The psych guys reflect on anxiety associated with starting a new podcast and overcoming self-doubt. Dr. Noone shares his “daydreams and nightdreams” about living with Bipolar Disorder, taking Depakote daily despite side effects such as weight gain, and medication non-compliance.

The first public Halloween festivities without COVID restrictions since the onset of the pandemic was supposed to represent a continuing return to normalcy for South Korea. Instead, hope for a post-pandemic future turned into a historic tragedy. A crowd crush event occurred on 10/29/22 killing 158 people, most of whom were young adults in their 20s, and injuring 196 others. Dr. Chun shares his perspective as a Korean American immigrant and we explore the cultural differences between the US and Korea, current and future implications for mental health, and the social pressures faced by young adults in South Korea. We remember the lives lost and stand in solidarity with those directly and indirectly affected.

Joon and Logan share the complex ethical and moral dilemmas of mental health crisis. Dr. Chun and Noone frequently evaluate patients with mental illness in an emergency room. These doctors define the various outcomes of these situations, including involuntary commitments. We share the ethical challenges of forcing a patient into psychiatric care. We share our idealistic view of psychiatric emergencies, and how the system could be improved. We outline the tremendous struggle of assisting a homeless patient who may use suicide ideation as a means of gaining safe housing.

Joon and Logan describe their visions for this podcast. We’ll discuss our opinions on how psychiatry overlaps with law and economics. We’ll talk about the role and journey of being a new physician, just starting residency 18 months ago. We speak on the realities that have set in about psychiatry. “At times, being a resident feels like a glorified cash register.”