DIP Episode 463 - Suicide In Medicine

Welcome, my name is Divine, this is episode 463 of the Divine Intervention Podcasts and into this podcast I'm gonna be addressing a topic that's a little touchy and a topic that's quite inflammatory so I'm gonna be talking about suicide in medicine. I'm gonna be talking about suicide in medicine. So please obviously for a topic like this I need to give a lot of caveats. First things first I am not a mental health professional. That's the first thing I'm gonna say. So please just be mindful and again this podcast is more for educational purposes and it's not meant to help in clinical decision making. And then number three I'm speaking based on my experiences based on what I know about. Again I'm largely trying to address healthcare professionals but I imagine that the information in this podcast applies to many people. Number four again just try to keep an open mind don't like oh I'm gonna hang the vine right after this. Again I'm just really trying to help. I'm literally trying trying to help because there are many you hear this almost every week. There's almost always one person or the other committee inside either a med student. They're even the pre-meds that committee suicide that we don't even we don't even think about. We don't even mention on social media or in the public space. There are many residents. There's a lot of residents who cite.

I will imagine that if a person did the math it probably comes out to about high single digits or double digits of people that commission aside in medicine every every week. That's the truth. So you know I want to kind of take a different approach today you know of not just talking talking talking about content content content because again I know that's the reason many people listen to my podcast which makes sense right to listen and learn but honestly this may be a somewhat different kind of content. It may not be something that you may see on your USMLA exams but it's something that definitely applies to everyone. So I would really encourage you I would hope that you keep an open mind. Pay attention to the lessons from those podcasts. I feel like it's something that can really really help you. Because again many people is not everyone that oh like some people in their minds are like oh there is no I can never think about committing suicide. There's nowhere I will ever be pushed to committing suicide. Let me tell you this many people that have committed suicide have probably said those exact same words until they finally succumb to suicide. So I will just encourage you to just keep an open mind, be humble about it and learn because the thing is even if you're not listening to this for you you may use some of this information to support other people in the future.

I see it's something and honestly I don't have all the answers right I certainly do not have all the answers but again I'm really hoping that you keep an open mind and pay attention to this. So we know what suicide is right you know suicide is basically when a person takes the life and there are many causes of suicide.

There are many causes right many times suicide can be a result of a mental health problem depression anxiety that's one thing that many times can cause suicide or you see a lot of people they're very depressed they feel very hopeless they feel like there is nothing left in this world for them and then they kill themselves they take their lives or you see some people they are very anxious to be honest with you medicine especially with taking some of these US Emily exams and everything very very anxious situation very very anxious situation so these things can certainly drive a person to a committee and suicide and you know they're you know I feel like many people can easily recognize why being anxious or being depressed can cause a person to go down that route but there are other causes of suicide that I feel like don't get enough press but they actually kind of important I'll talk about this hopefully you know emptiness people feel empty people feel empty they feel like they have nothing to go off of let me tell you this a person does not have to be depressed to feel empty and worthless and honestly one big driver of this thing is this social media age now we live in many times if you go on social media you'll see the glamorous lives of people you see how glam how amazing how wonderful how also awesome the lives are and when you see stuff like that you're like man what am I doing with my life man I must be a real failure or something like that you feel very empty on the inside that emptiness believe it or not can drive a person to suicide can drive a person to suicide another thing that can drive people to suicide is just comparisons comparisons again we live in a world where people always love to compare themselves with each other like you see like med students or they always compare in the US and least scores with others they always compare in this or this is where

I match or this is where you matched is almost like many things in life have become a popularity contest and to be honest with you many of these things you can end up tracing them right back to social media right because again people's lives are now in full public view so one thing many people don't realize is that people's best lives are the things that you'll see online the stuff that's really hurting you don't necessarily see it online right like when you watch You Tube short so whatever is the very best version of people you're gonna see but you want to tell me that that's how their lives are typically run that's not true right that's not true when you see people they make these comparisons and then they feel like man this person is like this I must be a failure you see some people they commit suicide because they feel like they're not as beautiful as handsome as some other person or they're not as wealthy as some other person or they're failures right that thing certainly can drive people to suicide right and also even amongst kids to be honest with you kids like for example for those of you that are parents and telling you you need to keep your eyes on your kids there's all this bullying that goes on in school I've literally I mean this was when I was this was a few years ago I think I was still a pre-med student then or either a pre-med student or just early med school I heard of a child each 10 child killed himself and what happened he killed himself because he was he was being bullied at school right so you got to be careful about you got to be careful about these things you you got to be careful about these things right so there are many situations that drive people to suicide there are many many situations that drive people to suicide burnout burnout can drive a person to suicide because I'm telling you this healthcare is almost like a badge of honor if you

