Based on what we know right now, the US Supreme Court is poised to overturn 

, which allowed a patient and her doctor to make decisions about an abortion. According to the leaked initial draft abortion opinion, the states will decide,

 which likely means that some states will not allow abortion. Other states may allow exceptions for rape and incest. To me, it feels like the Supreme Court burst into the examination room and sat between the patient and her doctor. This is an intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship.

The Supreme Court may not know women who have serious mental illness such as borderline personality disorder, rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, or treatment-refractory depression. However, these disorders are important to consider when deciding to bring a child into the world. This decision takes the doctor completely out of the picture and forces the woman with a disability, with a chronic mental illness, or in poverty to follow the law or else.

Particularly for women with serious mental illness, 9 months is a long time. Many must take medications, and these may have an adverse effect on the pregnancy. They also often experience morning sickness, which will have an impact on the level of psychiatric medication and may result in an increase in symptoms. For example, when my patients with bipolar disorder begin to sleep less, the concern is that this may be the beginning of a significant increase in symptoms.

 It can be very difficult to sleep in pregnancy depending on how much the baby is moving, along with various other issues such as frequent urination and back pain.

 In addition, many chronically ill patients have symptoms even when they are appropriately treated on medications. Pregnancy can also be frightening; there are lots of sensations and discomforts that are not always easy to manage.

 All of this may result in patients needing to be hospitalized to keep them safe during this very challenging time.

With incredible support and resources, having a baby can be a very special experience. For example, I treated a young couple who both had serious mental illness. They married and were very excited about having a child. Both the husband’s and the wife’s parents came to the appointment, and the decision was made that the parents of the couple would lend incredible support. Both moms agreed to be available to go to all appointments and to handle calls if the couple was concerned. The moms also agreed to take turns staying with the couple after the baby was born, because babies do not sleep through the night. Despite this consistent support, there were a few emergency room visits and lots of doctor visits with medication adjustments. In the end, the couple moved in with one of the parents when the baby arrived.

Not all women have this level of support, however—especially now that 1 million individuals have died of COVID-19 in the United States.

 Some young women have lost partners, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents—the support system of other individuals in their family who could have helped them with a new baby. Without a support system to help, having a new baby can be a very trying experience, particularly for women with serious mental illness.

 decided that a woman and her doctor had the right to make this decision about an abortion—a clinical decision that would take into account the patient’s entire medical and mental health history. Now, 50 years later, the Supreme Court is set to overturn 

 removing the doctor completely from the equation and putting the states in charge of an important medical decision. Not only does this undermine the doctor-patient relationship, but will also have a particularly negative impact on patients with serious mental illness.

is a practicing psychiatrist in Atlanta, Georgia.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of

1. Gerstein J, Ward A. Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows. 

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473

2. Jones I, Chandra PS, Dazzan P, Howard LM. 

Bipolar disorder, affective psychosis, and schizophrenia in pregnancy and the post-partum period

Maternal infanticide associated with mental illness: prevention and the promise of saved lives

Sexuality, pregnancy, and childrearing among women with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

5. Chuck E, Siemaszko C. Covid’s toll in the U.S. reaches a once unfathomable number: 1 million deaths. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/covids-toll-us-reaches-1-million-deaths-unfathomable-number-rcna22105

Articles

If Roe v Wade is overturned, how will patients with serious mental illness be affected?

 The Vanishing White Coat

If you are attending the American Psychiatric Association’s 2022 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, be sure to visit 

™in the Exhibit Hall! We will be at Booth #1852. Our esteemed Editor-In-Chief—John J. Miller, MD—will be holding office hours at the booth on Monday from 12PM to 2PM. You also have a chance to appear on the front cover of 

™ Editorial Board presenting at these exciting sessions:

The Intersection of Arts, Humanities, and Psychiatry

Saturday, May 21 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

: What’s New and Why Clinicians Should Care

The Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project at the Harvard South Shore Program: 2021 Update on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Saturday, May 21 at 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Psychotherapy for Addiction in a COVID World: Theory and Practice

Monday, May 23 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

Meaning-Making, Transformation, and Structural Racism: Global Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tuesday, May 24 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

Focus Live! Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of American Psychiatry: Meeting the Demands of Climate Change

We are looking forward to seeing each and every one of you! Send any session comments and write ups to 

Are you attending APA’s 2022 Annual Meeting in New Orleans? Don’t miss us! 

Catch Us at Booth 1852

a coaching and consulting psychiatrist, is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction medicine, and coaching (BCC). He launched 

after 8 years directing Physician Health Services, Inc. On the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, he is a consultant in psychiatry in the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse of McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Mark Twain fully grasped the folly of youth. He contrasted it with the humility that comes with experience in this memorable observation: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in 7 years.” Tongue firmly in cheek, Twain is commenting that the aging process teaches us how little we really know.

