Thread by @laxswamy

I'm now in "How to Identify Distressed Physician Colleagues and Stop Them From Dying by Suicide"

...will tweet any highlights. #CHEST2020

this is incredibly powerful. opening with a physician with a substance use disorder... this is intense

first highlight: he noticed the gross inequity evident to him in his work and it affected him

then, personal tragedy

then, opiates for pain #CHEST2020

now detailing how he lost his professional life, became actively suicidal... unbelievable

lost a colleague to suicide...

no one talks about this (except we do at #CHEST2020)

"The reason I'm talking so openly is that you are going to see distressed colleagues... the wrong thing to do is to shut them out." #chest2020

"I told you my story today because ... I want you to recognize my despair and hopefully see it in others. you may be able to stop a colleague from reaching their bottom or worse even ending their life. Maybe you can make a difference." #CHEST2020

Now hearing @DrKMSimon about wellbeing in physicians of color #CHEST2020

Physician suicide more likely when underlying issues like anxiety, depression, injury, life stress left untreated -- a note to program directors; 23% of interns had suicidal thoughts in one study. #CHEST2020

@DrKMSimon

Racial microaggressions - one form of everyday racism- @DrKMSimon

the impact is not so "micro" though.

#chest2020

great examples of microaggressions #chest2020

a nice slide on the similarities and differences between burnout and depression

Bottom line: burnout is situational, job-related. Depression is context-free. @DrKMSimon #chest2020

Now Dr. Myers, psychiatrist. "I lost my roommate in my 1st year of medicine to suicide in 1962." #chest2020

a call to action: "whatever you do, do something!" #CHEST2020

Found him! @downstatedoctor

these are great tips. Do something, but think about how you'll approach it. #CHEST2020

In addition: dont' just give resources. ask permission to make the calls on his behalf. YOU set it up! @downstatedoctor #CHEST2020

What if they tell you to get lost?
"don't take it personally- i've been told to get lost since i was a medical student!" @downstatedoctor #chest2020

Haven't seen this yet but @downstatedoctor
says it is an absolute must watch. #CHEST2020 4 min long:

Some self-care tips. " do not let any job in medicine severely compromise your right to a personal and family life" @downstatedoctor #CHEST2020

Now highlighting discrepancies in how physicians of color are treated by the system (boards etc)

One solution --> fix the pipeline, diversify the boards #CHEST2020

Boards/licensure: any questions asked should be about impairment and about current health, not a history of a problem.

"Currently suffering from any illness that is impacting your ability to practice medicine safely?" @downstatedoctor #chest2020

Don't wait until something bad happens. Talk to a therapist now. @DrKMSimon #chest2020

Here are some takeaways from an @EuroRespSoc talk on a similar topic w insight from @smart_practice if you are interested in more tips on identifying a suffering colleague #CHEST2020

https://twitter.com/laxswamy/status/1178942811237957633?s=19