I love jewelry. Who doesn’t? But I’m ambivalent about bedecking myself, as that draws attention. While that reticence is my natural inclination, it’s also been reinforced by my work as a therapist psychiatrist. When I was in training, I was taught the following.

You are in the relationship to be of service to the patient. The focus should always be on them, not you.

Dress neutrally, to visually emphasize that the relationship is professional, not personal. You are not dressing to enhance your attractiveness. You are dressing to emphasize your function.         

Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been all about making public, in a spirit of advocacy, the many, many challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions.

But there’s not much out there about the working and personal lives of mental health providers. And what there is, is inaccurate, being based on fiction, such as the television sitcom Frasier. Let me make you aware of what my life as a psychiatrist is like.

Let me make you aware of what my life as a psychiatrist is like.