Academic Medicine Open Forum

 View Only
Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

Question of the Week: Are we getting better at reducing shame around mental health?

  • 1.  Question of the Week: Are we getting better at reducing shame around mental health?

    Posted 05-08-2023 12:12:00 PM

    I came across a recent AAMCNews story about physicians who have faced mental health challenges, in which Dr. Jessi Gold acknowledged that sharing mental health details is not easy, but she suggests that even small changes in our culture can make a big difference.

    It raises an important question: are we making progress in reducing shame and stigma around mental health? Have you noticed any changes in societal attitudes towards mental health issues? How about within our own medical community?

    As health care professionals, it is important for us to create a culture that supports and encourages individuals to seek help for mental health problems. What initiatives or practices have you seen that are successfully reducing stigma and encouraging individuals to seek help?

    Let's start a conversation and share our thoughts on this important topic.



    ------------------------------
    Penny Schnarrs she/her
    Director of Community Relations and Strategy
    Association of American Medical Colleges
    ------------------------------



  • 2.  RE: Question of the Week: Are we getting better at reducing shame around mental health?

    Posted 05-08-2023 02:57:00 PM

    Excellent topic! In our school, FIU HWCOM, there has been a recent change in the name of our resources that we offer our students, which is now called "The Student Well-Being and Mental Health Services" which provides medical students with personal counseling services, specific mental health services, and well-being services as well. I believe we are getting better at reducing shame in our own medical community, because we have built mental health topics in our everyday discussion. In our school, we encourage students to be proacctive about seeking services from different resources on campus. I have also been reading a book called "Outlive" by Dr. Peter Attia, where he talks about the differences of mental health and emotional health, which is something I don't really hear too much talk about emotional health as well. I believe the promising practices out there involve getting the news out about different resources on campus would really help, and I see our school FIU HWCOM doing that with bringing pets on campus for the students to pet, aromatherapy, exercise activities, and much more. 



    ------------------------------
    Maria Fernanda Barbaran
    College Recruiter I
    Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
    ------------------------------

    Original Message