199: Stigma of Mental Health with Dr. Lynette Charity
We’re doctors. We should be the first to realize and understand that we’re dealing with mental health issues and how to treat them right? Wrong. Many times we are struggling with things but because there is no safe space to talk about them, our issues become worse rather than better.
Dr. Lynette Charity has been there and she’s not going back. She grew up in the segregated south, watched a car hit and killed her sister, dealt with bullying and posturing, and through it all made her dream of becoming a doctor come true. Why then did she find herself at 60 years old feeling like she’d missed something?
She struggled with depression and anxiety given her history and one day felt like it was all too much. The voices in her head were telling her that she wasn’t enough. Not a good enough doctor, parent, wife, daughter, etc., and that she should just end her own pain.
Thankfully her husband found her before she could do anything that would have taken her from this world, but even after that episode, she was scared to continue treatment. There is a stigma around mental health, not just in the medical field, but in general.
Once you’ve been labeled as mentally unfit, you never go back to being “normal.” Listen as Dr. Charity and I discuss her story and why comedy has become the light in her world. She is an amazing storyteller and has a powerful message to share.
If you’ve felt the niggling of depression or burn out, seek help. Don’t stay in a place of darkness out of fear!
In this episode:
[01:26] Welcome back to the show, Dr. Charity!
[02:06] Dr. Charity shares her background in healthcare and why she got fired.
[06:43] Listen, as Dr. Charity speaks about wanting to be a stand-up comedian and how her love of humor got her where she is today.
[08:02] Dr. Charity discusses getting a coach, and the coach suggested that she become a speaker and add humor.
[12:10] Dr. Charity speaks on physician burnout, depression, and suicide.
[14:29] A doctor feels like they need to be perfect, and they can’t talk about being depressed or burned out.
[16:30] Dr. Charity discusses a ted talk she did called Heal the Healers; it was about her journey of getting psychiatric help.
[19:05] Errin shares that this is not an unusual story. You are not alone.
[20:12] Listen, as Dr. Charity speaks about when she realized she needed to get help.
[25:02] Dr. Charity shares that she had voices telling her she wasn’t a good doctor or mother and that she should die, and she attempted suicide.
[30:34] Listen as Dr. Charity gives advice and says you can’t help anyone until you help yourself first.
[32:11] Dr. Charity shares that she is reinventing herself and will start coaching people who want to become speakers.
[33:44] Thank you so much for being on the show!
[34:31] Errin gives the listeners a kick of encouragement.
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