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Post by Admin on Apr 9, 2019 16:58:39 GMT -4
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Post by Marietta Young on Apr 9, 2019 20:28:06 GMT -4
I was particularly struck by the CNN article concerning the increasing rates of suicide and suicide attempts in children. Being from a small, rural town in New Mexico that inherited a propensity for mental health disorders tailored with an exodus of psychiatrists, I have a unique interest in this topic. In my hometown it takes on average 6 months for an adult patient to establish care with a psychiatrist. And, if you are a child, it takes around 3 months and a trip across the state because there are no child psychiatrists within a 3 hour radius of my home. The lack of care has bred an increase in undiagnosed childhood mental health issues (depression, Bipolar, abuse) and caused an increase in suicidality.
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Post by Brayden Irving on Apr 9, 2019 21:40:58 GMT -4
I think Dr. Kalaichandran’s article on suicide and bullying in medicine is extremely relevant, not only now but has been for decades. Over the years I have heard many similar bullying stories by family members or family friends in the medical field. Most of them just sort of brush it off as “part of residency” and I half expect that most of us will experience similar things. I think this is part of the issue, it has always been somewhat tolerated. One of the easiest ways we could make even the slightest change is remembering either the stories we have heard or the experiences we had, and not repeating the same mistakes as our predecessors.
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Post by Varoon Kakaiya on Apr 9, 2019 21:59:30 GMT -4
I was reading that same CNN article and they mentioned how suicide rates me be increasing due to increased pressure in school and to make a living. I also think it is due to the current age we live in. Humans have never been so connected than they have been now with the advent the internet and more recently social media. We are able to see the lives of others with quick google searches at the drop of a hat. Usually whats put on the internet is a persons best face. You never see the downturns of their life and that leads to thoughts like "my life isn't like that, I'm not happy all the time" and I think that just makes a person's mental state that much worse. It's everywhere around us and isn't going to be going away any time soon and we need to find a way to address it.
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Post by Manish Kanukunta on Apr 9, 2019 23:02:16 GMT -4
I agree with many of the points presented in the CNN article. Children today depend on technology more than ever in order to accomplish daily tasks. For all the advantages that brings, it also brings consequences. Children are now constantly on the internet, and are exposed to so much information. In the CNN article, one of the points presented was cyberbullying and social media. This phenomenon is fairly new if compared to how long humans have existed. Children today, are under a lot of pressure, not only from family and peers, but also from what they see on the internet. I agree with what Varoon was saying in which humans will compare themselves to others who appear to have a "great life" I feel its very easy for younger kids to see someone they idolize on instagram and feel like the life they live is boring in comparison. This constant comparison and pressure children and adolescents put on themselves, can severely impact their mental health. With the lack of adolescent/child psychiatrists, it will be very difficult for to get the care these kids need. In addition, the lack of outreach programs, also adds to the difficulty.
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Post by Katherine Mitry on Apr 9, 2019 23:47:35 GMT -4
In the Boston Globe article, the point the author makes about bullies likely having been bullied themselves during their medical training and in return are now bullying their students, is a major part of the culture of medicine that needs to change. A simple initial step is for current medical students and residents to acknowledge that this is an issue and vow to teach their future students in a positive and constructive way that will help build confidence and create a healthy workplace where different perspectives are considered without fear of destructive criticism. This is the type of positive example that needs to become the new standard for future generations of healthcare professionals. This change, in addition to improving the transparency of residency programs, are important initiatives that will lead to a better environment to practice medicine and ultimately create a safer environment for patients to receive the best care.
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Post by Bassem Hanna on Apr 10, 2019 0:48:26 GMT -4
It is very saddening to see the statistics in the Boston Globe article regarding bullying in medicine. Based on these stats, most residents will experience some form of bullying or harassment from their superiors during residency. While the healthcare and hospital environment can be stressful, it is astounding that so many attendings displace their frustrations on to their residents. Even if mistakes are made, there are constructive ways that seniors should address these mistakes with their residents. The whole point of residency is to learn and it can prove very difficult to do so in a toxic or hostile environment. I hope more and more measures are taken to encourage attendings to treat their residents with respect and dignity, or at the very least like human beings.
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Post by Alison Burkett on Apr 10, 2019 0:52:46 GMT -4
The plight of Puducherry is one that affects many Third World nations and island nations. The socioeconomic discrepancies coupled with the high rate of unemployment and curtailed career prospects are a nidus for psychological stress and self injurious behavior. It is alarming that the physicians have normalized suicide, and it should remind us how important it is to become aware of suicide and how truly disastrous becoming complacent can be.
The article regarding construction workers and suicide just served to remind us that regardless of your position in a physically taxing position or healthcare setting , the assault on a persons mental health are largely the same. whether it be the constant stresses of a high-pressure job, heavy substance use or distance from family. Much like the article addressing Puducherry, this article emphasizes the need to raise awareness of suicide and the realization that self-injurious behavior can occur in any field.