work yourself to the bone which is again unfortunate again we've pretty much propagated this lifestyle in healthcare for decades for many generations like I'm not saying that a person should work hard because don't get me wrong I've seen some very lazy people in my life as a as a person in healthcare but burning people out is also a way that can drive people to suicide right because you can work so much that you feel like I can't I can't take this anymore you can work so much that you feel so much physical and emotional and psychological pain to where you feel like you know what I need to get myself out of this pain and you think okay the way to get myself out of this pain is to commit suicide that's the thing right and again it's just really sad that in many residency environments in many work environments if your person that's kind of seeking after like man okay I mean it would be nice to have a 60 or just a 60 hour work week or something you look that as the enemy you look that as a wickly but the thing is all these people that are coming in taking care of patients every day do you ever stop and think what's actually going on in the lives of these people what's literally actually going on in their in their own lives again that's one thing that again many many people kind of lose sight of which is again really really sad really really really unfortunate really really sad really really unfortunate another thing too that I will say can also drive people to suicide is when they feel like they have no anchor they feel like they have like no support system no support system they feel that they are not supported that's the thing and again this is one of the things one of the problems with this being works to the bone mentality when people are being worked to the bone then you have no time to build or develop the relationships that they have with others and when you're not

building your relationships with others you have no support system I'm telling you this many students ignore this but I guess maybe I can even give you this as a pro tip for when you're trying to pick residency don't just look at location location location ask yourself what location will give me the best support system what residency program has a good support system in place many residency programs at orientation the program director will always give you the buzzwords or we support our residents we support our residents but how many programs truly support their residents to be honest with you have been in many places and I know that more people talk about being supportive of their residents than there are people that actually do support their residents so again like when there is no support system people getting trouble people getting trouble so I'm encouraging you like seek a support system and also be another person support system be your brother's keeper that's the truth be your brother's keeper that's that's the truth and let me tell you this the fact that a person is smiling or the fact that a person seems well adjusted does not mean that they cannot commit suicide that's one thing that many people lose side of they think that all the people that are happy and the people that will never kill themselves or the people that are satan withdrawn definitely the people that will kill themselves yes a person that is satan withdrawn that's probably kind of worries on that who this person he killed themselves but I'm telling you there are many people that on their face they're smiling but on the inside they're dying that's one thing that many people lose lose truck off the fact that a person is smiling on the outside does not mean that everything is well right like for example I've actually seen this I remember there was a famous actor I want to try to again to resist th

is temptation to mention names in this podcast but I know many of you know a famous actor who's you know who he took his life a few years ago and this person was almost I think like a comedian very happy person on the outside very happy personality but on the inside you never knew what was going through this person's life you're like man when I heard that this person commits this suicide I was shocked I'm like really this person very happy very jovial mentality this person had everything you would almost think and this person has everything going for them and the person still took their lives right or let me even ask you this the fact that a person is wealthy or the fact that a person has all the bells and whistles does that mean that they cannot commit suicide no no people can commit suicide people can commit suicide even if they have everything there are people that are more time millionaires that are billionaires that have committed suicide that's why the amount of stuff that you have or the pedigree that you have does not mean anything in terms of you not being susceptible to suicide right or the fact that you match that the best residency program okay I fulfilled my dreams does not mean that you may not be dreaming to commit suicide the fact that you the fact that you you had the highest US Emily score does not mean in fact to be honest with you sometimes again please don't miss control what I'm saying I'm not saying you should shoot for success you should always try to do the best that you can you should always try to be the best that you can but sometimes when people's lives are so wrapped up in their successes when they achieve that success they didn't feel like me there's nothing else to achieve and then that feeling of emptiness comes and he killed themselves right so all those things can drive a person to suicide I'm just trying to discuss these factors bec