Since I started medical school in 1977, we have witnessed dramatic advances in our understanding of neuroscience, psychopathology, and numerous psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment modalities. As the knowledge base of biological psychiatry has become more robust, a growing body of psychotherapy outcomes research has had a dramatic impact on the work lives of most American psychiatrists. Time-limited therapies were shown to be as effective as open-ended, longer-term psychotherapies. We also learned that mental health professionals who had not attended medical school were able to assist emotionally distressed patients as effectively as, and sometimes more effectively than, psychiatrists. As we became more biological in our orientation, episodes of care got shorter and shorter. At times, the assembly line moves too quickly and the flames and smoke of burnout may singe and choke us if we do not effectively balance caring for ourselves with caring for others.

With 1 eye on the patients and another on ourselves, we are also paying more attention, as we must, to the larger social picture. As I watched addiction psychiatry come together as a central psychiatric subspecialty that exemplifies the wisdom and intellectual vigor of our biopsychosocial orientation, we have all witnessed the limitations of a 

approach that ignores the socioeconomic determinants of mental health. Alas, the opioid epidemic rages on. Mental health parity is incomplete. Universal access to adequate care is not a reality. Far too many Americans with chronic psychiatric conditions are receiving care in the criminal justice system.

™, I hope to partner with you—psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners in different practice settings—to move the field forward. How do we leverage our knowledge and skills to optimize the biopsychosocial well-being of our patients and their families? How do we partner most effectively with our colleagues in other medical and mental health specialties? As stakeholders in a needlessly complex patchwork quilt of orthogonal health plans and reimbursement systems, what can we do about the vexing administrative complexities that interfere with patient outcomes and effective care coordination?

Although our field is atomized into many subspecialty areas, most of our patients experience challenges that cut across our categorical approach to psychopathology. Personally, I like nothing more than leaning into the complexity of patients with complicated presentations. I am currently treating 2 individuals with significant cooccurring anxiety, substance use, and personality disorders. In 1 case, I function as an integrative psychiatrist delivering all necessary care. In the other case, I am one of 3 mental health professionals working with the patient on a weekly basis, but the only psychiatrist. It is not simple figuring out how and when to flex ourselves—sometimes as a 1-person band, other times as a member, or conductor, of a small interdisciplinary collaborative group.

Thankfully, my career experiences have been rich and varied. I invite you to reach out to me through 

™ with questions or concerns regarding the following subject areas:

 What are the best protective strategies for us and our colleagues? How can we sort out the overlap between burnout and depressive disorders?

 What are the pros and cons of (1) different institutional practice settings, (2) subspecialty training and practice, and (3) private practice? What is the role of mentorship in developing your career?

 Is coaching the new psychotherapy? Should psychiatry embrace coaching or shun this nonspecific discipline that has been defined as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential (

Health professional health and well-being: 

How does the psychiatric treatment of independently licensed health care providers and other safety-sensitive professionals (eg, aviation, transportation) differ from the usual and customary care we provide to other patients? How do we respect patient confidentiality while ensuring the safety of the public?

Integrating medical and mental health care: 

What practice settings are most amenable to integrated and colocated mental health care? What are our options when patients constrain us from communicating with clinicians from other specialties?

What are the pros and cons of integrated care versus split treatment—from the perspective of the patient, the organization, the bottom line, and the job satisfaction of different professional disciplines?

 How can frontline mental health professionals develop their leadership skills and gain experience in mid-level and high-level leadership roles? How can we best leverage our understanding of human behavior as emerging leaders?

How can we use motivational interviewing to assist chronically mentally ill individuals who struggle with acceptance and compliance? What are the limitations of motivational interviewing in working with some communities and populations?

Problematic workplace behavior in medical and mental health settings: 

What is the role of psychiatry in assessing and treating health professionals who show up at work with “rough edges”? How can we effectively address a colleague’s problematic behavior in a mental health setting?

Psychiatric supervision of nonphysicians, residents, and colleagues: 

When it comes to supervision, what best practices and pitfalls should we keep in mind?

What do spirituality-informed psychiatric assessment and treatment look like? How do our own spiritual/religious histories and practices enhance or interfere with our care of patients?

 in psychiatric patients; addiction medicine; and addiction psychiatry:

 What advice should we be giving patients without substance use disorders about their use of legal and illicit psychoactive substances? As the general subspecialty of addiction medicine grows, what is happening to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology subspecialty of addiction psychiatry, and where do we go from here?

