Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Despite struggles with my own mental health, I’d never exchange them for an ordinary existence.

Tracey O'Connell, MD
Conditions
October 13, 2020
430 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

What are you doing to take care of your mental health on World Mental Health Day? Tell me, is something eluding you, sunshine?

Today, I’m listening to Pink Floyd for 2 reasons:

1. This morning, I did a 10-minute yoga flow with Denis Morton, who played Pink Floyd’s Us & Them. It set my whole mood on this cool, rainy day, comforting me and making me feel ridiculously alive.

2. It’s World Mental Health Day. I was 10 or 11 when I first heard Pink Floyd. It was through the visual experience of the movie, The Wall. My dad had a laserdisc player, and it was one of the only discs he owned. The Wall completely blew my mind. Though I didn’t recognize it as such, it was probably my first encounter with the toxic combination of success and mental illness. The idea that life can be so ugly. The psychedelic mix of animation and real-life made it seem like a movie for kids, and yet, the images were raw, disturbing, erotic, terrifying, enchanting. The music was just transcendental. The whole of it accessed a deep part of me that felt like truth even though it wasn’t mine. It was deeply emotional, soul-penetrating, stripping me and filling me up, simultaneously.

I later watched the movie in high school at a local film festival. I went with two casual friends from school. They didn’t get it and laughed the whole time. It hurt me.

Many gorgeous college memories include Wish You Were Here, laser light shows, On the Turning Away, teaching me about the inner world, the bigger planet, and humanity outside my own experiences. Syd Barrett, an original member of the band, had his own struggles with mental illness and schizophrenia, exacerbated by drug use. The song Shine on You Crazy Diamond and much of the Wish You Were Here album are dedicated to him and his extraordinary talent.

And so it goes, many of the world’s most talented contributors are tortured souls.

I saw Pink Floyd in a huge outdoor football stadium 25 years ago. All the fans, the magical imagery projected around the stands and huge inflatables, actually were larger than life.

Three summers ago, my then 75-year-old dad came to visit me. We went to see a Floyd laser light show together in 3D. It was one of my greatest lifetime memories to share that experience with him, wearing our silly glasses.

Our minds are dark and fascinating, scary and ethereal, horrifying, and mesmerizing. They hold us captive and set us free.

May World Mental Health Day be a reminder of the richness and wonder of our minds in the absence of judgment, a free ticket out of the ordinary.

Despite struggles with my own mental health, I’d never exchange them for an ordinary existence.

Tracey O’Connell is a radiologist and physician coach. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Tracey O’Connell, M.D.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Doctors already are actors, whether they want to be ones or not

October 13, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Help the public understand what more can be done to support loved ones affected by a serious illness

October 13, 2020 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Doctors already are actors, whether they want to be ones or not
Next Post >
Help the public understand what more can be done to support loved ones affected by a serious illness

More by Tracey O'Connell, MD

  • Who do we become when we love work more than we love ourselves?

    Tracey O'Connell, MD
  • What do we do with our sadness and anger?

    Tracey O'Connell, MD
  • Why we deny our imperfections in medicine

    Tracey O'Connell, MD

Related Posts

  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • Improve mental health by improving how we finance health care

    Steven Siegel, MD, PhD
  • We need a mental health infrastructure bill

    Jennifer Reid, MD
  • The new mental health education mandate doesn’t go far enough

    Brandon Jacobi
  • A step forward: a way to advance the mental health of health care professionals

    Mattie Renn, Thomas Pak, and Corey Feist, JD, MBA
  • Mental health issues and the African American community

    Lashawnda Thornton, MSW

More in Conditions

  • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

    Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP
  • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

    Denise Reich
  • Maximize sleep efficiency with stimulus control

    Pedram Navab, DO
  • The endless waves of chronic illness

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Surviving and thriving after life’s most difficult moments

    Rebecca Fogg, MBA
  • The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together

    Alexander Rakowsky, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • 'Enhanced' Eczema Treatment Cut Food Allergy Risk, but at What Cost?
  • Can COVID Lead to Diabetes?
  • Caplyta Success in Major Depression; Mental Illness and Aging; New PTSD Device OK'd
  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Pre-Existing Heart Failure Tied to Higher Mortality in Lymphoma

Meeting Coverage

  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Less Abuse With Extended-Release Oxycodone, Poison Center Data Suggest
  • Novel Strategies Show Winning Potential in Ovarian Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...