ause sometimes you really need to understand the problem so that you can solve it and solve it conclusively that's the truth right you need to understand the problem and really another thing that also comes because this drives people to suicide and again I'm trying to speak about medicine specific factors is this whole concept of competitiveness the thing is you can do well you can do right you can encourage people to be their best without being insanely competitive that competitive mindset I'm telling you has driven many people to suicide because again in competition selfish ambitions hold sway in competition in fact let me say this in unhealthy competition let me know you use the term competition because competition is good when it's healthy but there's so much unhealthy competition in medicine I'm telling you this you see a lot of neuroticism amongst medical students amongst residents a lot of competition right and the thing is once people see that you're at the top they're trying every single thing they can to pull you down they're literally trying every single thing that they can to pull you down you see people they know a person is doing good work but they start bad mouthing them in the presence of other people to be honest with you I've actually experienced some of this before you see some people they make it a point hmm well this person is doing well I'm gonna bad mouth them I'm gonna try to make other people not like them so that they can stop fighting them they can start worrying against them the thing is you the person that is doing stuff like that you may be leading to the death of a person and again that person's blood is kind of on your head in a sense so I'm just encouraging you like don't be an evil person don't be a person that or because a person is succeeding in a certain way I need to find a way to destroy them many people these days are not happy

about the successes of other people it's sad but it's true I know some some people may be like no divine there's no I'm always happy when people succeed I'm telling you that belief that mindset is in the minority many people these days we're not happy when other people are successful right so they try to start working against them start putting traps along their way to mess them up right again just be careful you may in your inadvertent actions believe in a person to commit commit suicide that's that's the truth right medicine is a very competitive atmosphere these days right look oh wow this person go to this program I did not this person is in this medical school I did not get in there and you see them they feel like failures and then they end up killing killing themselves they end up killing killing themselves right so now that I guess I've kind of talked about some of the causes of suicide and again I certainly have probably not even scratch the surface in terms of the causes of suicide I want to maybe talk about what are some practical things that can be done what are some practical things that can be done are to help you deal with suicide or to prevent right because again suicide is a huge problem I'm telling you this like I literally have a personal experience like I remember I was in college and I used to see that the front of the class there was a very close buddy of mine very very close friend of mine I used to sit in the front of the class with this person we're both pre-med I think we're both pre-meds if I'm not mistaken and I just notice for few days this person just was not coming to school the person was not showing up was not showing up was not showing up I'm like what happened and then it was one day I found out on Facebook that man this person took their lives and I'm telling you that was because honestly like I had heard of suicide before but that w

as like my first close experience with suicide and I'm telling you that was a harrowing experience that thing really hit me hard because I'm like wow this person like I literally just this prior was shadowing this person probably sharing jokes with this person and in this person took their lives right that was one of my first hard you know like some of these things that kind of snaps you into the reality of life that experience kind of smuggling to the reality of life so that's just something you want to keep keep in mind as you as you go on like suicide I'm telling you like there's no like huh suicide can happen to anybody right it can happen to anybody people can think that man he can never happen to me until you're driven to a life circumstance that causes you to like hmm man I can't take this anymore this is the end I this is I need to end my life right now right so suicide again affects many people and I'm willing to bet that many people in medicine about one point or the other in their lives had some kind of suicidal ideation so what are some things that can help a person deal with suicidal thoughts or what are some things that can be done to prevent because to be honest with you it's not often that a person just was completely fine with life and then five minutes later they're like I'm gonna kill myself I'm gonna kill myself I'm gonna end it all right now many times there's a process that kind of leads up to that the first thing I'm gonna say is if you're having suicidal thoughts or you feel like you're about to end your life I'm telling you this call a suicide hotline call a suicide hotline there are people that are out there that truly want to help you you don't have to do it you don't have to go through with it I'm telling you this you don't have to go through with it it may look like that's the only option but I promise you that is not the only option that

