Your ER Doc » depression

Post Election Depression Follow Up

Your ER Doc — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:25:09 +0000

As a follow up to my recent post election depression article, I saw this funny spoof on another ER Blog on depression and wanted to share it.

Post-Election Depression

Your ER Doc — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:37:59 +0000

It’s over people!

With the longest Presidential campaign in recent history over, we can all breath a sigh of relief!

Or can we?

Some will inexplicably not feel relief, but will find themselves with a case of the blues. Others will feel anxious and a few will be downright depressed. A lot of this will depend on whether your choice of President won the election, or if you feel the winner is a complete knucklehead. But for many of us, the pre-election season has been an ordeal, and now that it is over, there will be a void that is not easily filled. As always, my interest is primarily keeping you healthy and out of the ER, especially since I’ve got some night shifts coming up and would like to get some sleep, so here’s a couple tips.

1. Don’t turn to alcohol. This won’t help at all, may result in a fall, car crash, fight, or at best a hangover. So please, if you must drown your sorrows, how about a nice fruit smoothie?

2. Don’t just sit around watching TV. There’s nothing good on, and you should be getting some exercise to avoid a stroke or heart attack anyway.

3. Don’t complain about politics to your friends and loved ones. They will resent you for this, and you will be left alone to stew in your own juices. Then you will turn to alcohol (see #1).

4. Go see your primary physician and tell them all about your feelings. They want to know all the details. (just don’t tell them I sent you.)

Financial Crisis and Suicide rates

Your ER Doc — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:25:58 +0000

Q: With the financial crisis, have you seen more people with suicide attempts in the ER?

Stephanie – Henderson, NV

Congratulations to you, Stephanie, for the most morbid question of the week. The answer is no, thank goodness, I have not seen more people with suicide attempts due to the economic crisis. I have seen quite a few people with anxiety who are struggling with financial problems, losing their job, family stress, etc. I would certainly strongly encourage anyone who is battling depression, or considering suicide for any reason to please get help. If you don’t know where to go, or who to talk to, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), or go to your local Emergency Department.

Trauma Code

yourerdoc — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:22:30 +0000

Arriving at The ER

“Trauma code, ETA 5 minutes.” My pulse always goes up a little bit with these radio notifications, but in this particular case it went up more than usual. The paramedic said it was a train versus pedestrian, no other information given. I could hear the siren in the background and a definite anxiousness in the paramedics voice. He didn’t have time to give us vital signs–not good.

I walked to the ambulance bay, opened the doors, and waited. The ambulance came in fast, the driver wasting no time backing up and throwing the back doors open.

“She had a pulse, and a blood pressure, I’ve got an IV started, but no airway, she was talking to us a few minutes ago,” the paramedic fired off.

We all helped pull the gurney into the resuscitation room, and I took a look. She was about 30, laying flat on her back, eyes closed, clearly not conscious. I couldn’t see any sign of trauma on her head, chest, abdomen or extremities, but there was quite a bit of blood coming from somewhere. It was pooling on the gurney.

I quickly put a plastic tube down her windpipe as the nurses tried to get vital signs, and started CPR. Her blood pressure was completely gone, no pulses at all. She had died. We rolled her on her side to examine her back, and found the problem. The back of her hips, pelvis and lower back were simply gone, somehow torn away from her body when she was hit by the train. What remained of her blood volume poured out of the wound, and onto the gurney and floor.

Later, we found out from a roomate that it was probably suicide, and that she had been fighting depression. She had stopped taking her medication. No one came to the hospital. No family, no friends.

I picked up the next patient’s chart and moved on. It was a 20 year old man with an ingrown toenail. He let me know he was very irritated to have been waiting for me.