Can we really keep faith and work separate? It’s a question any person of faith has to deal with. I had to face just this question with a recent patient. Like a lot of patients who show up in the emergency room for psychiatric assessment, what she was experiencing was more emotional distress than definite […]
Category archives: Healthcare
A therapist is a mirror (for your mind)
“You should try therapy.” Pause. What’s your instinctive response to that statement? Agreement? Disagreement? Scepticism? Laughter? Something else? (I’d like to hear what you chose!) In my experience—and I’m sure, that of anyone who’s worked in mental healthcare—scepticism is super common. And I find that equal parts frustrating and fascinating, because a lot of people […]
Therapists are the new priests
Some say we all need therapy—but do we?
Why mental health—and what’s it like?
People often ask me why I chose to do mental health of all the available medical specialties. Well, it started with my grandfather…
The hazards of doctoring in public
A medical colleague fell off a tightrope all medical pros online must navigate daily: the delicate balance of expressing useful info in a way that catches attention.
Reporting mental disorders in Nigeria is better, but still needs work
A man in his prime, had his life overtaken by mental illness before taking it himself. This story from The Punch Nigeria is grim and tragic and a reminder of how much work remains for mental health awareness in Nigeria.
No, AI isn’t taking the place of doctors anytime soon
I’ve been really excited for the implications of the new Apple Watch (I wrote on that here). But shortly after I shared my excitement, someone in a WhatsApp group for my medical school alumni brought up some new artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough, and brought up the old question: by Tim Foster on Unsplash Won’t AI soon […]
Apple is quietly revolutionising healthcare
The new Watch matters more than the new iPhones Why? Because I can think of three groups of people who would be directly invested in getting one asap: The elderly People with epilepsy People with heart disease For people in these groups (and that’s a lot of people) the Watch may well be such a lifesaver […]
If you’re getting mental healthcare, I beg you: don’t stop your appointments
It’s for your own good, especially if medication is part of your care. I see this too often, and it’s heartbreaking and a bad idea. And stopping because you’re doing great reveals a common misconception about how mental healthcare works.
What detective stories taught me about medicine — and life
Or, Sherlock Holmes…medical doctor? I loved detective stories when I was growing up. From the Famous Five, Secret Seven and Nancy Drew as a child, to Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes in my teens, I was fascinated by these brilliant boys and girls, men and women, enough that I fancied growing up to […]