exists that is not the only option out there it is not the only option out there just do a google search just Larry go and google right now literally go and google right now and typing suicide hotline typing suicide hotline literally just literally call nine edit that's literally all you need to do call nine edit call nine edit call nine edit please you don't have to end it you have a bright future ahead of you it may not look like that now it may not look like that now but you have a bright future ahead of you there are good things in your future it may not look like it now you may be going through a lot of adversity maybe going through a lot of trials you may be going through a lot of failures right now but don't let those temporary circle that don't let the temporary circumstances you're going through right now make you proceed to making a decision that has very permanent consequences again it may not seem like it now but the future is going to be bright the future is bright it may not look like it now but don't you your current circumstances they have an expiry date they are not permanent they will not last forever I've been in circumstances of my life where I'm like man when will this problem ever end when when will this problem ever end but at some point the problem came to an end that's the truth so I'll encourage you just call nine edit if you're feeling there literally people have enabled every like 24 hours to help you right 247 just give them a call just take that first step right just take that first step now the next thing I want to say is coming to an on the next practical step I'll say is you need to come to an understanding that life involves tough circumstances life involves tough circumstances the thing is life will not always be a bit of roses and this mindset is one thing that is literally destroying the present generation this thought that everyth

ing should be easy there should be no pain there should be no suffering no tough times will come tough times will come tough times will come what you need to learn to be able to handle those tough times right like in your journey to become in a physician in your journey as a medical student there will be tough times when I was a medical student my working residency there were tough times tough times will come but you can handle those tough times constructively tough times will come but you can keep making progress you can keep advancing through those tough times through those tough times so you need to have that understanding to be completely honest with you like you need to almost like accepting in your hearts that weight things will not always be easy things will not always become no there will be tough times there will be tough times there will be tough times there will be tough times but again I'll encourage you there will be tough times but you can deal with those tough times you can handle those those tough times now what is another thing that can help a person and I think that can really help a person is this lifestyle of being calm and patient being calm and patient being calm and patient again we live in a dopamine regulated world where you see many people and again these things are just attitudes that have been built up over time people want things right now people want things right here they don't want to go through the process they don't want to be patient and wait for it you know there's this saying out there this adage that says the patient dog eats the fat is bone you need to learn to be patient you need to learn to be calm because you see sometimes people are like this pain that I'm going through right now it must end right now it must end right now so for that pain to end right now suicide becomes the option they're like oh if I just commit suicide it

's going to be the end of it no no no right the thing is many times people are not willing to be patient you need to learn to be calm and patient to be honest with you even in taking exams in taking exams be calm and patient be calm and patient in going through tough life circumstances become and be patient that tough circumstance is not going to last forever many times when you're going through a tough situation it looks like that tough situation will never end but I promise you it will end or you will get strategies you'll device away to handle that problem and handle it effectively so just keep that in mind be calm and patient when you're going through tough life circumstances the next principle I want to discuss is this principle of not taking sodium actions don't take sodium actions don't take sodium actions don't take sodium actions don't take sodium actions you see many people they are going through like a temporary hiccup and then they take permanent life decisions during those temporary hiccups that's not a smart thing to do don't don't don't take permanent actions based on temporary circumstances you see for example you just found out that oh man I failed a USMLE exam the fact that you failed a USMLE exam don't take a sodium action in fact to be honest with you sometimes sometimes what you need to do is take a step back take a step back right you don't have to solve that problem right now you don't have to solve that problem right now take a step back don't take I'm telling you this when emotions are running high when you're feeling like these when you're having these very intense feelings of despair you need to go ahead and take a step away take a step back don't take permanent decisions right there and there I'm telling you if you take those permanent decisions right there and there you can get yourself in a lot of trouble you literally can get yourself in

a lot of trouble many people have made grave life mistakes sometimes irreparable life mistakes because they took an action when emotions were running high emotions of despair were running high right when they just felt like man I need to do something right now no you don't have to do something right now you don't you don't sometimes just be still be calm be quiet and let things right to be honest with you one of these statements I really love sometimes I just think about it is this too shall pass sometimes you just need to wait out the storm the fact that there is a storm does not mean you have to do something right now I'm telling you this impulsive action has led people to make some very grave life mistakes impulsive action has led many people to make very grave life life mistakes very grave life life mistakes and then another thing principle I want to discuss is the importance of seeking help and support seek help and support seek help and support like for example for me my family is a big support system for me my family is a very very big support system for me because many people run into this problem of oh once they get into medical school or once they get into residency they just completely caught themselves off from their families they don't call them for weeks they don't call them for months they don't go home for any family gatherings or anything like that I'm telling you this that family is is a big support system for you do not ignore that support system don't ignore that support system right the thing is somebody will be like oh what do you find I don't have time for this you know my residency that that that that that that that that well let me tell you this if something bad were to happen to you today God forbid and you're diagnosed with a terminal illness who are the people that you really think were rally around you your residency program probably not

