After 4.5 hours of instruction, two dozen mental health clinicians (MHCs) with varied training and experience were able to find the diagnosis in a half-dozen simulated stress illness patients. So I also talked to them about reaching out to medical clinicians to teach them how to explain the following concepts to their patients: Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Lectures’ Category
Stress Illness and The Health Care System (4)
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Stress Illness and The Health Care System (3)
Monday, April 26th, 2010After four and a half hours of instruction in how to do a Stress Check-Up (which is an Illness Chronology plus a Stress History), my next question was whether my audience of two dozen mental health professionals could use it to diagnose a “real patient.” So I tested them.
Stress Illness and The Health Care System (2)
Saturday, April 24th, 2010I am slowly figuring out how we might move the existing health care system toward better care of stress illness patients. I learned a lot more yesterday when, for seven hours, I shared ideas with two dozen mental health clinicians who came from a wide range of training backgrounds and professional positions.
Stress Illness and The Health Care System (1)
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Physical illness caused by psychosocial stress is a clinical dilemma that was known to Hippocrates nearly 2500 years ago. We still don’t have a good solution. Medical clinicians aren’t trained to ask about people’s lives and connect what they find with symptoms. Mental health clinicians don’t see too many patients whose main concern is pain or other body symptoms. But I’m optimistic that in the 21st century will see growing use of good solutions.
The Rosie Factor
Monday, April 19th, 2010Rosie O’Donnell has been a stand-up comic, television actress, film actress, adoptive mother and daytime television talk-show host as well as a singer, author, gay rights activist, magazine editor and philanthropist, giving millions of dollars to a children’s foundation and other charities. Since last November she has hosted a radio show on Sirius/XM where, this morning, I had the chance to inform her listeners about stress illness.
Closing the Blind Spot
Thursday, April 8th, 2010Kauai is a wonderful place to talk about stress, primarily because it is difficult to have any while you are there. Last week I went to the Garden Isle to present my lecture on stress illness to clinicians of a variety of specialties from the Pierce County (Washington State including Tacoma & Mt Rainer) Medical Society. They asked a number of thoughtful questions. They were clearly interested in diagnosing stress illness but felt the need for greater support from mental health clinicians (MHCs) than was available in their community. This referred to the limited number of MHCs and also to MHCs experience evaluating patients with unexplained physical symptoms.
When Stress Causes Pain
Monday, March 29th, 2010I don’t recall ever encountering a conference that included internists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, a gastroenterologist (myself) and a public relations expert all addressing the same clinical issue. Yet this is what came together at UCLA this weekend to address physical symptoms caused by psychosocial stress. Nearly 200 attended and it was remarkable to see the consensus that grew out of such disparate clinical experience.
American Psychosomatic Society (4)
Thursday, March 18th, 2010One important exception to the physiology-focused research presented at the APS meeting was a study led by my friend and colleague Dr Howard Schubiner. His well-developed treatment program was used by a group of patients with fibromyalgia with good relief of their symptoms. The process emphasizes techniques for uncovering the emotional issues that underly the symptoms in most cases. Some patients did not benefit but most did which is a tremendous achievement in an illness as difficult as fibromyalgia. It is likely that most forms of stress-related illness would benefit from this process. Dr Schubiner’s book is due out by the end of this month and can be ordered via his web site (click on his name above).
Letter to New Medical Students (5)
Friday, January 29th, 2010We have scheduled several “Personal Mental Health Weekends” during the academic year. These are two or three day weekends just after an exam and just before the start of a new class when you should have a minimum of studying to do. We encourage you to use this time to re-connect with as much of your non-medical life as possible. If you lose your humanity during medical training you may become a master of medical technique but you will not reach your potential as a physician.
Letter to New Medical Students (4)
Thursday, January 28th, 2010In your Clinical Medicine class you will be able to talk to real patients starting next week. They will know you are first year students and will not expect you to be physicians. You will learn that you can take a good medical history from a patient even if you have no clue what to do with the information. This experience highlights the importance of the human qualities you bring to the bedside because you won’t have any medical qualifications at that time.
