Dentaltown December 2017 - 12

howard speaks
column

With a Little Help From My Friends
With all the podcasts I've done, the issue
of suicide and mental health in dentistry has
come up many times. I'm told by experts in the
field that suicide and mental health is related
to comorbidity; it's usually not a single thing
that makes someone snap. A lot of stats say that
80 percent of addicts, whether it be alcohol, opioids
or something else, have undiagnosed mental
health issues. The stress we face in dentistry can
be intense and undeniable and, at times, feels
insurmountable.
You've heard everyone say, "The doctor who
treats himself has a fool for a patient." Many docs
think that a lot of their depression comes from dentistry
being a stressful or thankless job. For starters, all day
long patients come in and say they hate coming to see
you. Meanwhile, you have all this student loan debt
and the pressure of running a business when you most
likely just wanted to practice dentistry.
When you're a dentist, you see the dark side of
humans. They're scared about the shot, they're scared
about the cost, they're unhappy about being in your
chair, and all you want to do is help them feel better.
That's the theme of the day for nearly every dentist out
there. I've been here in Phoenix for 30 years and every
single year, at least one dentist has killed him- or herself.
Sometimes it's two or three a year. It must stop. The
solution is there, but like most answers to complicated
questions, while it might seem simple, it never is. First,
we need to start taking better care of ourselves. Second,
we need to be willing to ask for help, and to provide
that help for others.
We've all been guilty of not
providing even close to a healthy
amount of self-care. I mean that we
abuse ourselves through our diets
or lack of exercise. Wake up in the
morning and have a cigarette and
Red Bull breakfast or stand in line
at Starbucks. Then for lunch-if we
32

by Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, publisher, Dentaltown magazine

12

DECEMBER 2017 // dentaltown.com

Dentistry's
Dark Side

Townies discuss the danger of depression-
and how Dentaltown helps them combat it

dentaltown.com \\ DECEMBER 2017

33

DECEMBER 2017 // dentaltown.com

See p. 32 for a message board
about suicide and mental health
After learning that one of his old dental school classmates
committed suicide, a Townie comes to the boards to start
an open and frank discussion about depression and dentistry.

even take one-we're shoveling garbage into our mouths.
This is what we do to ourselves, then wonder why we
feel tired, down or burned out. Then we drag ourselves
home-maybe stop by the bar first for a happy hour
that's never happy, continue drinking once you're in
your living room, knocking back a few cocktails in
the privacy of your home, and then right before bed
eat your biggest meal of the day. It's one bad decision
after another that all starts with the stresses found in
our profession.
I hope all of you check out a couple of message board
threads on Dentaltown. The first one is "How to Really
Get Into Great Shape." You don't have to go there and
be interested in finding some amazing workout routines
(although there are plenty of them). The point of viewing
that thread is to see how many docs are trying to turn
things around and focus on taking care of themselves
and each other. It's an amazing example of the kind of
anonymous support system that helps doctors not fall
off the wagon. It's one of the things about Dentaltown
I'm most proud of.
The other thread, "Suicide and Mental Health,"
http://www.dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown December 2017