it's going to be that family that you have abandoned right it's going to be that family that you have abandoned so to be honest with you make time even if it's just two minutes in a day make time and speak to your family make time and speak to your family for me another part of my support system is my church you know many of you that listen to this podcast if you've ever heard that you know divine intervention podcast.com right yes my name is divine but my name is actually divine favor but that's a different conversation but a big support system for me is my church right regardless of how intense my schedule may be during the week I try to go to church every Sunday I make it a point to go to church every Sunday and I go to church during the week most weeks right my faith is a very important part of my support system going to church hearing the word of God right my faith in God is a very very big part of my support system because again there many times where I felt completely lost in life and is that faith that was my anchor in those circumstances so have a support system have friends what friend can you latch on to like who is that person that you know that wait if I need to unburden this is where I can go you need to have a support system you need to have a support system that's very very important and let me tell you this online is not a support system online modes they're not true support systems that's one thing that many people lose sight of is almost like the more and more we've delved into social media the more and more we've delved into these social media forms of communication the more and more detached people that's the truth the more and more detached people have become so try to seek true real substantial friendships true real substantial in-person friendships right all these online friendships they have very shallow relationships they're not the best kind

of support system that there is that's something I'm gonna kind of encourage you to kind of kind of keep keep in mind there now another thing that's also going to be very helpful is to prevent emptiness prevent emptiness what how do you prevent emptiness be missional this is something that I heard a few a few years ago be missional be missional like literally have a plan for your day have a plan for your life have a goal for your life that you're working towards to be honest with you uh this concept of oh I'm retiring I'm not saying that you cannot retire from you like your work but even if you retire from like your mainstream work you should have something that keeps you going every day you should have something that keeps you going every day have something that keeps you going every day be missional and not just missional be varied don't let your entire life be wrapped up in medicine I'm telling you this as someone that has literally been through that before where all I do is completely wrapped up in the healthcare complex no no you should have some variety in your life right medicine should be a key part of your life right because you're called you're called to be a physician but the other things that should be a key part of your life right things like you know your family your family is important I'm sure you have hobbies to be honest with you some people don't realize this but this making these podcasts don't get me wrong it's a ton of work but it's actually a great way to unwind I love taking care of patients I love doing all those things but to be honest with you I also really love making these podcasts I really love teaching teaching for me is not something I know is something that is a calling for me is one of the ways that I keep myself going to be honest with you like I almost have like this I'm sure there is a ton of dopamine being released in my brain as

I make every podcast I feel really good when I teach I love teaching I love helping people learn so be missional right be missional and don't get your life wrapped up in one thing have some diversity in your life I'm telling you this one of the things that causes you side and most youths these days is that the entire lives are wrapped up in social media there's no very right in their lives the entire lives are wrapped up in social media or in playing games online or in playing video games or whatever I'm not saying that those things are bad but you need to strike some kind of balance you need to strike some kind of balance because you see people when they are wrapped up in just one thing they feel empty because there is no variety there is no variety right so be missional have a plan have a goal right and don't let your life be completely wrapped up in one thing don't let your life be completely wrapped up in one thing now the next thing I'm going to say is just rest the importance of quality rest quality rest quality silence that's one thing that many people don't give enough credit rest is very important or you see some people yes don't get me wrong you may have a very tough intent schedule in residency as a met student but take time to get quality rest take time to do what get what quality rest many people do not rest right or you see them after work they get home and then they are spending hours and hours on social media on on streaming services and whatnot no sometimes you need to put your phone down go on airplane mode and sleep sleep get some rest give your brain time to cool down to be honest with you again many people that are listening to this podcast maybe like wow divine must really hit social media must really hit streaming services yeah to be honest with you a lot of those things are pretty toxic but sometimes you just want your mind to be quiet you wan

