Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | May 18, 2020 | Bipolar Disorder, Mental health & wellness, My Story MY SUPERPOWER
Nearly 30 percent of American medical students are depressed, and one in 10 have thought about suicide. And it’s actually even worse for practicing physicians. There’s widespread job dissatisfaction, high rates of depression, and doctors have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession in the United Sates. ASHA Storyteller Diane Kaufman, MD is a poet, artist, and Child Psychiatrist. She is also a suicide survivor, and has Bipolar II Disorder. Diane wants to share her story to break the silence & end the stigma surrounding mental illness. And remind us all that hope is real, and change is...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | May 14, 2020 | Bipolar Disorder, Mental health & wellness, Resilience
Can a person be not okay and okay at the same time? I want the answer to be “yes” and I do believe this is possible. I want it to be because I am not feeling okay. The coronavirus pandemic is a reality. Here’s a glimpse into my mind’s confusion. It starts like this: I am a child psychiatrist and I am supposed to feel and be okay. This is what my “tyranny of should” tells me. I mean if I don’t feel okay how can I be of help to someone who feels the same or even worse? My inner critic tells me that I should be coping par excellence and not be grappling with anxiety, fear, and sorrow. Or if I do, only a little, not for too long, and it must not interfere with my life. My inner judge also tells me compared with the world’s sorrow and families who are burying their loved ones in the hundreds of thousands, what do I have to feel sad or bad about? Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself? Stop the insipid wallowing. Who do you think you are? What if your colleagues knew you felt this way? Better keep those thoughts and emotions hidden. Be silent. Show only strength. Be a role model of resilience. I’m a mother and isn’t it my job to be strong for my daughter? As a grandmother aren’t I supposed to bring happiness and not a hint of sadness when I arrive for my 6 feet away and face mask visit? As a sister what good does it do to share my worry?...
