4. Getting Help

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My favorite moments as a psychiatrist happen when someone I’ve just met trusts me enough to invite me alongside them. We walk through the most human parts of their lives—the gritty, messy, vulnerable, raw, triumphant, and terrifying chapters that no one else gets to read.

Each story amazes me, and teaches me, too. Each journey leaves me heartbroken, happy, and humbled by the honesty and healing that happen.

When someone comes to see me, we usually talk long—and thoroughly—over the course of the next few weeks or months. We tune up their sleep, exercise, and nutrition. We strategize about workloads and family stress. We practice cognitive techniques and behavioral ones, too. We figure out how to get exercise. After careful consideration, we may even start medications.
No two mental health challenges look exactly the same. Recovery looks a little different for everyone, and sometimes more bumps than miracles happen along the way. But I see people heal, and I believe with every fiber of my being, the same thing can happen for you.

-Jon