ABSTRACT
Doctors are human and it is a normal part of being human to be vulnerable. It is also normal to search out comfort and relief when life hurts. Many people struggling with mental illness battle with a feeling of fraudulence and disbelief in the possibility of recovery, often both at once. The fear of fabrication or of exaggerating symptoms seems to be particularly common among medical staff and can be a barrier to seeking help. Good care generally involves the patient in decision making, but always requires an objective clinician. The peoples deserve as good care as anyone else – it is not being wimpish. A written plan for the extremely dark times is very useful. It provides a concrete list of things to do at a time when decision making is difficult.
