Working in a hospital without getting depressed

People often ask me: “How do you work in a hospital everyday and not get depressed?” That is a good question. Most people hate hospitals. And there certainly are many sad things that I see on a daily basis. Whether it is someone who is paralyzed, amputated, terminally ill, disfigured, dying of AIDS, or permanently disabled from a stroke or traumatic brain injury, I see something sad every single day.

I deal with the sadness in two ways. The first is that I feel I am doing something to impact people’s lives in a positive way. I will never forget a patient I had earlier this year who was quite young, yet terminally ill. I had done a mental status examination on her and as I was walking out of the room, she asked me, “How can you help me deal with this?”

Although supportive therapy was not the reason I was consulted, I discussed some ways for her to cope with a very dire situation. I reminded her about the positive things she had done in her life and how she had made a difference to others in her line of work and as a mother. She seemed relieved when I left. Sadly, she died the next day from her illness. However, I felt happy that I had made a small, yet positive impact in her life, and that helps me carry on.

The second way I cope with what I see each day is by reminding myself how lucky I am to be healthy. Whenever stressful things happen to me, I try to think back to what I see each day and remind myself that my problems pale in comparison to those of many people. The average person would benefit by reminding him/herself of this fact every day.