ABSTRACT

Doctors, as strong, clever, resourceful professionals, are heir to human frailty and illness, like anyone else. This book is about diagnosable, label-able mental illness such as eating disorders, affective disorders and, sometimes, psychosis. More than that, it is a book about doctors, many fully-functioning, practising doctors, who suffer from these illnesses, and the unique insights and problems that arise when the doctor is the patient, especially when questions of insight and judgement are blurred.

part One|57 pages

The Stories

chapter Chapter 1|4 pages

Setting the scene

chapter Chapter 2|2 pages

Personal view

chapter Chapter 3|2 pages

Accepting who you are/learning a new identity

chapter Chapter 4|3 pages

Depression has many faces

chapter Chapter 5|3 pages

Life can only be understood backwards

chapter Chapter 6|2 pages

Hope beyond …

chapter Chapter 7|2 pages

Until 1996

chapter Chapter 8|2 pages

My foster mother was dying

chapter Chapter 9|5 pages

Inside every doctor is a patient

chapter Chapter 10|2 pages

Running on empty

chapter Chapter 11|2 pages

Since childhood

chapter Chapter 12|2 pages

Telling the story

chapter Chapter 13|2 pages

The other side of the sheets: a special case?

chapter Chapter 14|11 pages

Themes from the stories

chapter Chapter 15|7 pages

Issues in treatment

part Two|44 pages

What's It Like?

chapter Chapter 16|6 pages

Stigma and discrimination

chapter Chapter 17|6 pages

Easily misunderstood experiences

chapter Chapter 18|12 pages

Key issues for medical students and schools

chapter Chapter 20|4 pages

GMC Health Procedures and the sick doctor

chapter Chapter 21|8 pages

Reflections on illness and health

part Three|87 pages

Dealing With It

chapter Chapter 22|9 pages

Ongoing support and relapse prevention

chapter Chapter 23|8 pages

Ideas for the dark days

chapter Chapter 24|7 pages

Flexible ways of being a GP

chapter Chapter 25|4 pages

The financial cost of illness

chapter Chapter 26|10 pages

Mental health and employment

chapter Chapter 27|5 pages

Doctors' Support Network

chapter Chapter 28|39 pages

Resources