Washington—A depressed cardiologist came to his psychiatrist's office in his white coat, his stethoscope dangling from his neck. It took several visits for him to feel comfortable leaving this protective armor behind.
A focus on problem-solving often blinds physicians to emotional issues in their patients and in themselves, according to speakers at a workshop on treating the stressed physician at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) here in May.
Personality traits that get people through medical school and fuel career success, speakers said, may undermine their professional performance, life satisfaction, social relationships, and marriages.
Roy Menninger, MD, of the Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kan, and colleagues reported findings from two decades of observation and treatment of more than 1000 troubled physicians who sought or were required to seek psychiatric help, and from intensive week-long workshops with self-selected medical couples.
"HOW SHOULD I FEEL?"
Menninger focused . . . [Full Text of this Article]