Traditional psychotherapy and psychiatry: 

Should all psychiatrists possess knowledge, skills, and experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy? What training and skills in nonpsychodynamic psychotherapies are essential for the practicing psychiatrist?

I look forward to contributing pieces on these and other matters in forthcoming issues of 

™. Just as I endeavor to be patient centered and client centered as a physician and coach, my goal here at 

™ is to be reader centered and learner centered. I look forward to hearing from you.

is a coaching and consulting psychiatrist, and is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction medicine, and coaching (BCC). He launched 

 after 8 years directing Physician Health Services, Inc. Dr Adelman is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and serves a consultant in psychiatry in the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse of McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He serves as 

How can we—psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners—work together to move the psychiatric field forward?

Astonished by How Much There Still Is to Learn and Do

Wandering the Wilderness

Slideshows

MAD Arts features works by artists recovering from mental illness in special exhibition in partnership with National Art Exhibitions of the Mentally Ill.

 is an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry. A prolific writer and speaker, he received the one-time designation of Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association in 2002. To create a better world, he is an advocate for treating mental health issues related to climate instability, burnout, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism. He serves on the Editorial Board of

The origin of the phrase “trust but verify” is actually the translation of an old Russian proverb, “doveryai no proveryai.” In a boomerang communication, President Reagan used it in 1987 after the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union.

Is COVID-19 the Quintessential Neuropsychiatric Disorder?

Possible Psychiatric Solutions to Reduce Harmful Hate After the Buffalo Killings

Now, we see Russia invade its neighbor Ukraine, and Finland hedge its trust of Russia by declaring that it wants to join NATO. Russia is responding with reducing the electricity it supplies to Finland.

What will this decision do to Finland’s happiness? According to the annual United Nations World Happiness Report, released last month, Finland won for the 5th year in a row with its highest margin yet.

 The key factor? Perhaps that Finland also has among the world’s highest levels of trust among people.

The United States this year ranks 16th. I suppose that with our increasingly intense divisiveness and mass shootings, trust in the United States is decreasing, at least outside of one’s “tribe.”

Trust also has practical health implications. Australia, most similar to the United States in terms of cultures and government, has a reputed much higher level of trust in each other and their government than we do, which is sometimes used as an explanation as to why Australian has the population equivalent of 100,000 COVID-19 deaths compared to our 1 million.

Various factors may be responsible for the connection of trust and happiness. You assume the goodwill of others in day-to-day life, instead of being suspicious. Crime is less of a concern. The government is viewed as benevolent and provider of valuable services. Trust is also associated with less inequity.

Perhaps even the extensive Finland use of the sauna helps, too. Finland has about 1 sauna for every 2 people and a third of all the saunas in the world. The sauna aids relaxation and provides healing. Even the Finnish parliament has its own sauna where it holds informal meetings, with the rationale being that when business suits are traded for swimsuits, hierarchies melt away.

Although large tech companies in the United States provide many amenities for workers, I have not heard if saunas are one of them. It seems that burning up in a workplace sauna for 10 to 20 minutes may help to reduce burning out at work.

is an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry. A prolific writer and speaker, he received the one-time designation of Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association in 2002. He is an advocate for mental health issues relate to climate instability, burnout, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism for a better world. He serves on the Editorial Board of

1. Helliwell JF, Layard R, Sachs JD, et al, eds. 

 Sustainable Development Solutions Network; 2022.

Trust in the World’s Happiest Country

is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for

I hope for justice even when the arc bends toward injustice.

I hope for equity even when inequity is visible.

I hope for inclusion even when exclusion prevails.

I hope in God even when humanity feels deflated.

What do you do when there seems to be too much sorrow and hate in the world? One psychiatrist answers, "I hope..."

I Hope

At this year’s American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, council representatives will host a session titled “

Youth Cyberbullying: Sticks and Stone May Break Bones, But Cyberbullying Can Shred Souls

.” During the session, attendees will learn the key differences between bullying and cyberbullying and their impact on youth mental health; how to prioritize and address young patients’ social media use; how to screen for victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying; and tips for counseling patients and their caretakers about risks of cyberbullying. The session is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, at 10:30am.

 graduated from University of Florida General Psychiatry Residency in March and will start Geriatric Fellowship in July 2022. She is currently employed by the University of Florida, Department of Psychiatry, as a researcher. 

 is clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and supervising psychiatrist at the Union Settlement. She is the chair of the APA Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families. 

 is employed by Sea Mar Community Center in Washington and is a clinical instructor at the University of Washington in Seattle. 

