Should doctors disclose their own health problems to their patients? As Dr. Anne Brewster, a Boston internist, explains on the CommonHealth blog, doctors are typically taught to keep an emotional distance and are cautioned against sharing personal information with patients. Dr. Brewster explains:
But recently, Dr. Brewster decided to open up about her own health to ease the fears of her patient, a young woman who was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She began to cry. "I am so young. There was so much I wanted to do. I wanted to have a family."
"I have the same disease," I told her. I had decided to reach across the space between us and to share a bit of myself. I went on to say that I have four kids, that I still ski, run, play lacrosse and work as a doctor, that I am healthy and energetic. "There is tremendous variability in how people do," I offered, "and some people do very well. It is the unknown that is scary."