SafeSpace. Doctors Are Human First: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health with Dr. Daniel Gearon
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In this powerful episode, Mariam sits down with Dr. Daniel Gearon, a surgical trainee and the founder of the charity YouOkayDoc. Daniel shares the personal tragedy that sparked a movement: the loss of his cousin and fellow doctor, Liz Sizer, to suicide. Together, they explore the dangerous stigma of ‘invincibility’ in medicine, the high rates of suicide within the profession, and the urgent need to view doctors as humans before healers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
YouOkayDoc was founded in response to the tragic suicide of Dr. Liz Sizer in 2016. It was created to fill a void in the medical community, providing a bespoke mental health support system specifically for doctors who often feel they have nowhere to turn.
The medical culture often equates resilience with silence and endurance. Daniel highlights how doctors are conditioned to view their own mental struggles as weakness, fearing that admitting they need help will make them seem unfit for the competitive environment of medicine.
One of YouOkayDoc’s core initiatives, the ‘Weekly Huddle’, proved that peer-to-peer connection is vital. Providing a safe, virtual space where doctors can drop the white coat persona and speak openly about trauma and exhaustion has been a lifeline for many.
Daniel opens up about his own struggles balancing a surgical career with running a national charity. His decision to take time out for a Master's degree and seek therapy illustrates that stepping back and asking for help are acts of strength, not failure.
BEST MOMENTS
"I think the culture within healthcare professionals is that if they were to admit that there is something going on, the fear is: 'How can I be shown to be weak in such a strong, competitive environment?'"
"We’ve become desensitised as doctors to what we're exposed to, and what we're taught how to cope with at medical school, is to soldier on."
"It's saying the unsaid, saying what we all know but are not articulating."
"Saving lives doesn't always come in the form of medical intervention, sometimes it comes through words, presence, and listening."
"If you're going to start a charity, you have to focus on the community that you're going to serve first, because the community are going to be the people that rally around the organisation."
HOST BIO
Mariam is a GP trainee in Wales passionate about improving our healthcare colleagues' wellbeing. She has experience on the Schwartz Round Steering group and as a facilitator for her health board, and she created and led the Balint Group Programme for Foundation Doctors in her hospital. These are regular spaces for healthcare professionals to speak about real issues that affect their well-being amongst colleagues to improve mutual support and camaraderie in the workplace. She also holds qualifications in Life Coaching and healthcare leadership and management. Whatever your reason for joining us on this podcast, we are glad you have taken the time.
If you are having stressful days at work, leaving you feeling demotivated, and depleted, I'm hoping I can help here.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/