 (presenter) is program director of the psychiatry residency program at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, California. He does contract services through County of Orange. 

 (presenter) is associate clinical professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, where she is the training director of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship and medical director of the child and adolescent outpatient services.

As the nation continues to grapple with the children’s mental health crisis, the American Psychiatric Association Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families is exploring the ways in which clinicians can best support their patients. 

The APA Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families Shares Important Information on Cyberbullying

According to the Physicians Foundation’s 2022 Survey of America’s Physicians, 8 in 10 physicians believe the United States cannot improve health outcomes or reduce health care costs without addressing social factors that affect patient health. Furthermore, although they are interested in addressing social drivers of health (SDOH) for patients, 61% of the 1502 surveyed physicians said they do not have the time or ability to do so effectively. The February 2022 survey examined the current impact of SDOH on physician practice, physician well-being, and their patients, as well as possible solutions needed to address the social factors.

“Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no question that physicians and patients have all been impacted, some worse than others. Part of what drives the scale of that impact is SDOH,” Physicians Foundation CEO Robert Seligson said in a news release. “The desire from physicians to properly address the SDOH is there. We need take the initiative to make changes, like screening patients to identify social needs and creating financial incentives to support physicians in addressing their patients’ unique needs.”

Also known as social determinants of health, SDOH include factors such socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, nutrition and food security, health care access, and social support networks.

The survey highlighted the resulting frustration of not being able to address SDOH for their patients. “[It] isn’t for lack of trying or effort—physicians face many barriers when addressing SDOH,” the Physicians Foundation report said. For instance, along with limited time, 84% of physicians said they have an insufficient workforce to navigate patients to community SDOH resources. Similarly, although there are some helpful resources to navigate SDOH factors, 77% of physicians reported community resources were not available, inadequate, or difficult to access, and 77% said there is inadequate information on how to access community resources.

The impact of SDOH challenges is very real, and not just for patients. More than half the physicians reported the challenges cause them stress on a daily or weekly basis. They cited factors such as existing payer reporting requirements taking time away from discussing patients SDOH (63%) and lack of reimbursement for screening or addressing SDOH (57%).

To make addressing SDOH easier for clinicians, the survey identified multiple policy steps that could improve patient health outcomes while ensuring high-quality, cost-efficient care. The top strategies were reimbursing physician-directed efforts to address SDOH (86%), incentivizing payers to invest in availability and quality of community resources to address patients’ SDOH (84%), and providing greater flexibility for Medicare Advantage to reimburse for addressing SDOH (81%).

“In 2021, The Physicians Foundation submitted the first-ever SDOH measures to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which are currently under consideration to be included in federal payment programs,” Seligson said in the news release. “If adopted, these measures might potentially impact reimbursements for physicians, as well as address SDOH in how our country pays for and delivers care to improve patient health.” ❒

8 in 10 physicians believe the United States cannot improve health outcomes or reduce health care costs without addressing social factors that affect patient health. 

Physicians Point to SDOH as Area of Improvement for Health Care

Two large Catholic parishes in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, decided to do something for Ukraine, touched by the suffering of individuals who share a common ancestry to many in this region. We explored contacts within our Catholic clergy and discovered Ukrainian nuns posted in Przemyśl, Poland, who were sending aid across the border. They shared a wish list of medical and surgical supplies that could not be obtained in parts of Ukraine. We assembled a network of volunteers from the United States and Europe for this “drop and go” mission designed for those who cannot miss their Monday-through-Friday job duties.

I decided to mobilize psychiatrists who could obtain the needed supplies, and my call to the American Association of Community Psychiatrists (AACP) yielded immediate support. Ana Turner, MD, and Kitty Leung, MD, from the University of Florida helped me collect 7 large, 50-pound packages full of pharma, foleys, chest seals, wound-clotting bandages, pediatric endotracheal tubes, syringes and needles, dissolvable sutures, and so much more. 

Organizing the day before, I search for Tinkerbell, a commodious suitcase sporting a subtle Disney logo, for one last ride. Tink had faithfully served her missions with the nonprofit, Brighton First, where I volunteer. Our teenage travel novices chucked her out of a trans-Siberian train car onto the nearby tracks during a chaotic unloading, while tardy trip members banged and bounced a fully engorged Tink as we raced to busses in Peru. Once I callously left her in peril in Swansea, Wales, causing her to collide with a bicyclist.

Tink had lost much of her charm over the 20 years she commanded our suitcase army. Covered with internal and external duct tape repairs, she must be dragged by her buttocks due to her missing top handle and single wheel. After a January 2022 adventure at the Haiti border, members of our team commented that Tinkerbell had been hospital material, but now she was on life support; I should pull the plug.

