Psychiatry

How a nurse’s journey through trauma inspires hope and kindness

Conditions

January 20, 2025

A former ICU nurse and close friend told me tonight that she wanted to start the new year on a positive note. I nodded, trying to absorb her optimism, but deep down, it felt like an impossible belief to hold onto.

Earlier in the evening, I finished watching Selena: The Series on Netflix. Tears streamed down my face, not just for Selena but for all those whose greatness was taken too …

Breaking the emotional flatline: Reclaiming empathy in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 15, 2025

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Join us as we explore the emotional toll of high-stakes health care with physician, speaker, and thought leader Pamela Buchanan. Discover her insights on the “emotional flatline,” a defense mechanism that shields health …

Doctors reveal the unspoken toll of shame and sacrifice in medicine

Courtney Markham-Abedi, MD

Physician

January 14, 2025

It’s capitalism, it’s greed, it’s the hospitals, it’s all those things, but for me, it’s sadness, it’s loss, it’s crying myself to sleep. Lest I sound ungrateful, I am appreciative of the income and career it has afforded me. I am not the victim but also not the perpetrator. In reality, we are all both at one time or another.

It’s the hushed calls to let me know a dear patient …

Is perfectionism something to strive for or heal from?

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Physician

January 14, 2025

I used to pride myself on being a perfectionist and high achiever, and I held onto those identities tightly. Today, my diplomas are stored in a box at the bottom of a closet. I recycled the majority of my race medals, and reviewing my CV contributes to pain. I have created space from these visual reminders of how hard my past self worked to feel some sense of worthiness in …

The hidden grief of Black fathers after pregnancy loss

Scott Janssen, MSW, LCSW

Conditions

January 13, 2025

In the United States, as many as 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage (before the end of the twentieth week of pregnancy) and approximately 1 percent in stillbirth (after the twentieth week, including time of delivery).

Parents who experience pregnancy loss are often left to grieve not only the child they never had the opportunity to know but also the loss of a future they had envisioned. The …

Navigating the ashes: Supporting emotional strength amid the Los Angeles wildfires

Alana Epstein, MSW, LCSW

Conditions

January 11, 2025

As an employee assistance program (EAP) therapist at a hospital, I am often called upon to help people navigate the emotional fallout of life’s most challenging moments. The wildfires devastating Los Angeles bring a unique layer of grief, stress, and uncertainty to our community.

David Kessler, a leading voice on grief, emphasizes that loss is not limited to death—it is any change or …

You are already at the table: Letting go of perfectionism in health care

Alana Epstein, MSW, LCSW

Conditions

January 10, 2025

A few years ago, I decided to pursue a PhD. Why … isn’t it obvious? Being a psychotherapist who helps health care professionals navigate burnout and imposter syndrome, raising three teenagers, and holding multiple certifications in everything from DBT to MBSR to CCISM wasn’t enough—or so I thought.

In my work, I help physicians, faculty, and other high-achieving professionals process the relentless pressure of their careers. I often explain that their …

How slowing down and finding peace can transform your career

Stephanie Wellington, MD

Physician

January 10, 2025

While a new year offers new beginnings, it’s not about scrapping everything and starting fresh. Instead, it means sitting still and quiet long enough to truly appreciate life lessons and use them as fuel for growth.

So, here’s what I’m taking from one year to the next.

Peace

In 2024 I learned that life’s events can shake you to your very core, and there’s little you can do to stop it. But when …

Reviving the emotional flatline: Addressing burnout in health care professionals

Pamela Buchanan, MD

Physician

January 8, 2025

As an emergency room physician with over 20 years of experience, I’ve faced countless moments of emotional intensity—saving lives, delivering difficult news, and navigating the chaos of a health care system stretched to its limits. Yet, it wasn’t a catastrophic patient case or a bad day at work that led me to my breaking point. It was the slow, relentless erosion of my emotional capacity. I call this state the …

Why data-driven telehealth is the key to solving the mental health crisis [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 3, 2025

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The state of mental health care in the U.S. is at a crossroads, with telehealth prescription waivers set to expire and millions of Americans left without access to crucial treatments. Physician executive Mikkel …

Don’t dream it’s over: the resilience we all need in 2025

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

January 2, 2025

Many songs and famous refrains flooded my mind as we transitioned into 2025. “Living on a thin line,” “It’s all over now, baby blue,” and “Can’t find my way home” were some of the notable downers. On the flip side (no pun intended), I was uplifted by “Land of hope and dreams” and “It’s gonna be a bright sun-shiny day,” and the thought that “Love [would] reign o’er me.”

