A physician shares the darkest depths of his depression, suicidal ideation, addiction, and the important lessons he learned through years of personal recovery.
Pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician Dr. Adam B. Hill suffered despair and disillusionment with the culture of medicine, culminating in a spiral of depression, alcoholism, and an active suicidal plan. Then while in recovery from active addiction, he lost a colleague to suicide, further revealing the extent of the secrecy and broken systems contributing to an epidemic of professional distress within the medical field. By sharing his harrowing story, Dr. Hill helps identify the barriers and obstacles standing in the way of mental health recovery, while pleading for a revolutionary new approach to how we treat individuals in substance use recovery. In fighting stereotypes/stigma and teaching vulnerability, compassion, and empathy, Hills work is being lauded as a road map for better practices at a time when medical professionals around the world are struggling in silence.
A physician shares the darkest depths of his depression, suicidal ideation, addiction, and the important lessons he learned through years of personal recovery.
Preface |
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Chapter One Beginning of the End |
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1 | (4) |
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5 | (10) |
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Chapter Three Becoming a Bulldog |
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15 | (10) |
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Chapter Four A Medical Education |
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25 | (8) |
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Chapter Five Taking Up Residency |
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33 | (8) |
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41 | (16) |
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Chapter Seven Into the Woods |
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57 | (10) |
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67 | (16) |
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Chapter Nine The Prodigal Son |
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83 | (12) |
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Chapter Ten Learning to Take Care of Myself |
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95 | (16) |
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Chapter Eleven Stereotyping and the Importance of Individual Stories |
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111 | (10) |
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Chapter Twelve Standing Up to Stigma |
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121 | (12) |
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Chapter Thirteen The Vulnerability to Create Honest Conversations |
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133 | (14) |
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Chapter Fourteen Healing with the Art of Empathy |
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147 | (18) |
Acknowledgments |
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165 | (2) |
Notes |
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167 | |
Dr Adam B. Hill is the division chief of pediatric palliative care at Riley Hospital for Children. Dr. Hill is graduate of Butler University for his undergraduate work and Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSOM). He completed his pediatric residency training at St. Louis University, a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Duke University and a palliative medicine fellowship at Indiana University. His work in palliative care is focused on allowing patients to live the best quality of life possible, in the midst of chronic, life-limiting and/or life threatening medical conditions. In addition, he works with colleagues on debriefing clinical work to decrease caregiver distress by finding meaning and purpose in the work and is the founder/director of Compassion Rounds at Riley Hospital for Children, a town hall humanities based forum to process human emotions in healthcare.
Dr Hill has a passion for international medical work, with opportunities to work in Kenya, Belize, Mexico and Tanzania over the past decade. Dr. Hill also serves as the medical director for Camp Little Red door, a week long, full immersion summer camp for children/siblings living with cancer.
Finally, Dr. Hill is passionate about physician wellness and self-care in the context of changing the culture of medicine surrounding mental health conditions and addiction. In 2017, Dr. Hill published a groundbreaking New England Journal of Medicine articled titled Breaking the Stigma: A Physicians Perspective on Self- Care and Recovery. In this article and his lectures, Dr. Hill shares his own story of personal recovery from depression and substance use. As a result, Dr. Hill has become a national recognized lecturer on the topic, including an upcoming book publication with Central Recovery Press entitled Long Walk Out of the Woods: Lessons from a Physicians Addiction Recovery, to be published in February 2020.