Children of Psychiatrists

I would like to thank Dr. Sudeepta Varma for her inspiring article in the November 18 issue titled “Psychiatrists' Children Often Find Parent's Profession a Mystery.” My father, too, is a psychiatrist, practicing in a community mental health center in southern Indiana. Like Dr. Varma and the children of many other psychiatrists have found, the details of my father's work were shrouded in mystery during my childhood. It wasn't until I was able to participate in the care of patients as a third-year medical student on my psychiatry clerkship that I thoroughly understood what his job entailed.

What my father did not regularly share were the daily details of psychiatric care. What he did share, however, was his passion for treating patients with severe and persistent mental illness, his drive to advocate for his patients in all ways, including work to destigmatize mental illness, and his absolute love for being a physician.

My father's obvious dedication to his career and to his patients was the ultimate reason I became a physician; learning the details from my own experience is the reason I chose to train in psychiatry. If he had not shared with me his enthusiasm for his life's work, I would have never known the joy that being a physician has brought me and would never have had the opportunity to care for patients of my own. Dr. Varma is absolutely right: sharing our passion for and commitment to patient care with those around us is a gift that inspires. I thank her for sharing her story and for encouraging us to share ours.