t to just turn out slash tune out noise to be honest with you I will encourage you if you have a if you have two hours free someday two or three hours free or you can even break this up and do listen to it in 30 minute channels just go on youtube and do a search for the science of silence that's actually a video I this video series I watched a couple of months ago actually also played it amongst the youth in my church I mean we'll find you to be extremely helpful right there's so much noise in this world all these notifications buzzing on your phone and everything those things can drive a person off the wall sometimes you literally have to completely unplug from technology and just give your mind some quiet time it's really really good for the soul it gives a certain kind of pleasure that very few things can give very few things can can give now the next thing I'm gonna see next principle I'm gonna talk about is the importance of stability avoid volatility avoid extremes try to have a stable life try to as much as possible and the thing is stability is something you can create try to have some level of balance in your life even the Bible talks about this avoiding extremes don't be a person that is giving to an extreme life because if your life is consistently volatile like that where you have some very high highs and some very low lows I promise you that's something that makes a person most susceptible to suicide that's something that makes a person most susceptible to an unstable emotional state try to be as stable as possible don't post you extremes right try to be moderate try to be balanced try to be modest in things that's the truth right try to balance that okay I'm not spending 12 hours of my day just period of computers no like you know what I'm gonna spend 45 hours a day on my computer I'm gonna spend like an hour watching Netflix I'm gonna spend like 12 hour

s in my relationship with God I'm gonna spend three hours hanging out with my friends I'm gonna spend seven hours sleeping I'm gonna spend 30 minutes in nature just taking a walk and helping my mental health right I'm telling you these things can help leave a balanced life stop pursuing extremes whenever you go to the extremes of anything you're setting yourself up again for a very unstable life and for a life that becomes more susceptible to taking some of these very permanent decisions like like committing suicide now the next one I want to speak on and this one is extremely important especially for people in medicine is avoid the quest for materialism avoid the quest for materialism let me tell you this the amount of stuff you have your level of achievement does not determine true does not give true happiness many people their level of happiness is determined entirely by how well they don't their US Emily exams by the rank in of the medical school they get into by the rank in of the residency program they're matching to don't do that to yourself I'm telling you this do not do that to yourself do not do that to yourself right even there's a verse of the bible that says that a man's life does not consist of their abundance of the things that he possesses many people are always chasing after stuff stuff stuff stuff well I want to have more stuff I want to have more stuff and to be honest with you you know I've not lived in the US all my life actually I've actually lived in Nigeria for way longer than I've lived in the US I lived in Nigeria for almost 20 years right and I've been able to compare the differences in livelihood between an impoverished country and a country that has many things right you see many people they have so much wealth they have so much of everything but they leave very sad lives but then you see people they have very little but man they are very

very happy right so what am I trying to see here you need to learn to be content you need to learn to be content you need to learn to be content you need to learn to be content even if you don't match at the cream della crop residency program it doesn't mean that you've become a failure don't let your definition of success be something you saw on social media don't let your definition of success be something that you saw on youtube or whatever no no many people define their successes by who I went I went to this top three medical school for for med school or I matched into the best residency program in this sunny part of America no that should not be your definition of success it should not be content because I'm telling you if you keep letting your definition of success be the stuff that you see out there you're going to live an extremely miserable life you're going to live an extremely miserable life an extremely miserable life right don't let your life be dictated by how much you have don't like just be content be content I'm telling you this even if you just have small would be grateful for that small live a life of content and mint live a life of thankfulness in fact journal like everyday make it a habit make it a habit or at least frequently write down the things you're thankful for I'm telling you this some of the things that people are very discontent with here in the US will be the answer to some people's prayers in Nigeria that's the truth right will be the answer to some people's prayers in Nigeria but many people are very discontent because you'll think that oh since America has so many things you have a healthcare system that works let me tell you this I've lived in situations in my life where for nine months there was no electricity literally no electricity literally no electricity I've lived in situations where for months on end to have water to drink t

o have water to bath after walk long distance to a well from a deep well draw some water point into a bucket make multiple trips so that my family can get showers right but you you live in a country where you turn on the tap it works you in fact to be honest with you when I move to the US for the first time and I turned on the electricity I'm like this thing works and then I noticed for the electricity didn't go out I was like are you serious right so be grateful be thankful regard I'm telling you this is not the amount of stuff you have that matters is the constitution of the individual be thankful for what you have be thankful be thankful even if things are not as great as you want them to be would be content be thankful I'm not saying this to say be content we made you crazy no you can shoot for the for better and better things would be thankful be content I'm telling you this if people are content because people always have this grass will be green on the other side mentality no be content if your content I promise you you have a much happier life you literally have a much happier life you literally have a much happier life and then I'm gonna say is don't be a person like avoid I don't know how to put this principle but okay maybe let me just describe it or let me just maybe state it like this avoid dopamine hits avoid dopamine hits the thing is many people's lives are now ruled by dopamine like literally the world's these short bursts of excitement right there's a reason right like there's this documentary I watched a few years ago or probably a few months ago called the social dilemma on Netflix it's a great documentary right and many people in this documentary report that create things like Facebook or the like button and whatnot and they make comments on how these things are designed to drive addiction right things are designed to drive addiction you see some

