Psychiatry
Teen substance use rebounds after pandemic
Among high school seniors using marijuana, the pandemic forced the largest one-year decline in use over the past 48 years. Marijuana use fell from 35.2 percent in 2020 to 30.5 percent during 2021. In 2022, it remained pretty much unchanged at 30.7 percent.
Alcohol drinking among high school seniors fell from 55.3 percent of seniors in 2020 to 46.5 percent during the pandemic year. However, in 2022, alcohol use among seniors …
Navigating the emotional impact of a medical malpractice lawsuit [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we explore the emotional impact of medical malpractice lawsuits on physicians and how they can navigate the process. Attorney Christine Zharova shares her insights on how these lawsuits can affect relationships with colleagues, staff, …
Pediatric mental health is a growing epidemic. Here’s how Illinois is leading the way to solve that.
One of my friends in middle school was known for her uncanny ability to brighten up any space she walked into. But when we hit high school, she had become more withdrawn and dejected, and her self-esteem plummeted. She was clearly struggling, but at the time, I didn’t know what the signs of depression were and was at a loss for how to support her. She and I had no …
Nurse’s heart-wrenching encounter with newborn going through withdrawal
I always knew my work schedule, but this time I got it wrong … or maybe I got it right. I clocked in and reported to the ICU for my night shift to start, but I wasn’t on the schedule. Strangely enough, they had enough nurses that night. The nursing supervisor asked if I would be willing to go to the neonatal ICU (NICU) and rock a baby. Except for …
The link between thoughts and emotions: How to change your feelings by changing your thinking
Your emotions result from the way you think about things. Before you can experience (feel) any event, you must process it with your mind and give it meaning (thought). You must understand what is happening to you before you can feel it. Every time you feel sad or have intense negative emotions about something, try to identify the corresponding negative thought that you probably had just prior. By learning to …
The unspoken contract between doctors and patients: Navigating mental illness in the jail setting
There exists an unspoken contract between doctors and patients. The patient tells the doctor what is wrong with as much detail as possible, and the doctor uses their knowledge and skills to make the patient feel better. However, this paradigm does not always work.
I am a jailhouse psychiatrist, working with some of the most mentally ill individuals today. Those with serious mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia or severe bipolar …
Creating a trauma-informed society: the role of government policy in reducing adverse childhood experiences [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we speak with Ariane Marie-Mitchell, a preventive medicine physician who discusses the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on health and development. She discusses the challenges of using a clinical tool to diagnose patients …
A physician’s story of survival: the importance of seeking help
“Remember, today you could be standing next to someone trying their best not to fall apart. So whatever you do today, do it with kindness in your heart.” – Unknown
Today, I want to talk personally from the perspective of a Black, female, physician. I have a confession, I struggle with setting boundaries. I did not know how detrimental this challenge was until I started studying it more deeply. Did you …
Healing hearts: the power of authentic connection in medicine [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we speak with Elizabeth LaRusso, a psychiatrist who shares her experiences and insights on the importance of cultivating meaningful connections and holding space for others. She discusses the challenges of learning to hold space …
How to recognize and stop gaslighting in your relationships
An excerpt from The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide: Your Personal Journey Toward Healing from Emotional Abuse.
Gaslighting is insidiously pervasive in today’s culture. We are inundated by an onslaught of news and information that we’re aware might not be accurate. In such a climate, we are presented with more occasions to …
Physician speaks out about being threatened by a patient and betrayed by an organization
I’ve been practicing internal medicine for over a decade now. I was drawn to this field because of my admiration for Dr. William Osler and the superb physicians I have met who embody his qualities. As an internal medicine physician, I am expected to be a critical thinker and a “doctor’s doctor,” specializing in complexity and solving problems with multiple layers, like peeling an onion. However, I never imagined that …
The incessant hounding of doctors: A look at the lengthy professional disclosures required of physicians
Can you absolutely and unequivocally answer “no” to all of the following questions:
Has your license to practice in any jurisdiction ever been limited, restricted, reduced, suspended, voluntarily surrendered, revoked, denied, or not renewed?
