Okay all the time
Dr. Maria observes:
"I don’t know when or how it happens—or, more bluntly, right now I don’t want to think about when or how it happens—but somewhere along the timeline, we learned that we’re supposed to be okay all the time. I don’t even know what that means, but I know I play along with that game. And this is how we’ve all gotten so good at looking so much better than we feel. This goes across all the disciplines. I don’t think we deny our emotions, but we cannot always experience them the moment they arise due to other pressing concerns that involve the patient."In the comments, Sera says:
It’s not just physicians that are required to be “ok” all the time...Our society requires that everyone be “ok." This is one reason for the stigma mental illness carries...
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4 Comments:
Thanks for the link, Shrinkette--
--and have you got any advice for us naive psychiatry residents who don't want to succumb to affective dysregulation? ;)
Hey wow...does this make me famous now...or is it infamous? :| Quickly setting alarm clock so I'm sure I know when my 15 minutes are up.
On the serious side, I'm thinking on a blog post about Sociology and mental illness. To be posted shortly after I have more than 10 minutes to quickly read and comment on things while my mother is in another room. :(
Sera
Hi, everyone. Thank you for the comments! Dr. Maria: what, you want to regulate your affect during residency?! I guess you already know the answer: find good mentors, take excellent care of yourself, and expect that your affect won't always be...regulated. We all learn a lot by paying attention to our moods, don't we?
Oh dear. Physicians can't have bad days? I just hope they take a mental health day as they need it. I want them feeling all right when they treat me! And if they are having a bad day, it's OK to tell me. I care about my doctors as people. Having knowledge doesn't mean you have to give up being human.
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