Are Hospital Wellness Initiatives Making Doctor Burnout Worse?

A Physician Suggests Encouraging His Colleagues to Explore, Reflect, and Talk About Their Feelings

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering mental health.

In early 2020, weeks before Covid changed our lives, I sat uneasily with a dear medical school friend, listening to a panel of experts discuss burnout, moral injury, and wellness. The speakers focused on categorizing and describing these terms, recited research and data, and prescribed self-care strategies, including a healthy diet, exercise, yoga, and mindfulness. Many colleagues found these sessions helpful. I left …

What I Learned From my Breakup with TikTok

When I Deleted the App, I Realized It Wasn't Just the Algorithm That Kept Me Scrolling

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …

An illustration of a pay phone inside an open flowery luggage. To the upper right of the illustration is a dark-skinned left hand presses against a glass. Near bottom right is a card that almost makes out the word "mom" placed inside a flowery heart.

My Mom Is Out of Prison, But I’m Still Not Free

The Trauma of Having an Incarcerated Parent Is a Life Sentence of Its Own

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …

What the World Can Learn From Trieste’s Mental Health Model

The U.S. Treats People in Crisis. Italy Envelops Them in Community

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …

Pills, colored half green and white, against a dimming white background. On the white part of the pill, there is a drawn smiling face, with the eyes in the shape of a heart.

What Happened When I Finally Got Medicated for My OCD

The Compulsions I Thought Were Part of Me Were Actually Burying Me

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …

Our Favorite Essays of 2022 | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Our Favorite Essays of 2022

From Behind Prison Walls to a Container Ship Out at Sea to the World’s Largest Refugee Camp, Zócalo’s Contributors Traversed the World to Report on the Human Condition

In 2022, Zócalo’s contributors reported from the front lines of a changing world, looking to foster conversation—and curiosity—about the way we live now.

While selecting just 10 essays from the scores …