Psychiatry

Coaching vs. therapy: A physician coach and psychiatrist explains

Physician

November 6, 2022

“Are you analyzing me?”

Psychiatrists become acclimated to this question being launched by anyone to whom we are brave enough to disclose our occupation. Mental health stigma persists, and psychiatrist jokes are part of that legacy. All humor holds some truth, and this joke reflects discomfort around the mystique of psychiatry. How does it actually work? What do psychiatrists actually do to heal people? How do you know when a psychiatrist …

A doctor’s foray into online therapy

Beverly Joyce, MD

Conditions

November 4, 2022

I’ve had my share of therapy.

My mother was a clinical psychologist, and I grew up around the concepts of consciousness and the unconscious, growth and awareness, and “authenticity” before “authenticity” was even a buzzword. I’m quite certain she did some sort of therapy on me during my childhood. I remember vividly her briefcase with the blocks from the Stanford-Binet IQ test. She prepped me at home, at 4, in advance …

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A doctor’s foray into online therapy

Beyond comfort: a treatment for OCD and a recipe for a better life

Lori Merling, PhD

Conditions

October 28, 2022

When I was a child, I recall my mother telling me that to live a successful life, you must do one thing every day that scares you. I remember not fully understanding this piece of advice’s magnitude or real significance, yet it still resonated. It’s funny, what stands out to us, what we remember, and why. Little did I know at the time that these words represented the very premise …

Adverse childhood experiences: Can government policy reduce trauma?

Ariane Marie-Mitchell, MD, PhD, MPH

Conditions

October 23, 2022

One of the most radical implications of the literature on early childhood trauma is that abuse needs to be eliminated from all of our relationships: our families, teachers, colleagues, and government. When government leaders create a new policy, they can proceed in a way that disempowers constituents, or they can proceed in a way that fosters dialogue and shared decision-making. Ironically, the development and implementation of California’s policy …

Physicians with mental illness shouldn’t hide

Alison Baum, MD

Physician

October 22, 2022

Doctors with mental illness don’t need more suicide awareness — we’re aware. And we don’t need confidential treatment opportunities. What we need is assurance from all invested parties — our employers, credentialing bodies, and licensing officials — that it will be OK if we need help, we can get what we need, and that everything for the job can be sorted out once we’re well. Because it turns out, in …

Mental health is a slippery slope when it comes to physicians’ well-being

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

October 22, 2022

I applaud the efforts of several states that have enacted legislation to make it easier for physicians to get mental health treatment without incurring the wrath of physician health programs (PHPs). PHPs, while well-intended, are notoriously disruptive to the lives and careers of physicians struggling with depression, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions. PHPs have a reputation for implementing unreasonable requirements and being coercive, sometimes worsening …

13 tips for depressed doctors who need confidential mental health care

Pamela Wible, MD

Physician

October 21, 2022

I just got this email from a physician: “Hi, Pamela. I wonder if I could curb you on seeking mental health services as a physician. I am not suicidal or impaired but considering a consultation with a psychiatrist for medication. Any chance you would be able to chat with me for a short bit to discuss tips for seeking consultation while avoiding stigma and labeling?”

Sadly, most medical professionals fear seeking …

Boundaries for women physicians [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 19, 2022

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

“I learned the hard way what can happen when physicians—especially women physicians—lack personal boundaries. Before hitting my low point, I had no boundaries. I had been raised to give, give, give, and, when times became tough, to …

How major depression strengthened my practice and my faith in God

Heather M. Clark, MD

Physician

October 19, 2022

I had a fairytale courtship, engagement, and wedding to my Prince Charming. We came home, starry-eyed, ready to start our forever together. Within weeks, I began to struggle. Always an extrovert, suddenly going to my family medicine rotation took extraordinary effort. I began to worry about my every word and action. Some days, I said nothing — unsure whether I could form a coherent sentence. I decided to take time …

Bridging the gap between art and science for better health

Olapeju Simoyan, MD

Physician

October 11, 2022

The myth that people are either right-brain dominant (creative and artistic) or left-brain dominant (logical, good at math, etc.) is just that – a myth. The truth is, we only have one brain – and the corpus callosum joins the left and right cerebral hemispheres because they are meant to work together. Numerous examples of people have excelled in both the sciences and arts.