Have you ever been reprimanded by a state licensing agency, or are any of these actions pending with respect to your license; are you under investigation by any licensing or regulatory agency?
Has your professional employment or membership in …
The dangerous language of “crazy”: How stigma and judgment affect patient care
“He’s batshit crazy,” fellow physician Karen eagerly confides while describing another colleague, Kevin, in a private office conversation.
I laugh, assuming intended hyperbole.
“No. Really. He is,” Karen says. “He’s been hospitalized — several times. And his kids are crazy, too. They’re all crazy.”
I jolted into an instant somber, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
Karen looks disappointed. Her intended collusion collides with my concern. We stare at each other momentarily and …
Maternalism: a better approach to psychiatric care
Patient autonomy, one of the pillars of medical ethics, now shines brightest of the four pillars in modern medicine. While medical ethics was meant to take beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy in equal consideration, the balance is now offset by the digital age and an increasingly skeptical population that has hurdled American culture into striving for autonomy above all else.
Patients have begun to correct physicians on the standard of care …
Understanding patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs promotes healing
Religious and spiritual experiences have shaped my worldview since I was a teenager. At age 13, I celebrated my bar mitzvah. Later that year, I underwent an appendectomy. A priest asked my mother if he could pray for me prior to the operation. My mother did not hesitate to accept the priest’s blessing. I learned at an early age that prayers for one’s well-being should be welcomed regardless of …
My journey parenting with chronic depression as a physician mom
I remember feeling like I was on an island, and any time I separated from her and put her down, I frantically looked around for her, daydreaming she was lost at sea.
When I was pregnant, everything was contained and controlled. Her womb gymnastics, even at night, were welcome interruptions to my sleep.
It was my first time breastfeeding, and even though I was a pediatrician, getting her to get a good …
Reflections from a (former) self-compassion and boundary setting skeptic
Self-compassion does not make you soft. Boundaries do not make you closed off or selfish.
I had to repeat this many times before I started to understand how true and how essential self-compassion and boundaries are in our lives.
I did not realize how much I maintained my resistance to these ideas until Dr. Brené Brown provided her research findings at a conference held in Houston this year. Dr. Brown shared her …
It can happen to you too: Women in medicine also experience domestic abuse
The luridness of it made me feel like the female lead in a bad Lifetime movie. The person whom I trusted most was a monster: an affair with a middle-aged prostitute who verbally abused me, an Ashley Madison account, and countless payments to sex workers – those were the tip of the repulsive iceberg that was my relationship.
And sadly, these were the least of my problems. My once-kind then-partner’s face …
5 questions C-suite leaders must be willing to ask to address burnout and create thriving health care organizations
Our health care employees are suffering from the after-effects of COVID, the great resignation, stripped-down staffing levels, and the misrepresentation of human clinicians as factory floor machines. When frontline employees and senior managers are depleted, C-suite executive leaders become depleted too. And depleted leaders are at heightened risk of burnout.
When struggling with burnout, executive leaders tend to get caught up in reactivity patterns that profoundly affect employee workplace satisfaction, engagement, …
Past Week
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The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame
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The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match
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Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic
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What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?
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Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care
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Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy
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Past 6 Months
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The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act
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The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame
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Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?
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The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools
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The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters
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Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care
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Recent Posts
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Don’t be caught off guard: Read your malpractice policy today
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The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed
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The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together
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Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]
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The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs
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Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!
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Past Week
-
The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame
-
The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match
-
Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic
-
What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?
-
Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care
-
Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy
-
Past 6 Months
-
The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act
-
The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame
-
Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?
-
The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools
-
The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters
-
Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care
-
Recent Posts
-
Don’t be caught off guard: Read your malpractice policy today
-
The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed
-
The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together
-
Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]
-
The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs
-
Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!
-
