Dr. Joseph pointed out that taking the deep dive also involves being prepared for what comes up. “Once you’ve established there’s a mental health issue, what do you do then?” she said. “If you are a dermatologist, is that in your wheelhouse to address? There’s the education and connection piece for the physician, creating networks where – if you identify a patient who has an issue – who is a person I can send them to? We have these types of connections with infectious disease or with ophthalmologists if there are ocular symptoms, but mental health is one area where there may not be as much support for dermatologists.”
She noted that though all doctors learn how to screen for depression, “there’s the formulaic, yes/no answers, and then there’s the nuanced history-taking, creating a safe space, where the patient is going to answer you fulsomely ... and feel heard. Many of us know how to do that. The question is time.”
Dr. Ivert had no disclosures connected to this study. Dr. Joseph had no disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.