Dentaltown December 2017 - 36

message board
raclro
Member Since: 08/17/05
Post: 72 of 665

I like the threads here where other dentists share their frustrations and failures. Although I
think I see things pretty clearly, it helps temper my negative thoughts about myself when I fail. ■
9/12/2017

The Mommy Dentist
Member Since: 09/30/03
Post: 76 of 665

So true. I need threads like this to not feel so alone. Not a day goes by that I don't think of
some way to get out of this job. ■
9/12/2017

Lisa Weber
Member Since: 02/13/05
Post: 86 of 665

I began reading this thread and then honestly stopped and read and reread Timmy's post
because it is one I really hope is read by others. I come at this from a very different position. I
am not a dentist but I've worked for one who struggled with depression, and I've also watched
my Marine Corps and soldier sons lose men they loved as much as their own brothers to suicide
after they returned home from war.
Please talk to each other on the comments or in private, and band together again for the
benefit of each of you. You are perfectionists who can't be perfect, and you are healers who sometimes work with patients who honestly don't want to be healed. You are avoiders of confrontation
who all of a sudden have to deal with staff and all of the drama that entails. Dentaltown was
built so that no dentist had to practice alone and "practice" (I believe) meant more than what
happens in the chair when you have your handpiece in hand. ■
9/12/2017

k5thbeatle
Member Since: 08/20/05
Post: 95 of 665

Still recovering from the shock of a friend who committed suicide just two weeks ago. Not
a dentist but a friend nonetheless. What shocked us all was that he was the last guy any of us
would have suspected to do something like this: always happy-go-lucky (as it were). I don't think
I ever saw him upset or angry and just always in a good mood. I often envied him, wishing I
could be in such seemingly good moods all the time. His family indicated no history of depression or any treatment for such or anxiety. That made it all the more perplexing.
My question here is, statistically speaking, how many suicides have no history of treatment
for depression? Is that common? ■
9/12/2017

The Mommy Dentist
Member Since: 09/30/03
Post: 100 of 665

I would guess that many if not most suicide deaths are completed by people with no history
of seeking mental help. People who kill themselves are masters of shoving it all down until they
just can't take it.
This is where a profession like dentistry makes it even worse for some. Every time we enter
the operatory we must put on a mask and be someone's dog that's happy to see the patient and
puts up with the kicking. Eventually that carries over and we are able to wear that isolation
mask and fake it everywhere. Eventually that catches up with a person and they just can't hide
it anymore. ■

9/12/2017

WTP
Member Since: 01/02/04
Post: 107 of 665

I think this is a big issue. Having to act a role all day and then come home and be yourself
is not good. I think that long term, that's probably pretty harmful to your psyche and damages
your social interactions. You develop a personality of "Dr. You" versus just you. I don't think the
brain can handle that very well.
I think it's best to be yourself in the office. If you wouldn't take anything from someone
demeaning you on the street, there is no reason you should expect to endure that in the office.
But many docs think that is part of the role ... to be a whipping post. It's not. When you let go
and no longer fear bad reviews or how patients will react to things, it's a huge relief. ■
9/12/2017

DECEMBER 2017 // dentaltown.com

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