As student doctor Jay Wang, a rising OMS-III and incoming parliamentarian of ACOFP National Student Executive Board, was completing his post-baccalaureate degree, he found himself facing increasing anxiety and depression. With the pressure of thinking that this was his last chance to get into medical school, Wang began to lose his passion for education and became disconnected from his family and friends. “As a student who once enjoyed learning, dreading even driving to school was a huge blow to my ego,” Wang said.
Not only were rigorous academics fanning the flames of mental health struggles, but Wang had also just come out to his parents and was also starting treatments for his anxiety. Wang knew he needed to overcome his preconceived notion that anxiety could be handed out without external support. Eventually, he discovered that self-care techniques can only go so far in relieving symptoms, especially when one is biologically predisposed to certain conditions.
According to Wang, once he started regularly taking medication and receiving counseling, it became easier to continue his studies and seek help when he needed it. Through counseling, he was able to reframe his thought processes and find methods to effectively manage his anxiety.
Maintaining mental health is a challenge that many people face, and it is an especially important discussion to be had among medical students, who not only need to understand how to balance their own well-being but also that of others. Discussing mental health is important for improving people’s conditions and destigmatizing its treatment.
Haley Schuster, OMS-II, incoming secretary of the ACOFP National Student Executive Board, knew that medical school would be an undeniably difficult challenge, despite it being one of the most important journeys of her career. Before and while starting medical school, Schuster found herself struggling with anxiety that manifested itself physically as reflux. Not only was she adjusting to the rigor of medical school academics and pressures, but Schuster was also having to adapt to a new environment away from family and friends.
As balancing her mental health became a bigger challenge, she realized she needed to make some lifestyle changes to improve her condition. Making time in the day to FaceTime family or to take moments to check on herself have been impactful in maintaining her health.
“In order to take care of patients, we need first to take care of ourselves," Schuster said. “We should establish a foundation of knowing how to manage mental health during medical school that we can carry into our careers.”
“To me, mental health is the continuous endeavor to optimally maintain the functionality and ability of my mind and my life,” said George Yang, OMS-III, incoming NSEB President. He remembers dealing with tremendous amounts of stress and pressure leading up to his level one board exam. There was an undeniably high level of expectations that demanded him to juggle so many tasks along with studying throughout medical school, which inevitably took a toll. It led to a point where Yang realized that he needed to seek professional help. Getting the support that he needed and ultimately getting diagnosed and receiving proper treatment was transformative for him, and he thinks that more people could benefit from addressing mental health challenges by getting help.
Yang understands that treating mental health as any other physical ailment is key to being a better physician and a better person. Mental health is just another facet of well-being that should not be stigmatized. As a physician, he would not judge someone for having diabetes, so he would not discriminate against anyone with a mental health disorder. “Because isn't what we want as physicians for our patients to be healthy so they can live?” Yang said. “And aren't we patients ourselves when we go to the doctor's office?”
One common misconception Yang sees around mental health is the idea that struggling with mental health makes someone weak. He thinks that, in fact, seeking the necessary help it takes to find health makes you stronger.
Similarly, Evan Bischoff, OMS-IV, believes that mental health needs to be destigmatized, because it has the power to affect one’s life just as much as any other illness, if not more. “Having challenging conversations regarding mental health can be stressful, however, I do think it's important to push back on this idea of mental health coming from weakness,” Bischoff said. “Mental health is the same as any other health and should be treated as such. Shouldering the burden alone will not make you strong.”
Not only are mental health challenges impactful in the day-to-day of individuals who are struggling, but it is also an occupational hazard, according to Bischoff, due to the difficult curriculum that medical students face. But Bischoff and Yang both believe that if treated effectively, people have the potential to become even healthier and more understanding, not only as patients but also as physicians.
“[Understanding] how you function and what helps you become the person you want to be [also] helps you in the future help patients who are struggling with similar illnesses with similar disorders that you are going through,” Yang said.
Yang and Wang both hope that, looking forward, mentors and faculty in medical schools will continue to be more accepting of mental health and understand that students and colleagues may be struggling, and that is OK. Wang shares that there is stigma around sharing struggles with mental health, especially as medical students, since there is a misconception that if someone is dealing with mental health issues, they are incapable of supporting patients. However, dealing with one’s mental health does not pose a risk to patients, as long as the physician is receiving the right support. The risk only comes with building stigma around discussing mental health and circulating negative assumptions about people dealing with it.