“I had never, and have never since, experienced such a toxic, destructive, and demoralizing environment” This statement have ever resonated with me the way the statement has. Having had the unfortunate privilege of rotating through NYU Langone, I experience firsthand the downright abusive and oppressive climate that saturates medical education. I find it infuriating that a profession that should be based on integrity ethics and professionalism seems to have abandoned these virtues, and recognize the cruel irony that doctors are practicing medicine to help others at the expense of their own lives. While this article and others like it have hinted at the obscene culture of bullying that is now common place in hospitals, it is refreshing to see that there are some resources and movements like TimesUpHealthcare gaining momentum.
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Jannette Rios Rivera
Guest
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Post by Jannette Rios Rivera on Apr 10, 2019 1:44:36 GMT -4
In the article named In America, Becoming a Doctor can Prove Fatal, I was surprised to read that suicide rate is so high in medical residents. I don’t doubt what she is saying because I do know that the bullying do exist in the medical field. One problem is that many think this is normal, and not as bullying. That it is supposed to be hard. Even in TV programs you can see stuff like the bullying that can happen in the medical field. So they see it as normal and not bullying between adults. I don’t think this will be something easy to change unless people start accepting that this is not normal and that this is not only affecting the student, but also the patients.
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Post by FaisalHassan on Apr 10, 2019 9:51:14 GMT -4
Suicide is one the most difficult topics in psychiatry. It is difficult to integrate societal ideologies when it comes to suicide (which is subjective at best) with objective suicide data in order to figure out good ways of detecting and preventing suicide. Our society has trained us, particularly males, to hold it in or get over it if a significant life stressor comes about. This leads to compensatory psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression and various personality disorders because we are told to just get over it and hold it on. We lack an avenue for healthy release of stress, and in many environments such as school, residency and various jobs we can not express our concerns out of fear of being labeled as weak, incompetent. For residents and medical students we are constantly evaluated so if we show even a small hint of weakness we risk a poor evaluation. We are expected to rise above and beyond in all situations removing the human aspect from our personalities whether we like it or not. Many of us put on a fake veil of professionalism when we go to the hospital pretending to smile at every adversity when in reality it affects us. We are shaped by the environments we spend the most time in. Be that school, construction work, or the hospital so who we surround ourselves with is key. Many of the superiors in these environments are toxic, narcissistic individuals who are using those under them as punching bags for their ego and stress.
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Post by Divya Seshadri on Apr 10, 2019 10:12:58 GMT -4
The article titled "Why does a quaint town in India have the world's highest suicide rate", addresses a problem in Puducherry that is slowly creeping across the nation and the globe. As someone who has stayed in Puducherry for many months, I can vouch for the stark difference between the White Town and the rest of the union territory. It is one of those areas where the saying "The rich get richer while the poor get poorer" is extremely relevant and obvious. There is a constant struggle for youngsters of the small town to excel enough and make it to the larger cities. The vicious cycle of parents projecting their aspirations and hopes on their children and then using excessive punishment when their goals haven't been met is one that has to be broken soon in order to change these suicide statistics. The social stigma in the area with regards to addressing ones mental health is highly prevalent making it that much more difficult for people to even accept they have depression and consequently seek help. While the author does try to reinforce the importance of seeking help, the bigger problem in towns like Puducherry has always been the orthodox mindset of the generations that come before us, and only we can improve ourselves to make sure the next generation doesn't suffer as much.
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Post by N P on Apr 11, 2019 15:03:05 GMT -4
CNN article.
The CNN article confirms that the rate of peer pressure and uncertainty of future has been on the increase every year. The use technology is part of life now. It has advantages and consequences. One of the disadvantages of technology is that we are building a wall around our limited world. Children are more prone to this restriction especially if they have mental issues. They usually don’t share their problems with their parents and friends and tend to feel more comfortable sharing with online friends. This makes it difficult to detect mental health issue in time before it leads to serious consequences like suicide. Lack of adolescent/child psychiatrists adds up to the existing problem.
In America, becoming a doctor is difficult and challenging.
Bullying is part of almost every profession and is not specific to healthcare profession. However, because healthcare profession is directly link to patients' care, life and death, it tends to attract more desperate reactions as compared to other professions. This critical importance of the profession also means doctors tend to bully one another partly to ensure proper conduct or because a culture of seniority has been built around the profession. In 7 out of 10 cases the bullying among doctor occurs in a chain reaction. One doctor is bullied by his/her superiors and he does same to his subordinates. Therefore, it is important that we break this chain reaction sequence. This is only the way we can stop it bullying among doctors.
-Nawal Paul
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