The mental health benefits of storytelling for health care workers | Laurel Braitman

Reviewer: Thomas Tam

呢幾年，

我一直係史丹福醫學院嘅駐院作家。

一位不可思議嘅女人請咗我，

佢係位麻醉師， 亦係詩人，

For the last few years,

I've been a writer in residence at the Stanford Medical School.

叫做 Audrey Shafer，

佢發起咗個計劃 叫做「醫學沉思」，

I was hired by an incredible woman,

重新喺醫學教育同培訓 推廣人道主義。

she's a poet and an anesthesiologist,

named Audrey Shafer,

而我嘅工作係 教授寫作、講故事。

and she started the Medicine and the Muse Program

同一般溝通技巧，

to reintroduce humanities back into medical education and training.

畀啲醫生，護士， 醫學院學生

同其他醫護人員。

My job was to teach writing, storytelling

我認為我會收到 大量嘅優秀學生文章，

and general communication skills

關於解剖屍體 同脾臟嘅詩。

to physicians, nurses, medical students

and other health care workers.

我確實收到咗。

And I thought I'd get a ton of great student essays

但同一時間，

我開始收到 更多好焦慮嘅文章，

about dissecting cadavers and poems about the spleen.

令到我好擔心。

學生開始寫佢哋 壓抑緊嘅情緒，

And I did.

But almost immediately,

要成功面臨巨大嘅壓力，

I started getting more essays that made me really anxious

同心理健康報告，

and really worried.

仲有佢哋有自殺嘅企圖，

My students were writing about their crushing anxiety,

同有幾孤單同寂寞，

仲反思呢分工， 係唔係揀錯咗，

the unbearable pressure on them to succeed,

their mental health diagnoses,

佢哋有啲 仲係醫科學生。

their suicide attempts,

呢個係我嘅學生 Uriel Sanchez。

how alone and isolated they felt

（聲音）Uriel Sanchez：

and wondered if they'd gone into the right profession,

and they weren't even doctors yet.

導師會畀個選擇你，

要你自我作出判斷，

This is my student Uriel Sanchez.

好像要成為一個好人 定係一位好醫生。

(Audio) Uriel Sanchez: The choice you are given through medicine,

(音樂)

from a lot of your mentors even, is like,

Laurel Braitman： 醫生自身嘅人性同情緒健康，

you have to choose,

like, being a really good person or a really good doctor.

幾乎從未成為 培訓嘅核心部分，

甚至從未得到承認。

(Music)

醫生脆弱嘅地方，

Laurel Braitman: Physicians' own humanity and emotional well-being

就好似分享 某啲心理健康診斷，

are almost never made a core part of their training

絕對可以終結 作為醫生嘅職業生涯。

or even acknowledged.

但係喺美國，有將近 30% 嘅醫科學生患有抑鬱症，

And real vulnerability,

like sharing certain mental health diagnoses, for example,

有十分一嘅人考慮過自殺。

can be absolutely career-ending.

實際上執業醫生嘅情況 更加得人驚。

But nearly 30 percent of American medical students are depressed,

普遍對工作好不滿，

and one in 10 have thought about suicide.

存在抑鬱症比例高。

同時醫生嘅自殺率

And it's actually even worse for practicing physicians.

喺美國專業度 係其中最高之一。

There's really widespread job dissatisfaction,

呢種情況好得人驚。

high rates of depression,

唔淨止為咗佢哋、 仲有我哋。

and doctors have one of the highest suicide rates

我真係認為醫生 有最重要嘅工作，

of any profession in the United Sates.

若果生命受到威脅，

This is scary.

我哋嘅生命亦都一樣。

Not just for them but for us, too.

好啦，我絕對唔係 專業嘅心理輔導員，

I really think doctors have the most important job.

我係個作家，

And if their lives are at stake,

日常嘅工作 同呢啲完全係相反嘅。

ours are, too.

Now, I am absolutely not a mental health professional,

但係我講你知，

我畀咗醫護人員 更多嘅機會，

I'm a writer,

去分享佢哋每天嘅恐懼、 歡樂同挫敗感，

which most days is absolutely the complete and total opposite.

