A physician’s descent into abject poverty for seeking help from a PHP

Abstract

Dr. Robert Wilkie should have been a happy man. He was exactly what he wanted to be in life, an emergency physician and hospitalist in a small, close-knit community. His work was a source of pride and pleasure, as were his religious community, his family and ice hockey, the sport he played growing up in Canada. Yes, Dr. Wilkie should have been a happy man, and for the most part, he was. Yet an undertow of melancholy always tugged at him. He usually kept his head above water, but sometimes the tug was so strong he feared he might drown, and this fear would set off a severe bout of anxiety and agitation.