“John” was referred to me for counseling services by his primary physician. John’s primary complaint: Panic attacks one to two times per day. I conducted a standard intake interview, asking him about all areas of his life. He had never experienced any panic attacks until one night a few months prior to his appointment with me. Like many people who experience their first panic attack, he spent an evening in the local emergency room being checked for a possible heart attack. Read more →

On December 2nd, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report suggesting that resident physicians have further limits on work hours than those enacted in 2003 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). While the number of hours per week would remain at the ACGME maximum of 80, the IOM recommends on 30-hour shifts that a “protected sleep period” of 5 hours occurs between 10pm-8am. These measures are aimed at reducing physician fatigue and the number of resultant medical mistakes. Read more →

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was officiated so that people with disabilities may continue to work, play and participate in day-to-day tasks and activities. It states that no employer may discriminate amongst or terminate employees based on a physical or mental impairment when they are capable of performing the job with or without reasonable modifications. Employers are responsible for maintaining the security of his employees’ job functions, and also for workspace modifications if they are within acceptable financial and location criteria. Read more →

These days, sleep is often seen as an expendable resource. With so much work to do and limited time to accomplish tasks, going to sleep later and waking up earlier seems so natural. For some people, lack of sleep was used to prove toughness and stamina. It was common for physician trainees to boast (in some cases complain) about getting little sleep. However, studies showing suboptimal patient care when residents are sleep-deprived have resulted in shorter working hours and mandatory time off after a number of hours at work. Read more →

I previously posted a few times about conflicts of interest within the medical profession. A friend of a friend who reads my posts posed the simple question to me:

Isn’t the entire medical profession in conflict because it is profit driven?

This is an interesting question. After all, doctors make their living either seeing patients or doing procedures. No office visits, consultations, or surgeries then no income is generated. Thus wouldn’t doctors all benefit from making sure that patients keep coming back and that more procedures are done? Unfortunately this is true. Read more →

Ok, Ok, before you scream, “This title is nuts, the economic crisis has me spending more time worrying than ever!” let’s think about the positive impact this economic downturn could have on psychosocial health. With the mortgage industry going bust, climbing gas prices, and cost of food at an all time high, Americans are being forced to hunker down and get back to the basics, which mean we spend more time with our families. Read more →