佢哋為咩驚喜， 為咩感到不滿，

But I can tell you that the more opportunities

佢哋就感覺得越好。

that I give health care workers

所以「醫學沉思」計劃， 喺晚间、周末同一整日

to share their daily frustrations, their fears, their joys,

提供講故事研習班，

what surprises them, what they resent,

會喺農場及其他 有美食供應嘅地方進行。

the better they seem to feel.

So at Medicine and the Muse, we offer evening, weekend

我會邀請其他記者、 作家、製片人、

and day-long storytelling workshops

at farms and other places with really good food.

播客同詩人，

去教授寫作、

I invite other journalists, writers, producers,

溝通同講故事嘅技巧 畀我哋啲參加者。

啲參與者 練習變得脆弱，

podcasters and poets,

大聲噉同其他人 分享佢哋嘅故事。

and they teach writing,

communication and storytelling skills to our participants.

通过噉樣做，

佢哋搵番當初 加入醫學界嘅熱情。

And those participants practice being vulnerable

當佢哋意識到面對充滿壓力 以及凌亂嘅現實時，

by sharing their stories out loud with one another.

And in doing so,

會明白呢啲就係

they reconnect with what drew them to medicine in the first place.

自已所選擇嘅工作。

噉樣佢哋就可以 搵番自我嘅使命。

These are the skills they'll draw on

when they realize and are confronted with the stressful, messy reality

所以我今天有個處方畀你，

唔係醫生畀出來， 而係我畀佢哋嘅，

of the work they've chosen.

This is how they realize it's a calling.

同時我搵咗 我嘅學生來幫忙。

So I have a prescription here for you today.

首先聲明， 我淨係服務醫生咋，

It's not from physicians, it's for them,

但係我絕對相信 呢啲幾乎係

and I asked my students for help.

適用喺所有嘅行業，

And before I start, let me just say I work with doctors,

特別係嗰啲需要全心投入， 工作充滿壓力同需要打拼嘅人。

but I'm absolutely convinced

但我哋有時會忘記咗 自己為咩選擇呢份工作。

that this applies to almost any profession,

especially those of us who are so committed to our work,

對我來講，去分享 真實而脆弱嘅故事，

and it can be so intense and overwhelming,

就好似將支旗 喺旗桿度升起。

that sometimes we forget why we chose to do it in the first place.

等其他人睇到，

To me, sharing a true vulnerable story

如果佢哋同意， 仲會產生共鳴，

就企埋喺你嗰邊。

is a lot like raising a flag up a flagpole.

呢啲就係我嘅學生 Maite Van Hentenryck 做嘅事。

Other people see it,

（音频）Hentenryck ： 呢啲分享，令我極之焦慮，

if they agree with it and it resonates with them,

they come and stand under it with you.

我分享緊係自己嘅一部分，

That's what my student Maite Van Hentenryck did.

呢件事，我只係可能 講畀過五位同學知。

(Audio) Maite Van Hentenryck: I mean, it was super anxiety-inducing,

and I shared parts of myself

LB：當 Maite 仲係嬰兒，佢需要截肢。

that I really have probably told five classmates.

佢上醫學院嗰時，

參加咗一個標準嘅測驗，

被問到呢個問題：

LB: When Maite was a baby, she had to have her leg amputated.

「請你講我知，

第一次面對 有殘疾病人嘅感受。」

When she got to medical school,

she was taking just a standard class quiz,

Maite 想知道 導師有否諗過

and she got asked the question,

有殘疾嘅人亦都係醫生。

"Please tell us about the first time

you encountered someone with a disability."

佢喺之後同大概 100 個朋友 及同學，分享咗呢件事，

She wondered if her supervisors had ever considered

呢件事非常重要， 原因 Maite 係好怕羞。

that the person with the disability was her, the doctor.

之後，發生嘅事，

So she talked about it in front of about 100 of her friends, peers,

係有幾位殘疾嘅學生，

唔係佢認識嘅，

要請佢共同領導 一個校園小組，

which is a big deal, because, you know, she's really shy.

倡議提高醫學培訓 對殘疾學生嘅能見度及包容性。

And afterwards, what happened,

is a number of students with disabilities,

that she didn't know,

came up to her and asked her to colead a group on campus

喺英語，

我哋叫做某啲職業嘅人 做創作者，

that's now advocating for more visibility and inclusion in medical training.

