VIDEO: Mental health ‘really matters’ in medicine
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AUSTIN, Texas — In this exclusive video from Crohn’s and Colitis Congress, Megan E. Riehl, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the University of Michigan, discusses her keynote presentation from the Women in IBD Breakfast that focused on work-life balance.
“What I hope everybody came away ... with is the importance of human connection, that we all live very busy lives and we’re kind of task-oriented, especially as women,” Riehl told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “We wear many, many hats as physicians, psychologists, nurses, caregivers, mothers, wives, partners; the list really goes on and on.”
Riehl stressed the importance of being present with everyone health care professionals will encounter throughout their day.
“Be present with our patients, be present with our friends and our colleagues because mental health really matters in the world of medicine,” she said. “There’s a very sobering statistic that I shared with everyone ... that there is one completed physician suicide every day, which really creates an epidemic and we don’t really get to suicide overnight typically, it’s usually undertreated or untreated depression.”
Riehl noted that caregivers and health care providers have a responsibility to check in with their colleagues to see if something is wrong.
“If we see something, say something,” she said. “In being mindful, it’s really a journey that people will engage in throughout their career, their lives, it's taking time to pause and breathe and respond with emotion. – by Ryan McDonald
Reference:
Riehl ME. Sp78: Mindfulness, Meditation and Career/Life Balance. Presented at: Crohn’s and Colitis Congress; Jan. 23-25, 2020; Austin, Texas.
Disclosures: Riehl reports no relevant financial disclosures.