Of all, …

Small moments that made 2024 unforgettable

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

January 1, 2025

Frank Sinatra’s 1965 hit, “It was a very good year,” framed the benchmarks of a life well-lived through relationships at various ages: when he was 17, “small-town girls … on the village green”; at 21, “city girls who lived up the stair”; at 35, “blue-blooded girls of independent means.”

Fast forward 60 years. What are the ingredients that now constitute “a very good year?” Data from a survey of 2,000 …

How a mid-flight emergency taught me to put myself first

Pamela Buchanan, MD

Physician

December 30, 2024

It’s crack-of-dawn early, and I’m on a flight. Working swing ER shifts has left me exhausted, barely packed, and running on fumes. But hey, as long as I’ve got my passport and clean underwear, I’m good to go. There’s a mall in every city, right?

I settle in, headphones on, ready to dive into the latest episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer. I’m beyond tired – there aren’t even words for this …

Physician suicide: Addressing the silent epidemic

Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD

Conditions

December 30, 2024

Suicide is the act of an individual ending their life. It is generally caused by the convergence of multiple factors, the most significant of which is untreated or end-stage psychiatric illness. As a practicing psychiatrist who has been involved in the Pennsylvania Physicians Health Program for more than a decade, I believe we need to do better to stem the increasing numbers of physician suicides. A better understanding of and …

Through a physician’s eyes: Living twice as long as your parent

Robyn Tiger, MD

Physician

December 28, 2024

Do you remember the exact moment in your life when you had that knowing feeling inside that drew you to your chosen career? My usual answer to that question occurred in October of 1973, at 7 years old in 3rd grade, when my teacher rolled out a life-size skeleton. I was mesmerized, hungry to learn much more about the human body. But if I am being honest with you, and …

Why ADHD diagnosis in adults is often overlooked [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 27, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Explore the complexities of adult ADHD with Muhamad Aly Rifai, a practicing internist and psychiatrist. This episode dives into the evolving understanding of ADHD as a lifelong disorder, the stigma surrounding diagnosis and …

Breaking the silence on physician burnout and suicide

Anonymous

Conditions

December 25, 2024

KevinMD has been publishing multiple reports about the current widespread, deeply worrisome physician burnout and suicide phenomena. As a card-carrying epidemiologist, I have sought to categorize these reports into the three overarching factors we might see in any epidemic, namely: agent, host, and environment. If we were to use this conceptual framework for research, we could gain a better understanding of how much each of its various facets contributes to …

The oxygen mask principle: a critical lesson in health care self-preservation

Pamela Buchanan, MD

Physician

December 24, 2024

In the high-stakes world of health care, medical professionals are renowned for their selfless dedication to patient care. They work long hours, navigate complex medical challenges, and consistently prioritize the needs of others. Yet, within this culture of compassion, there exists a profound and often overlooked truth: to provide optimal care, health care workers must first care for themselves.

The oxygen mask principle, famously demonstrated during pre-flight safety instructions on commercial …

The burnout crisis runs deeper than you think

Chayanika Tyagi

Conditions

December 22, 2024

The recently growing attention to the burnout crisis in health care has begun a much-overdue conversation. However, the discussion has thus far been focused primarily on physicians and nurses and has not yet considered the larger health care team enduring the same environments. This includes receptionists, pharmacy assistants, medical scribes, personal support workers (PSWs), rehabilitation support workers (RSWs), and many more. These are the unregistered health care personnel (HCPs) that …

How early intervention changes the game for children with developmental delays [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 21, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We explore the critical role of early intervention programs in supporting children with developmental delays. Pediatrician Maria Mba Wright shares insights into recognizing red flags like poor joint attention, navigating therapy options, and …

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