Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope and Recovery” By Adam B. Hill, MD

I went to London for the weekend to support my sister, Kathleen, and my mother, Barbara who were part of the producing team for “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” for which my dad wrote the script with J.F. Lawton. Many people thought I was crazy to travel so far for such a short amount of time. I, however, do not find travel difficult because all you need is a good book. I took along “Long Walk Out of the Woods” by Adam B. Hill, MD, which is a memoir written by a palliative pediatric oncologist. I work three and a half days a week at a hospice in Marin County, and I have great admiration for the nurses and doctors who oversee the care of our patients – those who often have six months to a year to live. I am sure that even for doctors with no mental health or addiction problems it has to be a hard job. But imagine if you are a doctor who does suffer from depression, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts, what it must feel like to have chosen to practice in a field where you must deliver patients a terminal diagnosis. Dr. Hill has struggled with depression since childhood, and it only grew worse when he went to medical school and started self-medicating with alcohol. After the loss of each one of his patients, he would head straight to the liquor store. When he could no longer hide his addiction from his wife, he knew he had to get help. Unfortunately, his honestly almost cost him his job as a doctor. He had to fight to get himself back into the fold of being a doctor by working on an Indian reservation, which had less stringent rules about doctors suffering from mental illness. Dr. Hill wrote this book to share his story in order to encourage others to ask for help rather than suffer in silence with depression or suicidal thoughts. My daughter Charlotte, who graduates from Emory this spring with a master’s degree in public health, first brought this book to my attention. I’m grateful for her recommendation. It certainly made my twelve-hour flight home from London zoom by, and made me appreciate Dr. Hill and his wise words. Authors who share their pain and growth are my favorite kind of writers. If you would like to purchase this book on Amazon please click here.