Battling Stigma with Dr. Kieran Allen: Part 1

An outstanding doctor, a caring father, a loving husband, and a patient - Today, we're incredibly fortunate to have Dr Kieran Allen, who is a psychiatry registrar at Monash health!

A Monash University medical graduate, he has been working at Monash health since the start of his medical career, earning the title “Registrar of the year” in 2019. He is also the co-founder of the “hand-n-hand peer support service” which is a bi-national peer support network for healthcare workers in Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, he is a very passionate advocate for health professionals' mental health and health policy.

In the first half of this two-part podcast, Dr Kieran Allen shares some of his personal experiences coping with mental illness while persevering through the Psychiatry training programme. He sheds light on some of the fears fellow doctors with mental health conditions might face while practising medicine and the importance of having a supportive network of family and friends. He even shares some valuable advice on how health students and practitioners can take care of one another and their mental health in this rigorous line of work.

Don't forget to tune in to the 2nd half of this podcast where he shares more insights to his life has a psychiatrist - not to be missed!

Part 1 - Key time stamps:

(00:39) Introduction to Dr Kieran Allen!

(01:33) Why Psychiatry?

(03:36) Personal stories and experiences

(12:39) Personal challenges faced while seeking help

(17:46) Issues around AHPRA registration

(22:54) Importance of health students and practitioners seeking support where required!