“As we all know, medical school is difficult, and almost everyone will struggle with their mental health at some point,” Schuster said. “So, don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help. Your friends and colleagues want to help support you."
Not only were rigorous academics fanning the flames of mental health struggles, but Wang had also just come out to his parents and was also starting treatments for his anxiety. Wang knew he needed to overcome his preconceived notion that anxiety could be handed out without external support. Eventually, he discovered that self-care techniques can only go so far in relieving symptoms, especially when one is biologically predisposed to certain conditions.
According to Wang, once he started regularly taking medication and receiving counseling, it became easier to continue his studies and seek help when he needed it. Through counseling, he was able to reframe his thought processes and find methods to effectively manage his anxiety.
Maintaining mental health is a challenge that many people face, and it is an especially important discussion to be had among medical students, who not only need to understand how to balance their own well-being but also that of others. Discussing mental health is important for improving people’s conditions and destigmatizing its treatment.
Haley Schuster, OMS-II, incoming secretary of the ACOFP National Student Executive Board, knew that medical school would be an undeniably difficult challenge, despite it being one of the most important journeys of her career. Before and while starting medical school, Schuster found herself struggling with anxiety that manifested itself physically as reflux. Not only was she adjusting to the rigor of medical school academics and pressures, but Schuster was also having to adapt to a new environment away from family and friends.
As balancing her mental health became a bigger challenge, she realized she needed to make some lifestyle changes to improve her condition. Making time in the day to FaceTime family or to take moments to check on herself have been impactful in maintaining her health.
“In order to take care of patients, we need first to take care of ourselves," Schuster said. “We should establish a foundation of knowing how to manage mental health during medical school that we can carry into our careers.”
“To me, mental health is the continuous endeavor to optimally maintain the functionality and ability of my mind and my life,” said George Yang, OMS-III, incoming NSEB President. He remembers dealing with tremendous amounts of stress and pressure leading up to his level one board exam. There was an undeniably high level of expectations that demanded him to juggle so many tasks along with studying throughout medical school, which inevitably took a toll. It led to a point where Yang realized that he needed to seek professional help. Getting the support that he needed and ultimately getting diagnosed and receiving proper treatment was transformative for him, and he thinks that more people could benefit from addressing mental health challenges by getting help.
Yang understands that treating mental health as any other physical ailment is key to being a better physician and a better person. Mental health is just another facet of well-being that should not be stigmatized. As a physician, he would not judge someone for having diabetes, so he would not discriminate against anyone with a mental health disorder. “Because isn't what we want as physicians for our patients to be healthy so they can live?” Yang said. “And aren't we patients ourselves when we go to the doctor's office?”
One common misconception Yang sees around mental health is the idea that struggling with mental health makes someone weak. He thinks that, in fact, seeking the necessary help it takes to find health makes you stronger.
Similarly, Evan Bischoff, OMS-IV, believes that mental health needs to be destigmatized, because it has the power to affect one’s life just as much as any other illness, if not more. “Having challenging conversations regarding mental health can be stressful, however, I do think it's important to push back on this idea of mental health coming from weakness,” Bischoff said. “Mental health is the same as any other health and should be treated as such. Shouldering the burden alone will not make you strong.”
Not only are mental health challenges impactful in the day-to-day of individuals who are struggling, but it is also an occupational hazard, according to Bischoff, due to the difficult curriculum that medical students face. But Bischoff and Yang both believe that if treated effectively, people have the potential to become even healthier and more understanding, not only as patients but also as physicians.
“[Understanding] how you function and what helps you become the person you want to be [also] helps you in the future help patients who are struggling with similar illnesses with similar disorders that you are going through,” Yang said.
Yang and Wang both hope that, looking forward, mentors and faculty in medical schools will continue to be more accepting of mental health and understand that students and colleagues may be struggling, and that is OK. Wang shares that there is stigma around sharing struggles with mental health, especially as medical students, since there is a misconception that if someone is dealing with mental health issues, they are incapable of supporting patients. However, dealing with one’s mental health does not pose a risk to patients, as long as the physician is receiving the right support. The risk only comes with building stigma around discussing mental health and circulating negative assumptions about people dealing with it.
“As we all know, medical school is difficult, and almost everyone will struggle with their mental health at some point,” Schuster said. “So, don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help. Your friends and colleagues want to help support you."
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