I wondered why I provided a stay of execution and stashed her in my garage. Much like the people struggling in Ukraine, Tinkerbell represented the best in humans, their struggles, their coping skills, and most importantly, their resilience. Throwing Tinkerbell in a dumpster seemed both heartless and irreverent.

Preparing for the journey, my decision became clear. I planned to leave Tinkerbell in Ukraine. My fantasy entailed her accompanying the doctors who sleep at the Polish convent as they journey daily to work in Ukraine. Like the mythical phoenix, Tinkerbell may rise again for future service, overcoming her many adversities and finding quality in her later life by experiencing empowering adventures while helping others. I identified with Tinkerbell and could relate to her struggles. Her base rest bar had partially ripped off, so I finished the amputation and covered that hole, along with a large dorsal rip above her front pocket, with packing tape. Tink was good to go.

Transportation Troubles and Rental Car Sleight of Hand: Saturday, April 2

In Krakow, we rendezvoused with another volunteer, Jenn, lugging 10 large containers of first aid supplies. She informed us that another volunteer, Luis, who had planned to stay and do construction, was stuck in Warsaw. Then she acknowledged a larger setback involving Jenn’s sister and brother-in-law who were driving from Nantes, France, with a flat carrier hauling IV Fluids and other heavy supplies not suitable for airlines. The car’s transmission breathed its last just as they arrived in Przemyśl. Jenn was now stranded without transport for her bags, and we lost our guide to the convent.

As my female elders always said, “Desperate times require desperate deeds.”

My rental car salesman absorbed my tale of woe as I asked to change to a humongous van. He had no larger options than the Volvo SUV and opinioned that no one else would either. Europeans do not like that kind of ride. As customers behind me started backing up, he requested that I move aside.

Successful psychiatric interventions involve reading people. Now I needed all my clinical skills to manage this crisis. Following a rental car or ticketing agent’s request to go to a help desk or step aside so they can help others beams you into a travel Twilight Zone described by one mentor as “where time ceases to exist and all hope dies.” Your leverage to have these public servants solve your dilemma is the sheer frustration you present as an obstruction to other commerce.

We verbally grappled back-and-forth, but he blinked first. Leaning over conspiratorially, he quietly intoned, “here is your solution, but you did not learn this from me. Your friend has no international driver’s license, but you have a large credit limit on your Visa card, right? So, you rent 2 cars as the primary driver and put her as a second driver on the smaller, less expensive car with full, no-questions-asked insurance coverage and a $2000 cash deposit. I will ‘accidentally’ leave her international driver’s license section blank.” Jenn and I took care of business.

With Kitty restraining all the containers in back and Ana acting as a sherpa with my outdated international Garman, we caravanned to Przemyśl, where we were greeted by the nuns who offered a wonderful meal of potato soup, squash stew, kolaches, and strong Polish coffee.

Despite our transportation delays, we delivered all the supplies but missed the opportunity to visit the “Romanian Café.” This tongue-in-cheek term described a 10-by-10 canopy tent just over the border in Ukraine that is managed by a selfless Romanian woman who prepares free takeout kielbasas for everyone traveling from Lviv. Showing both altruism and bravery, this single lady reaffirms to weary travelers that people are inherently good and want to help each other. We plan to see the café on our next trip in May 2022.

Reflections on a Quick Turn-Around Service Model: Sunday, April 3

This strategy presents a way to make a small yet significant difference in Ukraine. We 3 AACP psychiatrists may be the bag handlers, but this mission was made possible with the support of many physicians who remained at home.

When faced with senseless violence in a distant, war-torn place, our actions help our colleagues on the medical frontlines and involve items hospitals cannot find even if they have monetary donations. Maybe others could try this model and use our psychiatric skills by finagling donations from reluctant hospital systems or cajoling overworked rental car agents. Many readers may discover medical or religious contacts in Ukraine, as we did, who could benefit from our help.

As I left the convent to return to my life in the United States, I spied Tink in the entrance hall packed for the next day amidst all the pallets of donated supplies. She was still standing guard and waiting for her next adventure.

 practices psychiatry in 2 rural counties in Western Pennsylvania.

“When faced with senseless violence in a distant, war-torn place, our actions help our colleagues on the medical front lines.”

Assisting Ukraine With Tinkerbell and Friends

at Walpole. And I forgot him for thirty years

until his obit appeared in today’s paper,

but I know he’s gone, and after an hour

I know I’ll never learn how he healed –

has been writing a poem about his experience of being a doctor every month for the past 24 years in

in a column called “Poetry of the Times.” He is instructor in psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts. His latest book is 