Acts of Aggression.
The curls of his hair fell past his neck and a green knapsack hung from his shoulders. He plodded up the sidewalk and began to drift towards the curb. His arm shot out and his fist slammed into the...
View ArticleShame.
I was sitting in a seat that faced sideways. Scenes of the city flashed past as the train sped to the airport. I looked down and adjusted my bag so it wouldn’t slip off my lap. When I looked up, he was...
View ArticleUndercover.
My husband was in the aisle seat, I was in the middle seat, and The Man was in the window seat. The Man had one white earbud in his ear; the other one was dangling in his lap. His right thumb swiped...
View ArticleWhat Goes Around Comes Around.
As my father and I stepped out of the crosswalk onto the curb, I looked up and saw John Doe. I didn’t realize who he was until we had already passed each other. A baseball cap was on John’s head and a...
View ArticleOn “Mental Illness”.
I’ve been invited to speak to a group of attorneys who work at the interface of psychiatry and the law. The topic of my talk? “Psychiatry 101.” A psychiatrist who gave this talk to a similar group a...
View ArticleGrief.
Shortly after my mother died, a coworker asked me about grief: “What does it feel like?” I remember looking at her and feeling confused. What does it feel like…? Words like “terrible”, “awful”, “really...
View ArticleBuprenorphine and Other Controlled Substances.
I recently completed the buprenorphine waiver training. Buprenorphine, itself a partial opiate, is a medication that can be prescribed to patients who have opiate use disorders (e.g., taking Oxycontins...
View ArticleSimple Pleasures.
People hung hammocks between trees and suspended their disbelief in novels. Cyclists rolled past, talking to each other over their shoulders. Parents pushed sleeping babies in strollers while sipping...
View ArticleBaseball Rituals.
Prior to attending a minor league baseball game recently, I learned about racing events that occur at certain ballparks: pierogi races sausage races Presidents races “Baseball is so schlocky,” I said...
View ArticleOn What Medical Directors “Should” Look Like.
I recently answered a survey about race. One question asked: “If you ask to speak to the leader of your organization, can you expect to see someone of your race?” I snorted. I didn’t mean to. I just...
View ArticleDo People Choose to be Homeless?
One of the things we talked about during dinner was whether people choose to be homeless. “Yeah, it seems like some people want to be homeless,” he said. “No… I don’t think so,” his friend replied....
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Ashes to Ashes.
From the pier the waves looked like fluttering sheets of dark silk as they floated towards the beach. Neither the sun nor the ocean breeze had risen yet. A small circle formed; there were quiet...
View ArticleSome Thoughts on Equus.
I saw the 1977 film Equus this afternoon at the recommendation of some friends. Some of my reactions: - Had this scenario—a young man believes that horses are gods, which ultimately drives him to stab...
View ArticleStreet Scenes.
The woman walking in front of me on the sidewalk was wearing a short skirt and a sleeveless blouse. After stepping out of the street he readjusted the strap of the large duffel bag on his shoulder and...
View ArticleChart Notes.
While reviewing old chart notes, I frowned as I learned how distressed the patient had been while he was in the emergency department. Without realizing it I murmured a line from a physician’s note:...
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Truths from Glacier National Park.
This is St. Mary Lake from Glacier National Park in Montana: My time in the great outdoors reminded me of these truths that I often forget: The world is much bigger than any of us. Those mountains have...
View ArticleA Review of Inside Out by Pixar.
Like others, I saw the Pixar film Inside Out and I, too, recommend it. Drs. Keltner and Ekman1, the psychologists who provided consultation to Pixar about the film, were incisive about the point of the...
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Everything Changes, Nothing Changes.
The Mutter Museum Instagram account recently posted this photo: “Thorazine” is the trade name for chlorpromazine. It is considered the medication that ushered in the “psychopharmacological revolution”,...
View ArticleEnclosed.
When the elevator doors slid open, there were twelve men inside the car. Two wore black officer uniforms; the others wore unmarked and faded tops and pants. They all looked at me in silence. They all...
View ArticleQuestions about the Throwing of Urine.
If a man throws an open container of his own urine at another person, does he have a mental illness? What if he throws an open container of water at another person? What if he throws a closed container...
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