What does mental health mean to you as a student doctor?
Simply put, mental health is the state of the health of your mind. Mental health is an issue on everyone's mind. As the anxiety, depression, and self-harm rates rise within our community, we all need to take a deep look at what we can do to be well and promote wellness in our colleagues!
How do you balance mental health with workload/academics?
Medicine will take from you as much as you are willing to give. You have to set boundaries. For me, I would rather score lower on a test and be there for my spouse or family during important events; I would rather sleep 8 hours per night than be at the top of my class; I would rather be physically and emotionally well than have the most amazing CV. At the end of the day, if you are not well, you can not give your all to patients. We often don’t have the cure or the answer for our patients, but we can always help by giving our empathy and our undivided attention to our patient's suffering and sorrow. If you are not well, how are you supposed to be able to give that to your patients? Set boundaries for yourself, and often, you will find you can get more work done and accomplished in a shorter amount of time when you are well.
What are the biggest misconceptions about mental health, and how do you respond to them?
The biggest misconception I see in our community about mental health is that you are weak and unfit for this profession if you struggle with mental health issues. My response to this is to try to view your situation more objectively. If a patient came to you with the same issues and concerns, what would you tell them? Take care of yourself like you take care of your patients and prioritize your health and wellness so you can be more present.
What is a moment where you faced difficulty with your mental health, and how did you overcome it?
During my second year of medical school, I struggled a lot with anxiety. The first step to improving my mental health was to admit there was a problem and take action to get help. I was very resistant to getting professional help or investing in my well-being until I was honest with myself about how much my anxiety was holding me back.
In what ways would you like to see attitudes around mental health shift? What other changes do you think could be made to improve mental health challenges for student doctors?
I would like to see attitudes around wellness in general shift. Often, we are praised for sacrificing ourselves and our wellness to the profession, but I would like to see more mentors praising students for being well and whole while still being great student doctors. The medical education system could beat down any well-adjusted human; there are reforms that need to be made to lessen the unnecessary burdens on our students. A big target for me would be reducing the cost of medical education and reducing interest rates on loans, as well as having more accountability for COMS to ensure they are following through on the promises they make to their students. There is a huge power differential between COM administration and students, and it can be really difficult to speak up and improve the systems at our local institutions without backlash. These things all play into burnout, which Is a huge driver of poor mental health among medical students.
What do you wish you'd known sooner as a student doctor on this topic?
Medicine will always be here. Your wellness is more important. Do what you need to do to get well and advocate for yourself!
