I’ve toiled with mental health problems most of my adolescent life. I sought professional help before and was able to keep the battle at bay. I thought I had control of my symptoms, but to my surprise, anxiety, and depression still debilitated my ability to focus during medical school. At the start of my medical journey, I was still unaware and unable to recognize, diagnose and treat my already established condition. I ignored what I was physically and mentally feeling and attempted to plow through, not dealing with the matter at hand but, instead, putting a bandage on the situation. My ignorance of my mental health impaired my ability to focus on my education.
I understood that part of medical school is learning how to juggle academics with your outside and social life. Everyone is exhausted, moody, unfocused and loses time and interest in some of their hobbies due to the stressors medical school is known for having. I figured this was part of what I was feeling. There is such a stigma of depression and mental health problems in our society. This culture has made me question my mental health diagnosis. Do I even have depression or just severe medical school exhaustion? Going into a career that encompasses taking care of the well-being of others shouldn’t come at the expense of our own mental health. I am not here to tell you the solution to this issue. However, I do have tips that worked for me. There are some things I learned along the way to help me cope with my mental illness: staying active, nutrition, sleep, and seeking help.
STAY ACTIVE. After a workout, I feel energetic, positive, like I have control over some aspect of my life. Academics should always be the priority, however, as long as you set a routine and stick to it, you can always find time to fit in a couple of workouts.
SLEEP. Inevitably, in medical school, there will be those days where you will be up late studying for a big exam or working on a project. I lose sleep over a poor test result or bad performance on my part. Despite all this, getting as much sleep as you can is extremely important. It makes all the difference the next day. Getting sufficient rest clears my mind. Like after a workout, a good night’s rest makes me feel more energetic and helps me perform better in class.
NUTRITION. Eating healthy is difficult, especially on a tight medical school budget. However, it’s important to make sure you’re eating and eating well. Diversify your palate, eat your fruits, veggies, protein; cover all the foods in the pyramid. Make sure to take care of yourself in order to perform the best you can.
SEEK HELP. As future practitioners, we should understand that we are not invincible, we need just as much medical attention as any other individual. Find help when you do need it. Going to therapy can help you learn to deal with your anxiety and depression. Most importantly, they are there to LISTEN to you. For me, most of the time I just need someone who is willing to sit there and let me rant about my situation and I feel liberated after doing so. Medical school should not be an extra challenge due to your anxiety and depression or any other mental illness you may have. Sometimes just seeking some professional help and making some lifestyle changes is your solution.
Humanity’s weakness is the inability to admit their weaknesses. We have to understand that we are all human. I admit to those weaknesses and I use it to my strength. My mental health will make me a better doctor. My anxiety allows me to understand what my patients are dealing with each time they come for a visit. I can empathize with the anxiety a patient must go through coming into the hospital, not knowing their results and unable to understand those results.
I hope this gets to everyone out there; every single student who feels they are alone in this journey. I hope my story can help those who have not been able to come forth with their situation. I hope sharing my story will help everyone else out there to face their own struggles, regardless of what it may be. My ignorance of my mental health briefly stumped my ability to focus on my academics and it took time and numerous pitfalls for me to readjust. I don’t have the answer to dealing with mental health issues while in medical school, but I am open about my struggles. Sharing it has brought me closer to some of my classmates. We all go through our own difficulties and we are all here to support one another. I accepted that I am not perfect, and I still work hard every day to deal with my mental health, but I won’t let it get in the way of my medical journey again.
THUMBNAIL CREDIT: Ali Blackwood Illustration