Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training
Adam Stern
Adam Stern was a student at a state medical school before being selected to train as a psychiatry resident at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. His new and initially intimidating classmates were high achievers from the Ivy League and other elite universities around the nation. Stern pulls back the curtain on the intense and emotionally challenging lessons he and his fellow doctors learned while studying the human condition, and ultimately, the value of connection. more
320 pages, Hardcover
First published Mariner Books
3.86
Rating
2358
Ratings
315
Reviews
Adam Stern
2 books 23 followers
Community reviews
I had surgery on one of my eyes last week, and waiting for it I only had this book with me so I read it, if I had another I would probably have dnf'd this one. It wasn't that bad a book, but it wasn't the book the title and blurb described. It was over 50% about the author's love life - whole chapters devoted to it - and bonding with his fellow psychiatric trainees over meals, vacations to Mexico and something called a 'Feelings' class. If the book had been entitled 'The lives and loves of a trainee psychiatrist" it would have been more accurate. And I wouldn't have bought it. more
Czasami za dużo prywaty, ale… rel, czuję, że rozumiem co mógł czuć w wielu aspektach. Ocena: 4,0. more
When I saw this book, I knew right away I wanted to read it. It’s a memoir of the author’s 4-year psychiatry residency at Harvard Medical School. I have always been interested in psychiatry, though I’ve never had the desire to practice it. My specialty was internal medicine with a subspecialty in infectious diseases. But still, I love reading books with psychiatric/mental health topics--the workings of the mind and how to repair those components when things go awry. more
Stern's memoir is a breezy read, telling the story of how he managed to get accepted as a psychiatrist in training at a hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School and what he experienced during his time as a trainee. At first, the young doctor feels intimidated and lonely in this new environment, and like most people starting complex jobs after a long and expensive stretch of highly theoretical training gets overwhelmed by the reality of his profession - so yes, the blurb doesn't lie when it connects the book to TV shows like "Grey's Anatomy", but the fact that Stern and his peers deal with mental disorders gives the genre a new, interesting twist. Unsurprisingly, Stern finds comraderie and grapples with his self-image until he gains confidence and yes, there's a woman, yada yada yada. The whole love story, while apparently true, reads like the woman involved needs help herself, which I doubt was Stern's intention, and the last remarks about the suicide of another medical trainee who hasn't featured in the text once until then didn't sit well with me. Oh, and of course the whole thing will be turned into some kind of show, movie, web show. more
Siadam na niewygodnym fotelu i wbijam wzrok we własne, zmarznięte dłonie. Zaczynam bawić się pierścionkiem. Tym z dużym, różowym oczkiem. Obserwuję, jak swobodnie kręci się wokół kości. Lekarz przegląda papiery, a potem patrzy na mnie, czuję na sobie jego wzrok. more
I was very disappointed in this book. I was hoping for insight into what it is like to be a psychiatrist and lots of interesting stories about patients. Instead this book focused on how busy the author was during his residency, and his dating struggles. Pages were filled with transcripts of text message conversations between the author and his fellow female residents and later his girlfriend about topics as benign as which apartment the body butter was at. I also had a hard time relating to the author. more
I love medical memoirs and COMMITTED is a gem. It chronicles the author’s impactful four-year psychiatry residency. He’s a kind man, willing to share his humanity as he strives to become an excellent shrink while becoming a better man. We follow the vivid stories of his training, his relationships with other stressed colleagues, and poignant insights into patients. His writing is superb and we’re left feeling blessed to know him. more
Jedna z lepszych książek, napisanych przez medyka, którą rekomenduję. Lekko, niewymagająco, szczerze. more
“Patients are people. We are people. Be a person with your patients, and you are already halfway there. ” Committed provides an overview of what it’s like to be a resident psychiatrist, from imposter syndrome to applying textbook knowledge to patients’ lives. Dr Stern was one of 15 residents in “The Golden Class” at Harvard Medical School, the “highest ranked class in the history of the program”. more
My library shelved this in the 600s for information on psychiatry, but this clearly should’ve been shelved in biography because this was just a long winded account of a dude who happened to go to school for psychiatry and desperately pined over getting a date until his wife begrudgingly agreed to marry him. I thought I’d get deep dives into specific cases a la Oliver Sacks or something but there was way more text about the author’s love life or lack of it, and if a book is going to be heavy on pining or romance the writing should actually make me feel something. more
Simple-minded overview of a psychiatric resident’s four years at Harvard. It hits all the stereotypical notes regarding mentally ill people and the unstable professionals that treat them. The book certainly makes me trust psychiatrists even less than I already do since it seems like they consider drugs the solution to everything, their verbal therapy is intentionally vague with no suggestions given that could enact change, and they have such a low success rate. As the author says during his final year of residency, he feels like he still doesn't know what he's doing and in truth most don't until they retire. There is a side story where he falls in love with a resident that's a year older but they refuse to tell anyone else they're dating until after they're engaged and she leaves for her first job. more
I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training is Dr. Adam Stern’s memoir about his residency at Harvard. Coming from a family where his father is a doctor, Adam always knew that was his path in life. more
Opinia mojej Lubej:Nigdy nie martw się sam. To hasło pojawia się na początku i towarzyszy nam do końca książki. I to chyba jedyna mądrość, którą można z niej wynieść. „Pamiętnik” jest dosłownie pamiętnikiem. W większości przypadków wychodzi to książce na plus, tym razem jednak autor troszeczkę za daleko odpłynął. more