people their brains are completely dopamine regulated they literally cannot drop their phones for an hour and focus and concentrate right all those buzzes that you see on their phones those things are designed with intent because that constant oh you see that notification you see that like you see that retweet you see that this you see that thing it releases small microscopic amounts of dopamine you break right over time if your brain is trained like that you will then basically leave a life that is accustomed to I must get stimulated every time I must get stimulated every time to be honest with you that training raises an unstable mind right I believe there are studies out there that have shown that with the propagation of social media there's also been a propagation of mental health challenges amongst youths right so lencories you don't be a person that is dopamine regulated right let me tell you this stop seeking these shallow life experiences those things that just give you a quick hit a quick hit it's almost like a it's almost like digital like a digital drug like a digital addiction right oh you must get this hit this hit you must get your fix oh you must go to your dealer one of these social media channels to get your fix no that shouldn't be your life I'm telling you this your life will be shallow and you're literally damaging your mental health doing that again I'm I saying this to say that social media is bad no if used responsibly right that's why you see many people these days they don't seek out substantial things in life because their minds have been trained to seek this constant notification this constant this little little doses all the time of mental stimulation they never enjoying anything of substance they never enjoying anything of substance so their lives are always like highs lows highs lows highs lows highs lows there's no level or measure of st

ability right seek out substantial things seek out substantial things because it's almost like it has trained people's mind because they're like wow I'm getting this instant gratification instant gratification then people do not learn the importance of delaying gratification to get something good people are not willing to work long term on things to get the good final reward people are not willing to go through some 12 times and some adversity to get the good final reward in the end right so I'm encouraging you today seek out substance don't seek out these quick hits because these quick hits yes they are it's almost like the difference between like fast food and bone cooked food home cooked food it takes time to prepare what is just more nourishing is a lot healthier for you than the stuff you get oh just drive through pick it up boom be on your way yes it may be quick you may get this great feeling for a few minutes but you're gonna feel hungry right afterwards right so again don't be a dopamine-regulated human that that that's one thing I'm gonna try to I'm gonna try try to try to try to say right and again a person's age because I want to go ahead and wrap this up a person's age does not determine if they'll commit suicide or not right there are many people that are old right that commit suicide in fact right elderly white meals I think they have the highest risk group for committing suicide right the highest risk group for committing suicide right so again I because suicide is a very final thing right it's a very final thing and I I'm telling you this the person committing suicide is dealing with a lot of pain but the people that you're living behind are also gonna deal with him just on two amounts of pain or really a story yesterday about a person where the person's wife commits suicide how do you expect the wife how do you expect that person and the kids to be a

fterwards that's gonna be like a prominent scar in your heart right so I'm just really again hoping that this podcast drums of drums up conversation on on on this topic because again I feel like this is something that we just ignore in many circles that they should be disgusting we ignore the stuff in many circles that that they should be disgusting so please I'm just encouraging you support other people be your brother's keeper literally be your brother's keeper be be your brother's keeper because again I'm telling you this many people have lost their lives right any day that a person loses their life be be be because of suicide is a sad day is a sad day right is a sad day and for people in residency programs if you're program director that's listening to this if you're an attending that's listening to this if you're a resident that's listening to this create a good environment for the people around you create a non toxic environment right many times when you read about resident suicides and you hear about the state of those residency programs they are in you'll be like wow it's not a shocker that this person drove themselves to commit suicide because you've created a very very toxic work environment you've created like a crazy competitive work environment you've created a very judgmental environment you created an environment where people feel like they're failures where people feel like they're walking on excels every single moment no what is your glory if people feel like they're walking on excels every time that is not a good thing to do and to be honest with you many hospitals do this especially to IM Gs international medical graduates they try to create an uncomfortable environment because they know that oh this person knows if they screw up well they goes they have visa they're going back to their home country don't do that don't do that be your brother's keepe