好似設計師、建築師 或者藝術家。

In English, we tend to call people creatives

而我就唔鍾意呢個用語，

我認為係有 攻擊性同排斥性。

if they have a certain job.

Like, designer or architect or artist.

創造力唔應該 只係屬於某啲人。

I hate that term.

我嘅工作接觸醫生 及醫科學生，

時常提醒佢哋， 唔理揀咗咩嘢嘅職業，

I think it's offensive and exclusionary.

Creativity doesn't belong to a certain group of people.

都可以創造意義，

喺艱難中尋找到善同美， 並加以創造。

A lot of my work with physicians and medical students

is just reminding them that no matter what profession we choose,

呢一位係醫科學生 Pablo Romano。

we can make meaning,

（音频）Pablo Romano ：「喺多年前， 我嘅父母從墨西哥移民到呢度，

find beauty in the hard stuff and create.

當我讀大學嗰時， 佢哋就已經死咗。

This is medical student Pablo Romano.

我 18 歲，亞爸死咗， 亞媽喺 20 歲都死埋。

(Audio) Pablo Romano: My parents immigrated here from Mexico

LB：呢次已經唔係 Pablo 第一次公開講，

many years ago,

and when I was in college, they passed away.

佢係孤兒，

I was 18 when my dad died and then 20 when my mom died.

我哋一齊開始咗個 直播故事系列，叫做 《Talk Rx》，

LB: Not only has Pablo been talking publicly for the first time

直播節目受到 同輩年青人歡迎，

about being an orphan,

用來展示佢哋最脆弱 同強烈想法及感情。

but together, we started a live storytelling series we're calling Talk Rx,

and it's become a really popular place for his peers

（音频）PR：我去咗間

非常重視數據、 研究同數字嘅學校。

to show their most vulnerable and powerful thoughts and feelings.

最後，令人感動嘅係故仔。

(Audio) PR: I go to a school

that cares so much about data and research and numbers.

LB：Arifeen Rahman 係二年級醫科學生。

At the end of the day, what moves people is stories.

喺佢出世之前，

佢嘅父母由孟加拉 移民到美國。

LB: Arifeen Rahman is a second-year medical student.

佢喺北加州 一個美好家庭中長大，

生活非常穩定同安全，

And before she was born,

her parents immigrated from Bangladesh to the United States.

佢父母仲還喺一齊，

佢從未挨過餓， 同時喺哈佛大學畢業。

She grew up in a really beautiful home in Northern California,

（音频）Arifeen Rahman： 我唔認為自己嘅故仔

very safe and stable,

her parents are still together,

值得去講或者係重要。

she never went hungry, and she graduated from Harvard.

LB：但 Arifeen 確實有 佢嘅故事。

喺最近，佢講咗 佢係唯一一個

(Audio) Arifeen Rahman: I didn't feel like the stories I had

來自孟加拉裔嘅 美國女孩，

were worth telling or that they mattered.

贏咗「美國革命女兒」 作文比賽，

LB: Arifeen did have stories, though.

Recently, she gave a talk about being maybe

(笑聲)

然後喺萬聖節 佢穿著住獨立宣言嘅衫。

the only Bangladeshi American girl

to win an essay contest

我好鍾意 Arifeen 嘅故仔，

from the Daughters of the American Revolution --

因為對我來講， 代表住所有好同壞、

(Laughter)

and then dress up for Halloween as the Declaration of Independence.

辛勞同疲憊，

同時代表著新嘅美國夢。

And I love Arifeen's story so much,

because to me it represents all that is good and bad

（音频）AR：最艱難嘅嘢 就係有反對嘅聲音，

and hard and exhausting

話我知冇人願意 聽我嘅故事，

about representing the new American dream.

噉點解要花時間 喺呢啲嘢嗰度呀？

(Audio) AR: The hardest thing was coming up against that voice

從宏觀嚟睇， 喺實際生活度冇咩意義。

that was telling me no one wants to hear my stories,

或者最重要嘅 確實就係噉樣﹗

like, why invest the time in this thing

that doesn't really mean anything in the grand scale of life.

LB：人生苦短。

Maybe the biggest thing is, like, maybe it does.

對我來講，唯一令我 花時間係有意義嘅，

就係感覺到同其他人有連繫，

LB: Life is so short.