Do you like Grey's Anatomy and have a goal to read more non-fiction books this year. Then boy do I have good news for you; Committee by Adam Stern was fun and insightful. I loved hearing about his formative experiences in Psychiatry residency and what he learned from his patients. If you're considering med school, pick up a copy to get a real life view into what life after graduation is like. more
Plot:In this memoir, we encounter Dr. Stern who is doing an internship to be a psychiatrist. We hear about what it is like to do the rounds and hear some amusing and sometimes sad encounters with some of the patients that he encounters. What I Liked:- I enjoyed the different anecdotes about the patients. I found his treatment of them to be very interesting as well as how different the problems they dealt with were. more
Rozczarowanko no. Bardzo lubię tego typu książki, ale coraz ciężej znaleźć mi taką, która faktycznie opowiadałaby o wykonywanym zawodzie, dawała jakieś smakowite kąski, szokowała bądź zwyczajnie interesowała. Adam chciał dobrze, chciał opowiedzieć nam historię o tym, jak z przerażonej owieczki stał się szanowanym lekarzem psychiatrii i tą część akurat zrobił dobrze, bo na sam koniec człowiek odczuwa jakąś tam dumę, może podziw, że tak dorósł, dojrzał i zmieniła mu się perspektywa. Że po skończeniu szkoły nie chce być tym zwykłym doktorkiem co to siedzi na kozetce i zadaje niewygodne pytania, tylko jednak chce czegoś więcej. Ale czy książka jest tym, czym być powinna. more
Interesting read. Liked hearing about his outside personal life as well. Nice book. Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it. more
Committed is a memoir that follows the author, Adam Stern, through his four years as a psychiatry resident at Harvard Medical School, where he and his fellow classmates were dubbed "The Golden Class" due to their combined rankings and talents. The book is split into three parts: Year One, Year Two, and then a combined Years Three and Four. Not only are we introduced to some of the patients who influenced Stern throughout his journey, we also get to know many of his classmates and mentors. I enjoyed watching him grow from a cautious intern to a confident doctor throughout the book. I cared about the outcomes of his patients and felt some of his frustrations throughout the process. more
This moving memoir follows Stern, a young psychiatrist, and the other doctors in his class through four grueling years of their psychiatry residency. Stern lets us into the world of mental health and his own struggles with kidney cancer. What follows is a book full of compassion, insight, and the immediacy of mortality. On the one hand, this book covered the author’s time as a resident in the incredibly draining process (emotionally, psychologically, physically). And on the other hand, the author gave an intimate view of his cancer diagnosis with a 50/50 shot at survival. more
Początek nieciekawy, później tylko lepiej, a wszystko za sprawą lekkiego pióra autora. more
Absolutely adored the book. Such a great peek into psychiatry residency and such a pleasant and enjoyable love story to read. Had a smile on my face for most of it, and was brought to happy tears at the end. Couldn’t be better. more
Bardziej 2,75 Na początku miałam wrażenie, że więcej tu takiej prywaty niż strony zawodowej (a czegoś innego oczekiwałam), ale w ogólnym rozrachunku książka była ciekawa i w porządku. Nie zaspokoiła niestety całkowicie mojej potrzeby dowiedzenia się czegoś o tym zawodzie. more
(I actually listened to this audiobook via the Libby app but could not seem to find the edition that matched, but I am sure the Audible version is the same). This was an interesting listen/memoir. Dr. Adam Stern shares stories from his time at Harvard which is where he trained as a psychiatry resident. Adam narrates the book himself and I think he did a wonderful job. more
Committed is the memoir of Dr. Adam Stern during his four years of psychiatric residency at Harvard. It's an interesting story, and more than that, the story of one man's growth from an unsure first-year resident to becoming (somewhat) more sure of himself and his abilities to practice psychiatry. He also grows as a classmate, teacher, husband, and human being. It was surprising to me to read that even at Harvard, Dr. more
This was not the book I expected from reading the description, but much more. While yes, it is the story of Adam Stern arriving at Harvard Medical School for this psychiatry residency program with a serious case of impostor's syndrome - it shows his journey from idealistic medical student generally "wanting to help people" to a compassionate caregiver discovering his strengths and how he can best use these to do so without losing himself in the process. What I really didn't expect was how Stern's memoir is mostly about relationships - with his family, his patients, colleagues, mentors, dating partners and ultimately spouse - and how his residency program informs all of these, for better or worse. A quick-moving yet insightful and fulfilling read, with a lot of heart. Thank you to NetGalley, Mariner books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. more
Committed is to psychiatry what The Secret Teacher is to teaching and This is Going to Hurt is to junior doctors. You really feel like you get inside Adam's head as he navigates his challenging residency at Harvard: you feel his frustration and tiredness come through, but you also get a building sense of optimism as he becomes more sure of himself as a psychiatrist. This book was full of pathos and I would highly recommend it - especially to fans of the two texts mentioned above. Thank you to Adam Stern, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. more
I absolutely loved this book. This was a brilliant behind the scenes look at what it takes to earn the title of psychiatrist. Dr. Stern shared his experience while honoring the patients’ needs and giving them dignity. This was also a fascinating look at Harvard’s program and the clinical and mentoring opportunities to which their students have access. more
Lekko napisane, przyjemne do czytania, jednak spodziewałam się czegoś lepszego po wielkim szale, jaki wywołała ta pozycja. Autor dobrze pokazuje na swoim przykładzie, jak dużo czasu i własnej pracy potrzebne jest do sukcesu. Kilka momentów było wzruszających, a opisy przypadków bardzo adekwatne, ale też nie przesadzone. Mocne 3. 5. more