Jaiden Cole-Miskel MD

I wasn't going to post today, but I had to get this off my chest.

I received a comment yesterday from a guy that asked whether the right type of people are entering the healthcare profession and whether those entering need to be stronger, and that's why the suicide rates are so high.

There was no ill intent behind his comment, he simply asked a question and I'm glad he did. I've encountered people in the past that have assumed that those that suffer are weak.

I cannot stress this enough, especially during mental health awareness month but burnout that leads to suicide has nothing to do with weakness.

You cannot mentally overcome:

- Long shifts
- Minimal sleep
- Poor eating habits
- Lack of social health
- Missing family events
- Regular bullying and hazing
- Constant stress and pressure

Even the strongest people I know will break under those conditions.

And let me be clear, this is relatable to any industry.

If you're overworked, not sleeping, stressed, and overwhelmed, it is going to take a toll on your physical and mental health, no matter how tough you are.

The solution is not to try and make people 'stronger' but to focus on the imbalances that lead to physical and mental health issues in the first place.

To raise awareness and focus on prevention rather than cure.

Remember, sleep deprivation by itself is a form of torture.

We cannot blame individuals for suffering in environments that are intended to break them.

We should focus on the bigger picture instead.

🥦

#mentalhealthawarenessmonth

Medical school was 4 years of torture.

But if I'm being honest, at the time I believed it was the gateway to approval from others.

I went through hell and back. 3 people believed in me. Everyone else told me I would fail.

When I became a doctor, I expected something to change. I thought the suffering would mean approval. But nothing really changed. Actually it got worse. The people I wanted approval from hardly spoke to me. Some completely cut me off. The suffering also got worse because after medical school came the…

- Chronic sleep deprivation
- Relentless overwork
- Hazing

I had colleagues silently suffering with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

So why don’t we quit?

Because when you’ve spent over a decade sacrificing yourself for validation, walking away feels like betrayal.

Because when you’ve poured your life into a system designed to break you, quitting feels like failure.

Because many of us aren’t chasing dreams. We’re chasing approval.

From parents. From society. From ourselves.

And this transcends the world of medicine. This relates to all of us.

We cling to careers, identities, and relationships that are silently crushing us because we’re terrified of what it means to stop. We slowly neglect our mental health in exchange for “adoration.“

Mental Health Awareness Month may be ending in 3 days.

But your awareness shouldn’t.

Because knowing why you suffer is the first step toward choosing peace over pain.

🥦

P.S. This is NOT my current reality. I am very much happy and at peace. This is something I went through as a young doctor and I know many others can resonate with this. So, if this posts relates to you then this one is for you.

#mentalhealthawarenessmonth