或者令佢哋 稍為減少孤單感覺。

For me, the only thing, really, that matters with my time here

以我嘅經驗嚟講，

呢個就係故仔 發揮到最好嘅作用。

is feeling like I can connect with other people

and maybe make them feel slightly less alone.

Candice Kim 係我嘅學生，

And in my experience,

同時係好努力嘅合作夥伴。

that's what stories do absolutely the best.

佢係醫學教育專業嘅 醫學博士生。

So, my student and a collaborator in a lot of these endeavors

佢寫咗關於 #MeToo 嘅醫學文章，

喺傳統保守嘅地方， 有關佢性别酷兒嘅身份

is Candice Kim.

She's an MD-PhD student in medical education.

同佢亞媽診斷出 癌症嘅轉移。

She's written about #MeToo in medicine,

最近，佢亦開始做 一啲好有趣嘅研究，

navigating her queer identity in a conservative field

係關於我哋嘅工作。

（音频）Candace Kim： 我哋睇到啲學生，

and her mom's metastatic cancer diagnosis.

自從參加咗 我哋講故事嘅聚會，

And recently, she started also doing some really interesting research

有 36% 到 51% 嘅人 顯示佢哋嘅痛苦減少咗。

about our work.

(Audio) Candace Kim: We've seen that students

who participate in our storytelling opportunity

LB：如果呢種係 心理健康藥物，

一定會大受歡迎， 搶購一空。

show between a 36 and 51 percent decrease in distress.

佢嘅效果會 持續長達一個月，

甚至更長。

LB: If this was a mental health drug,

由於 Candice 喺一個月後就停止跟進，

it would be an absolute blockbuster.

之後就冇結果啦。

Results seem to last up to a month.

唔單止係噉， 百分百嘅參加者

It might be longer,

都會向朋友推薦 可寫作故事嘅機會。

a month is just when Candice stopped measuring.

對我嚟講， 最重要嘅工作就係

So we don't even know.

Not only that, but 100 percent of our participants

喺呢個脆弱文化嘅入面，

recommend these opportunities to a friend.

創造一個空前嘅園地。

For me, though, the most important thing that our work has done

我認為只有噉做，

先可以允許醫生同其他人，

is create a culture of vulnerability

in a place [where] there was absolutely none before.

為咗自己同病人， 構想另一種未來唔同嘅機會。

I think what this does

再次係 Maite。

is that it allows doctors and other folks

（音频）MVH：我想做能夠 記得病人生日嘅醫生

an opportunity to envision a different kind of future for themselves

係唔使睇檔案嗰種。

我想成為能夠知道

and their patients.

This is Maite again.

病人最鍾意咩顏色嘅醫生，

(Audio) MVH: I want to be the doctor that remembers when your birthday is

同病人鍾意睇 咩嘢電視節目。

without having to look at the chart.

我想做個會被記起嘅醫生， 因為能夠聆聽病人，

And I want to be the doctor who knows

what my patient's favorite color is

唔單止係治療佢哋嘅病，

and what TV shows they like to watch.

並且確保我照顧 佢哋所有嘅需要。

I want to be the doctor that's remembered for listening to people

LB：作為人類， 我哋最後都會終止生命。

and making sure I take care of all of them

我哋都係一樣 面對死亡。

and not just treating their disease.

所以幫助專業醫護人員

同同事及病人 作有意義嘅溝通，

LB: Being human is a terminal condition.

We all have it, and we are all going to die.

雖然唔一定會 出現神奇嘅變化，

Helping health care professionals communicate more meaningfully

能改變現今世代 醫療保健系統嘅錯誤，

with each other,

同為醫生承受沉重嘅負擔，

with their patients and with themselves

is certainly not going to magically change

但呢啲絕對係關鍵，

everything that is wrong with the contemporary health care system,

確保醫療人員， 有足夠嘅健康

去醫治我哋所有嘅人。

and it's not going to live to the immense burdens we place on our physicians,

我認為人，可以互相溝通 佢哋嘅脆弱，

but it is absolutely key

相互聆聽及同情，

in making sure that our healers are healthy enough

就係而家我哋作為醫療 最好用嘅藥。

to heal the rest of us.

多謝晒。

Communicating with each other with vulnerability,

(掌聲)

listening with compassion,

is, I believe, the absolute best medicine that we have.

Thank you.

(Applause)