Jan. 20, 2020
Adam Hill;A Physician's Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery
A pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician, Dr. Adam B. Hill, shares the darkest depths of his depression, suicidal ideation, addiction, and the important lessons he learned through years of personal recovery.
While in recovery from active addiction, Dr. Hill reflects on his history of depression, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, and the important lessons it has for the medical community about self-care, stereotyping, stigma, vulnerability, professionalism, patient safety, and support. He uses this wisdom to provide a prescriptive model for best practices to avoid burnout. Dr. 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.