As a teenager, Dr. Christian Cable experienced a full psychotic break. During a sleepover at a friend’s house, he woke during the night and was convinced he was a werewolf. He stripped down and wandered naked through the streets. After being picked up by a police officer, he was institutionalized for the first of five times over a 2-year stretch of agony, hopelessness and despair.
Apart from an intense prayer session “in a moment of desperation,” he can’t pinpoint exactly what led to his full recovery. But today, he’s a leader in the field of oncology and hematology, and his experience led him to become a voice in the area of mental illness.
We spoke about the harrowing statistics on physician suicide, the need for greater compassion for people battling mental illness and people with special needs, and just for kicks we talked about trail running - although it wasn’t entirely off-topic.