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IronDoc: Practical Stress Management Tools
for Physicians by Mamta Gautam, MD, FRCPC, MOT
Price $15.95>> 
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The Other Couch
When I work with my patients, the initial assessment is usually a
question-and-answer situation. Although later sessions are more unstructured,
at first it is important to review all that has happened. Together,
we identify how you have been feeling, and what signs and symptoms
you have been experiencing recently. We acknowledge the stressors
in your life, both professionally and personally. We explore whether
this has happened before, and whether any of your family members have
struggled with similar difficulties. We define preexisting medical
illnesses, and medications being used that may be contributing to
the current situation. You learn that, as a doctor, you are under
stress regularly. You learn how to distinguish what is normal, and
what is not healthy.
Having acknowledged that stress is an inherent part of medicine, let’s
focus on understanding how and why it can happen. In psychiatry, we
use a biopsychosocial approach to formulate an understanding of a
situation. Let’s apply that same approach here, to understand
why we feel such stress in medicine. We will start with the biological
and social demands first, and then add the psychological aspects in
the following chapter.
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