Depression as a Red Flag

Having thrived first as a medical student at St. George’s University, and now as a psychiatry resident at Cooper University Hospital, Garret Rossi know swhat it takes to be a compassionate, fun, and indispensable member of a treatment team. Garret graduated medical school magna cum ladude and received his first choice for residency. Garret is published author of several articles in peer viewed journals. Garret is the YouTube creator of Psychiatry and Me. an educational channel that brings attention to the world of psychiatry. Connect with Gary at https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/garrett-rossi-98abb3119/

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Most people believe that medicine is a calling, and there is some deep seeded desire within every physician to help people in their most vulnerable state. When it comes to choosing psychiatry as a specialty the above statement is equally true. There is no better way to understand psychiatric disease then to have either struggled with one yourself or had someone close to you struggle with a psychiatric disease. What better way is there to demonstrate empathy in your patient interactions then to have actually been in the same position. We often make statements in patient interactions such as “I understand how hard that must have been for you” without any real perspective on what it’s like to walk in that patient’s shoes. For me the qualities that separate good clinicians from average clinicians is not fancy names on your diploma, but life experience with illness. There is a substance use counselor that I work with and what allows him to impact his patient’s lives is not his knowledge on counseling techniques, but the life experience of being addicted to substances. The connection, and trust you build with patients when they know you walked the same path is more valuable than any medication or therapy technique. However, when I was applying to residency I was told not to talk about my personal struggle with depression as it would be seen as a red flag. 

The very thing that I felt gave me a unique, and powerful perspective on psychiatric disorders I was unable to talk about because it would be considered a red flag on my application. From any early age I knew both my parents struggled at times with depression. It never prevented them from caring for me, or making a living to support the family, but I always felt it held them back from achieving some of their goals. From a young age I knew that I too viewed the world through the lens of depression. My mind just seemed to be attracted to negative aspects of life, always seeing the glass as half empty. I’m sure my experience was multifactorial, there was the biological component, the environmental component growing up in a house with depressed parents, and the social component. I always wanted to contribute value to the world in a meaningful way, yet it seemed like the depression always got in the way. I spent most of my adolescence adding far less value to the world then I could have. Like many other people in my position I was reluctant to seek professional help. I think part of it was the stigma of mental health treatment, but the other part was related to previous experience with therapists. I remember one instance where I went so see a highly regarded psychologist and just feeling like I could not vibe with the guy. I didn’t get the sense that this highly trained, and well qualified person had any clue what my experience was like. After a few months of unproductive therapy sessions, I terminated the relationship. At that point I knew if I wanted to achieve my dreams I was going to have figure things out for myself. That day I took the first step on the long road towards a medical degree, even if I didn’t know it at the time. I dedicated my life to learning everything I could about psychology, psychiatry, and biology. I read until I couldn’t read anymore, I learned about new techniques, and implemented them in my life, constantly testing and adjusting my methods based on feedback. As my life improved, and my own thought process changed, I fell in love with the idea of sharing these things with others. I love setting goals for myself and throughout the year I make lists to things I want to achieve in all aspects of my life. When I was applying to medical school, I remember writing a list of specialties I was How Illness Influenced My Medical Career | Garrett Rossi interested in. At the top of the list was psychiatry. I suppose some part of me always knew psychiatry would be the place where I would contribute the most value.

I did leave this story out of my personal statement, and interviews during the residency application process, but I still felt that it was the driving force behind my choice of specialty. That experience also taught me that I have a lot of work to do with respect to destigmatizing psychiatric disorders and mental health treatment. It’s perfectly reasonable to write about physical illness in a personal statement, but mental disorders are taboo. I’m dedicated to bringing a new generation of psychiatric providers prepared to meet the demands of our patient population. What separates me from most other clinicians in psychiatry is I know what it’s like to walk a mile in my patient’s shoes. Not everyone is able to make such a bold statement.