Disappointment.
My cohort graduated from our psychiatry residency almost ten years ago. The level of frustration and disappointment we’ve all experienced within the past two years is striking. Some have taken...
View ArticleThoughts on the Movie “Get Out”.
Have you seen the movie Get Out? If you haven’t, what follows might spoil part of the movie for you. You might want to watch it before reading this. If you have seen Get Out, this post ponders the role...
View ArticleSuggestions for Coping with a 5000-person Conference.
So you’re about to attend a conference with five thousand other people. Maybe you don’t enjoy being around thousands of people for multiple hours over several days. Your reasons are your own, though...
View ArticleReflections from the National Council Conference.
So I attended the National Council for Behavioral Health conference1 last week with close to 7000 other people, the vast majority of whom were not my closest friends. When I reflect back over the...
View ArticleLuke 24:5.
During my visit to the optometrist this past week, the technician reviewed what I had told him before about my family history of illnesses. “Anything else?” he asked. “My mom had lung cancer.” “Ah.”...
View ArticleTourist.
“I wanted to see Boeing and Microsoft,” he said. He wiggled his bruised fingers that poked out from the white cast on his arm. The red uniform was too big for him. “And now he’s in jail,” the...
View ArticleFour Items.
Four items, the first of which is self-promotion: A medical student interviewed me on UC Irvine’s independent, underground radio station. Kyle runs the radio program Monkeywrench, which “features music...
View ArticleCrossing Streets.
I didn’t mind that I had to wait to cross the street. The yellow-white light of the Spring sun shimmered in the infinite depths of the lapis lazuli sky. The afternoon breeze lifted the fragrance of...
View ArticleBias.
“I’ve been alive for too long,” he sighed. “I will be 200 years old in two months and four days. I was born in 1817, you know.” “200 years is a long time,” I replied. While he wasn’t 199 years old, the...
View ArticleIt’s Okay to Get Angry.
It was my first job as a physician. I was 32 years old. In that job I functioned as a psychiatric consultant. Thus, while I had clinical expertise, I didn’t have formal authority at any of the places I...
View ArticleTalking About Suicide.
I was recently asked to speak at a community event about youth suicide. Several young people in the area had killed themselves in the past few months to years. This was an opportunity for the community...
View ArticleWhite Glove Treatment.
In addition to five-star accommodations and world-class spa appointments in Portland and Seattle, each [Lamborghini] owner and their guests will be treated to private meals along the Pacific Coastline...
View ArticleIt’s Good to be Busy.
It was a busy day: There was the guy who spoke with enthusiasm about his doctrine of RUL (“Righteous Unconditional Love”); the man who stared through me after I asked him about whether he had eaten...
View ArticleA Week in School!
I spent the past week at a health care ethics seminar. Here are some reflections: How lucky was I to spend a week in school? The last time I sat in a classroom for five consecutive days was about 15...
View ArticleBeing Right vs. Being Effective.
“It’s best to avoid confirming their beliefs,” they said, “but you can validate the underlying emotion.” She was dabbing her eyes with a crumpled tissue already streaked with mascara. “It’s been two...
View ArticleDr. Handsy.
Note: I’ve felt pretty bummed out for the past two weeks, much of it related to the behaviors and opinions of the US federal government. Epictetus commented that We are only enraged at the foolish...
View ArticleA Thousand Years.
I recently had the opportunity to visit two places in New Mexico: Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the Very Large Array. The Chaco Culture National Historical Park features now ruined pueblos...
View ArticleOnline Screening for Depression?
Inquisitve reader Amy asked me if I had any opinions about online screening for depression. The British Medical Journal recently published a debate on this issue. What an excellent question, Amy! I...
View ArticlePrimary and Secondary Emotions.
I used my left arm to stop the tears from rolling off my cheeks and onto the lotus root. Had I known that Act One of episode 597 of This American Life would make me cry to the point that I would have...
View ArticlePondering the Purpose of Policies.
What’s your policy on wearing pants? We all have a personal policy about pants. My policy is that I shall wear pants on all days unless (a) I am attending a special event where a dress or skirt is...
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