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Join us in this episode as we explore the challenges of balancing social media and device use with the essential aspects of life. Our guest, Dawn Baker, an anesthesiologist, shares her insights from …
Social media use and physician wellness [PODCAST]
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 …
Time to educate the psychiatric patient
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 …
How to support physician wellness during the toughest times
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 …
Donald Trump’s near-death experience: A journey of potential transformation?
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 Her husband had been ill for many months, but that had not stopped the verbal abuse that superseded the physical blows he could no longer inflict.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 …
Finding peace after years of abuse: a journey through grief
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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 …
Mental health in jail [PODCAST]
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 …
It’s time for physicians to reclaim their voice and identity
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 …
What would you save if your house was on fire?
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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, …
Balancing diabetes and mental health: the medication challenge [PODCAST]
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, …
Transform relationships: Embrace real interactions over digital distractions
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 …
President Biden’s debate performance: episode or condition?
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 …
Navigating life’s transitions: How I turned my struggles into support
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 …
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. …
Scams perpetrated on authors by impersonators and bad actors
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 …
When heartbreak leads to self-discovery
We have a big problem in this country. A recent poll found that half of U.S. physicians are still burned out. When Medscape surveyed 9,000 physicians across 29 specialties this year, they found that 49% of physicians report being burned out, and 20% report they are depressed. Physicians in front-line specialties who deliver primary care continue to be the most often affected.
A higher prevalence of female doctors (56%) report …
Beyond burnout: Normalizing psychotherapy for burned-out physicians and nurses
Suicide among resident physicians is a critical issue highlighted in various studies. Research indicates that depression is prevalent among resident physicians, with rates comparable to medical students, suggesting a pervasive problem across different levels of medical training. Burnout has also been linked to suicidal ideation among resident physicians, with a study reporting that 4.5 percent of American resident physicians specializing in surgery experienced suicidal ideation. Furthermore, while resident physicians may …
Suicide risks for international medical resident trainees
Thirty years ago, I entered Loyola Medical School, and my initiation into the culture of medicine began. As best as I could at the time, I prepared myself for the challenges ahead. I aimed to cultivate a strong will, a powerful intellect, and what I hoped would be enough emotional maturity to succeed. I did not have any family connection to medicine, but I knew our society had certain expectations …
From masks to medicine: How empathy shapes true medical excellence
In early 2022, during the coronavirus pandemic, I considered practicing psychiatry via telehealth. I looked into two telemental-health companies in particular—Cerebral and Done Global, Inc. (hereafter “Done”)—and turned them both down. I did not believe their ethics measured up. In the case of Done, I asked to be withdrawn from consideration as medical director because I believed the company lacked adequate infrastructure and was exclusively focused on treating patients with …
The risks of digital health companies to psychiatric patients
During my last inpatient admission one month before medical school graduation, an attending told me, “You talk about yourself like it’s one of your patients.” That’s exactly how it often felt (and still feels) to my brain. “This story is not me … not mine … I’m not sick,” my brain would offer me.
The brain does fascinating things to help us survive. Dissociating from my illness was likely supportive of …
A “rich” life looks different for everyone: lessons from my own near deathbed regrets
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