Destigmatizing Mental Illness with Michael F. Myers, MD

In this episode, psychiatrist Michael F. Myers, MD, discusses the use of couples therapy in households comprised of single- and dual-physician families, the rate of depression among members of the medical field, and more.

Intro :13 About Myers :18 The interview 1:27 How did you get into the field of psychiatry? How did you end up in a space with such a specialized area of expertise? 1:44 Have you noticed there’s a big difference in those different family dynamics between families with single-physician households and dual-physician households in those types of patients that you treat? 5:21 You actually decided in your career to also include couples therapy … how did you decide to incorporate it into your practice? 10:03 Have you found that the rate of depression among medical students, doctors is higher than the general population? Why are we seeing these high rates of depression? 14:20 How do we continue to move the needle against these stigmas of mental illness among medical health professionals? 18:16 Have you noticed more suicides among students and residents? Have you been asked to talk to people in that space? Is there something we can do to help support students and residents? 25:58 What has it been like in this last year in taking care of doctors? Has your practice changed at all and have you noticed things are different this year? 33:29 If someone could only listen to the last two minutes of this episode what would you want them to take away? 39:21 Where can people purchase your book, “Becoming a Doctor’s Doctor,” and how can people find you if they want to connect with you? 40:11

Michael F. Myers, MD, is professor of clinical psychiatry and recent past vice-chair of education and director of training in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at SUNY-Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. He is also the author of “Becoming a Doctor’s Doctor.”

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @HemOncToday @ShikhaJainMD. Dr. Myers can be reached at his website, www.michaelfmyers.com, on Twitter @downstatedoctor and on Linkedin.

Disclosures: Jain reports she is a paid freelance writer for Lippincott. Healio was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures for Myers at the time of publication.