Other Disclosures: Dr. Adam Hill, June 25, 2017
Dr. Adam Hill – The Story
•In 2016, he first disclosed; presented a lecture to his colleagues about a case he knew well---his own
•In March of 2017, he shared his path to recovery by writing a first-person account in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine
•December 2019 his book was published: “Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery
•Drove to a park, walked deep into the woods, settled under trees and tried to drink himself to death
•He hated his job in medicine
•Medical School left him in debt
•Depression had returned, darker than ever
•“I was just done,” he said. I was just broken and exhausted and didn’t see a way out.
•That night, he called his wife.
•At first, he refused to speak, they sat on the phone in silence
•Eventually he told her where to find him
•The next day, he entered counseling.
Dr. Adam Hill – How I relate
•On June 26, 2017 I read the Indy Star article and then reached out to Adam.
•I sent this message through Facebook:
•“I enjoyed reading the article about you in the Indy Star. Thank you for sharing. I am an attorney and publicly shared my bipolar II diagnosis in an article in the Indiana Lawyer in January.
•He promptly responded and we exchanged a few messages.
Dr. Adam Hill – The Impact
•I felt affirmed in my decision to disclose
•I felt a connection on different level, even though we have never met
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