r the bible says love your niebras you love yourself right treat others the way you want to be treated don't be an evil person create a comfortable environment let people feel at home i'm telling you this if you create a situation or a circumstance when an environment where people feel at home they will work more effectively they won't be driven to making these kinds of prominent decisions and let me tell you this when people commit suicide it affects poorly on your program right so take your of your residence i'm telling you if you take good care of your residence you you you may you're playing the longer game you're playing the longer game you'll be blessed yourself and those people and your families will be blessed if you have a happy resident they will work hard i'm telling you this right but if you're like no i'm most money to lead them i'm most hold your feet to the fire i'm telling you this you're not raising quality people you're not you're not they are certain disciplines that feel that oh we must put these people's feet to the fire you don't have to do that i'm telling you this you can raise quality people without destroying them check some other countries in the world that don't have this hyper competitive that have medical systems that don't have this hyper competitive mindset i want to tell you this many of those countries have far better educational systems and far better healthcare systems than what exists in the US what you don't kill people have your edit right so again i mean just i'm just encouraging you like create a good environment it's it starts one person at a time it starts one person at a time you that are a resident teach treat your juniors with love and respect create a comfortable environment for them again the fact that you're creating a comfortable environment does not mean that you cannot create a disciplined environment you can discipl

ine we can do it in love you can do it in love so again i really really hope that people take this conversation to heart because i'm telling you it's really sad with the number of people that perish because of suicide every single day in the US but especially in healthcare so i really hope that this kind of drums up conversation and again i hope that people find this to be to be helpful um and again these podcasts are on the major apps as i conclude you know apple google and spotify i have a youtube channel divine intervention usimilia podcasts and videos where i post the videos that i make and then i have another website called divine intervention life lessons calm um there's actually an apple podcast associated with it called divine the divine intervention life lessons podcasts and basically what i do is i upload two podcasts every week in fact i think i just uploaded episode 191 and from a biblical perspective i address a life lesson i just think okay what's a common problem affecting humanity and then i try to address it from a biblical perspective and then i offer review courses for all the usimilia exams offer a bio stats class social sciences quality improvement class and ethics class um offer a testing strategies class many people have taken these classes and found them to be helpful i also help with earless applications and with one or one two different so if you're interested in any of these i'll just shoot me an email and i'll point you in the right direction so thank you for listening to me again please be your brother's keeper i guess think of this podcast as a big life lesson podcast but again please be your brother's keeper it's really really important please let's support each other um we don't have to keep losing our healthcare workers to to suicide so until the next episode have a wonderful weekend uh god bless you and bye for now thank you

Feeling "empty" or worthless, which can be driven by social media comparison rather than just depression.

Call a suicide hotline (e.g., 988) immediately; remember that it is not the only option available.

Patience and calmness; tough times will come, but they are temporary and manageable.

Be "missional"—have a plan for your day/life and ensure your life is not entirely wrapped up in one single pursuit (e.g., medicine).

Family and true, substantial in-person friendships, rather than online connections.

Taking permanent actions based on temporary circumstances or high emotional distress (impulsive action).

Feeling emptiness and worthlessness; comparing one's reality to others' curated "best lives."

Strive for balance (moderation); avoiding extremes in life prevents an unstable emotional state susceptible to crisis.

Family and real-life relationships; these are the anchors that remain when professional or academic structures fail.

Seeking constant, quick "hits" (like notifications/social media) trains the mind for instant gratification, leading to an inability to enjoy substantial, long-term rewards.

Do not let success be defined solely by external metrics like USMLE scores or residency rank; focus on contentment and gratitude.

Take a step back, wait out the storm, and avoid making permanent decisions based on temporary emotional highs/lows.

Feeling emptiness and worthlessness; comparing one's reality to others' curated "best lives."

Strive for balance (moderation); avoiding extremes in life prevents an unstable emotional state susceptible to crisis.

Family and real-life relationships; these are the anchors that remain when professional or academic structures fail.

Seeking constant, quick "hits" (like notifications/social media) trains the mind for instant gratification, leading to an inability to enjoy substantial, long-term rewards.

Do not let success be defined solely by external metrics like USMLE scores or residency rank; focus on contentment and gratitude.

Take a step back, wait out the storm, and avoid making permanent decisions based on temporary emotional highs/lows.