arc of Read more…

1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

The pedestal that’s killing doctors

Conditions and Diseases
November 15, 2020

Doctors are often called “heroes” – a surprisingly uncomfortable label. Physicians are already tired of being held to a higher standard than the average person; raising the pedestal is problematic. While doctors are compassionate individuals who care about bettering lives and curing illnesses, we are also human. At the end of a standard workday, we would like to live normal lives. Unfortunately, the hours are longer, and we are never …

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The pedestal that’s killing doctors