Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training

In "Committed," psychiatrist Adam Stern recalls his years as a trainee in Harvard's residency program. He explains that he chose this specialty to help those with mental health issues "find and become the best version of themselves." His goal was to master techniques for giving "people a push forward when they're stagnating and to catch them when they're falling." One crucial lesson he learned is the importance of seeking counsel and support from one's instructors and colleagues. Adam sums this idea up beautifully when he writes, "We're more capable together than we are apart."

In this fascinating, humorous, and entertaining book, the self-deprecating Stern expresses his incredulity that he, a graduate of a state medical school, landed show more a coveted spot in Harvard's residency program. He was sure that he would be bounced out once his supervisors realized what a mistake they had made in accepting him. He soon realized that he was not the only trainee who felt insecure. As time went on, Stern developed coping mechanisms for handling such challenges as severe sleep deprivation and treating angry patients who repeatedly took out their hostility on him. Adding to his woes, his anemic love life made him feel like a monk-in-training.

"Committed" is enhanced by Stern's poignant anecdotes. One of them involves a woman in her twenties, Jane West, who suffered from anorexia and kept returning to the psychiatric ward when her weight continued to drop. A heartbroken Adam blamed himself when, despite his best efforts, he was unable to persuade her to eat normally. Another tough case involved fifty-four-year-old Deborah, who had been hospitalized fourteen times with severe bipolar disorder. Experienced practitioners taught Stern to listen to his clients attentively and show that he understands and values them. Furthermore, they urged him not to beat himself up emotionally when, although he did everything possible for the patients under his care, failed to achieve the desired results. In this compelling account, Stern candidly reveals the personal and professional tribulations that could have derailed his career had he decided he could no longer handle the pressure. Fortunately, he persevered, and went on to mentor junior residents who hoped to become psychiatrists someday. show less

4.3

Half of this is very interesting, a look at the practitioner side of mental health care. the other half is this guy's flailing love life and text conversations with coworkers about nothing. also, a co-worker ends their life in the last five minutes of the book and we've never heard of them before this, so that's jarring.

Was expecting more about patients. Didn’t realize it was really a memoir of his time in residency. Was interesting to read how experiences. Totally jarring at the end to read about a classmates suicide, as this person had not been mentioned once in the book