***Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of self-harm, suicide, and mental health struggles. If these topics are distressing for you, please consider skipping this episode or listening with a trusted friend. If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about suicide, help is available right now. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you're outside the U.S., you can find international hotlines at findahelpline.com, findhelpline.com, or through local emergency numbers. Please take care of yourself while listening. ***
In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, we welcome back Dr. Stephanie Reeder for part two of her story, one that touches on the realities of mental health, the weight of being a healthcare provider, and the courage it takes to ask for help.
In this episode, Dr. Stephanie opens up about her journeys through burnout, depression, suicidal ideation, and inpatient psychiatric treatment, first as a resident in 2008 and again as an attending surgeon in 2019.
She shares candidly about:
• The pressure to "push through" as a physician
• The stigma surrounding mental health in medicine
• The difficulty of seeing yourself as a patient
• Navigating pregnancy, postpartum years, and grief without support
• How anxiety, depression, and identity as a high-achiever intertwine
• The fear of being a burden at work, at home, and to friends
• What finally helped her take the step toward healing
• How she rebuilt her mental health through therapy, community, writing, and acceptance
• The reality of complications, perfectionism, and the emotional weight surgeons carry
• What she wishes every healthcare provider could hear
If you've ever felt overwhelmed, isolated, or afraid to ask for help, this episode will meet you right where you are.
***If anything we discussed today brought up difficult emotions for you, please reach out for support. You can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. by calling or texting 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. If you're outside the U.S., visit findahelpline.com to find international hotlines in your country. Remember: you're not alone, and help is available.*** If you love conversations like these, join us in February for more at the Doctor Is ALL In Retreat for women where we continue the narrative, build community, strengthen the WHOLE self, and just do CE better!
More info at www.DoctorIsALLIn.com
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59 mins