DO will explore the stigma of mental illness in the medical profession in upcoming webinar

Michael Foti, DO, was in the thick of his intern year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S.

“I faced immense challenges in a chaotic atmosphere akin to a war zone,” he says. “Around the same time, my mother passed away suddenly, two weeks following her diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer.”

After Dr. Foti finished residency and became an attending, the unresolved emotional trauma from his intern year came back to haunt him. He suffered in silence for months before seeking help, as he was worried about the impact getting professional help might have on his career. He is now a passionate advocate for mental health support in the medical community.

Addressing the stigma

In a Sept. 10 American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) webinar at 7 p.m. CT, Dr. Foti will discuss the root causes of the stigma of mental illness in medicine and how to address it at the individual and systemic levels.

The webinar costs $60 for AOA members and $85 for nonmembers. Participants can earn 1 AOA Category 1-A credit.

Dr. Foti, an internal medicine physician and clinical assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, is also the author of “GRIEF: A Doctor’s Battle with Anxiety and Depression,” a memoir of his experiences with mental illness and healing.

“My book is for all those suffering in silence,” he says. “I had to empower others to get help. I know the help I received saved my life.”

Dr. Foti says his best advice for physicians struggling with mental illness is to seek help.

“It is not at all a weakness to get the help you need, and rather it is the strongest thing you’ll ever do,” he says. “There is no health without mental health.”

How to support physicians

In the webinar, Dr. Foti will share strategies to prevent physician burnout and support physician mental health—strategies that can be implemented at the individual and systemic levels. He will also discuss the most critical changes institutions can make to better support physicians.

“Health care facilities and medical education institutions need to begin campaigning on mental health to help erase the stigma and empower our health workforce to get the help they need,” he says.

Dr. Foti also believes medical schools need to move toward a tuition-free model.

“This would relieve a huge burden on our health care heroes who are performing an immense public service,” he says, noting that having less debt would also enable physicians to seek out jobs that allow them to have a better work-life balance, which would also help prevent burnout and promote mental health.

Register for Dr. Foti’s webinar on the AOA Online Learning website.