Psychiatry
Debunking schizophrenia myths [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we welcome Brooke Kempf, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, to debunk common myths about schizophrenia and promote a more accurate understanding of the condition. We’ll explore misconceptions about the …
How anxiety can be your biggest competitor and ally in achieving success
Did you ever have a competitor in life who challenged you in every test and every election for a leadership role? If so, today, I would like you to imagine that person and replace them with an emotion that we, as psychiatrists, frequently encounter during our practice – anxiety!
Much like that pushy competition, anxiety can feel overwhelming and challenging. However, it also has the potential to push us to achieve …
Quiet firing in medicine: my journey from burnout to freedom
As I sit in this dark room in an empty house in solitude, I still wonder how I got here.
I have been the subject of quiet firing that resulted in my mental and social health suffering. It soured my work relationships, consumed my day, made me an angry person to everyone, including my family, and gave me anxiety. It culminated in exactly what the system wanted: me leaving. It was …
Young lives at risk: the unseen dangers of fentanyl addiction
When we go charging in blood vessels at breathtaking speed to relieve the blockade that otherwise may bring a sad end to life, we expect to be doing it for the mature and elderly. The stress and strains upon the heart through the journey that is life upend the natural rhythm and flow, with the turbulence churning up clots like butter from milk that flow downstream till the narrowed channels …
Social media use and physician wellness [PODCAST]
Time to educate the psychiatric patient
The initial psychiatric interview of a patient is often a crucial part of the developing relationship between patient and physician. Establishing rapport, reaching a diagnosis, discussing treatment options, and formulating a plan, are the main frameworks of the interview. There remain, however, increasing pressures to reach the final diagnosis, often from patients and caregivers on initial meetings with providers that can lead to rushed or overlooked symptoms. Where, then, does …
How to support physician wellness during the toughest times
Michael Foti, MD, and Tushar Bhagat, PhD, recently reached out to me, each expressing that we are committed to the same goal: well-being for others, especially physicians. I paired them up for an episode of my YouTube channel, where they poignantly shared their journeys to becoming advocates for physician wellness. Through their work, they are creating synergistic loops of feeling better! Here are their stories:
Michael Foti, MD:
At a time when …
Donald Trump’s near-death experience: A journey of potential transformation?
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have fascinated both the medical community and the general public due to their profound and often transformative effects on individuals. These experiences typically occur in situations where a person is close to death or facing a life-threatening condition. Common elements reported during NDEs include feelings of peace, out-of-body experiences, traveling through a tunnel, encountering a bright light, and meeting deceased loved ones or spiritual beings. The aftermath …
Finding peace after years of abuse: a journey through grief
I had been looking forward to and, at the same time, dreading this appointment. Her husband had been ill for many months, but that had not stopped the verbal abuse that superseded the physical blows he could no longer inflict. She had, over many previous visits, told me stories, chronicled the behaviors, and responded with an icy coldness that left me chilled of heart and spirit every time she walked …
Mental health in jail [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we explore the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship in a challenging setting with our guest, Joseph Baskin, a jailhouse psychiatrist. Joseph shares his experiences working with inmates who suffer from …
It’s time for physicians to reclaim their voice and identity
Kim Downey
Wherever conversations surrounding health care occur, similar frustrations emerge, whether I’m speaking with a physician in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand. I’ve recently been in dialogue with Olivia Morris, co-founder and CEO of Verity Barrington and Doctors Living in Ireland. Olivia has been a global physician advocate for the past ten years. Given that role, along with being married to a doctor, Olivia has acquired …
What would you save if your house was on fire?
The obvious answer is just that, of course. I would save my wife and myself. Everything else is replaceable—well, almost everything. Read on.
Twenty years ago, before the launch of the iPhone and before social media ruled the world, two of the most important things in any traditional American family’s house were the family Bible and the family’s pictures. I will leave the Bible and commentary on it for another question …
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Balancing diabetes and mental health: the medication challenge [PODCAST]
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We sit down with Jennifer Jonsson, a patient advocate, to explore the complex world of medication interactions and their impact on mental health. Jennifer shares her personal journey of managing ADHD, bipolar disorder, …
Transform relationships: Embrace real interactions over digital distractions
As a health care writer and subject matter expert in public health policy for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid addiction, I spend a lot of time online reading or writing. Nearing the age of 80, I have time for such occupations. In that context, I recently ran into a quite profound quotation on Facebook:
I lived when simply waiting was a large part of ordinary life: when we waited, …
President Biden’s debate performance: episode or condition?
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that it is valid for people to ask whether Joe Biden’s June 27, 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump, which was weak at best and incoherent at worst, was just “an episode” or part of a “condition.”
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode, or is this a condition,” Pelosi remarked less than a week after the debate.
“It was …
Navigating life’s transitions: How I turned my struggles into support
I’ve historically struggled with graduations and transitions—it’s why I help people with transitions now, as I’ve learned how essential it is to have support during these often isolating and destabilizing times. While transitions can be full of celebrations, gratitude, and pride, there are also times when we may experience grief, regret, loneliness, and everything in between.
Sitting with my current transition, I acknowledged many reasons why I tend to skip over …
Providing clarity in behavioral health: How patients, providers, and payers can benefit from measurement-informed care
Mental health conditions are among the most common health concerns in the United States, with 1 in 5 adults living with a mental illness. Yet those who need care have long been faced with issues of access, understanding, and stigma. While the coronavirus pandemic gave way for some of these issues to be addressed, allowing free-flowing conversations about mental health to become more commonplace, legislation to be put …
Scams perpetrated on authors by impersonators and bad actors
Shortly after publishing a book, I received what seemed like a promising film adaptation offer from a reputable-sounding company. Despite initial excitement, I discovered it was a sophisticated scam. This experience taught me to stay vigilant and verify unsolicited offers—not only book and movie deals but any business promise that appeals to your ego and seems like a get-rich-quick scheme.
Many accounts similar to mine have been reported on the internet. …
When heartbreak leads to self-discovery
I think the greatest quality in humans that makes them far superior to other creatures is the ability to think and act on their own free will. But there is another ability that makes us unique: the gift of feeling emotions and the capacity to love.
Unconditional love makes you a kid. I feel as if it deprives you of your cognitive ability to judge someone. It clouds your vision to …
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