Albert Einstein is remembered for being one …

A physician’s reflections with certainty in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 28, 2022

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

“Lacking a supreme being in which to place our faith, my wife and I decided to make the most difficult decision of our lives and discontinue life support. I still wonder if we made the right decision, …

COVID-19 and psychiatric units: Keeping clinicians and patients safe throughout the pandemic

Anoush Calikyan, Hank Weinstock, and Ania Poteraj

Conditions

September 27, 2022

Patients running rampant- unmasked, hand unwashed, undistanced. You stand in the nurse’s workstation, watching the chaos ensue while holding the positive COVID test results in your hands. The world slows as you think, “How am I ever going to control this one?”

This scene is unfortunately ever present in our current health system. Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has put constant pressure on the medical system, uniquely affecting health care …

Let doctors in recovery be able to recover their careers

Jeffrey L. Fraser, MD

Physician

September 26, 2022

The stigma of addiction is alive and destructive in Nebraska. I can speak to the truth of this statement because I am an opioid addict in recovery. And if you happen to be a physician like I am, you better be prepared to have your profession and life destroyed. The Nebraska Medical Board and our legal system aggressively work to punish, not heal. This article intends to use my story …

A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 24, 2022

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

“Depression involves withdrawal, withdrawal from oneself and others. Feeling safe enough in a relationship to reveal our innermost feelings safely is connective and should be considered a valued part of the anti-depressant lifestyle. Continued relationship satisfaction is …

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A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

Who are the neurodiverse people in your life?

Krystal Sodaitis, MD

Conditions

September 24, 2022

As physicians, we equate terms like “disorder” and “syndrome” with pathology. If a diagnosis is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, it’s considered a “problem.” In the case of neurodevelopmental diagnoses, I am becoming increasingly aware that this may not be the case. As a neurodiverse individual with many neurodiverse family members and friends, I believe there is nothing “wrong” with our brains. Different …

I will not sell my soul to modern medicine: Curing physician moral injury

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

September 23, 2022

Something is wrong. You can feel it, but you cannot put your finger on it. You go through the motions daily, but your joy is gone-its soul-sucking. Your patients sense it too. They used to love coming to see you, but now they see the changes. The light has gone out of your eyes. You used to love your job, but now it feels like a burden. This is not …

An awkward conversation with a friend might just save someone’s life

Brian Sayers, MD

Physician

September 22, 2022

There is something special about that childhood friend. It’s a bond that lasts a lifetime, something we can only experience fully in our formative years. My friend was Richard. We were inseparable in school growing up, then roommates in college, growing into manhood together. When it came time for medical school, I went to Dallas, and Richard to Houston, where he would start his career. We drifted apart in those …

Should all health professionals be teetotalers?

Steve Adelman, MD

Physician

September 19, 2022

I recently published “Avoid ‘Shots in the Dark’ to Maintain Pristine Professional Boundaries” in Psychiatric Times to demonstrate how drinking alcohol in public may lead well-meaning licensed health professionals onto the slippery slope of boundary violations and costly career jeopardy. Across the United States, millions of doctors, nurses, and other licensed health professionals are permitted to perform the sacred work of healing others because we have been authorized to …

How pediatricians can get involved with behavioral health

Rosie Gellman, MD

Conditions

September 15, 2022

Boom! Crash! Ow!

That was the feeling of many pediatricians nationwide as we were hit in the face with the bomb of the COVID pandemic and all of the challenges it would bring, notably in the demands for mental health care. This skyrocketing demand led to the declaration of a state of emergency by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2021 and a call for pediatricians to do more to address …

My job security relies on another woman taking care of my children

Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy, MD

Physician

September 8, 2022

“I’m taking another job,” said our nanny after my husband and I returned home from a rare date night.

My immediate numbness was a sign that my mind, body, and soul knew what was about to change in my life.

I had thrived over the past three years as a mother and a physician, despite the many expected challenges of early parenthood. I had started a new job as I found out …

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