The Two D's: Doctor and Designer

Fashion and medicine, opposite fields that surprisingly have a lot in common. The crossover between these 2 studies is practiced by Dr. Hisla Bates who is a designer turned physician. She discusses both fields in her article, “Burnout in Fashion and Medicine: A Fashion Designer Turned Physician Compares Notes”. In her article, she emphasizes the unbearable pressure we put on both industries and how we need to focus on the mental health of these professionals so that we do not continue to lose these great minds due to the lack of mental health resources.

Nowadays, fast fashion is in high demand, and we no longer have to wait three months for a new collection but rather a few weeks. Society is putting an unbearable pressure on designers thus limiting their creativity and negatively affecting their mental health. Michael Kors is occasionally brought into the hot seat for copying products similar to brands like Cartier, Boucheron, and even Prada; but can we really blame him? Fast fashion has forced him to release more products at a faster rate, burning him out of ideas. We even see H&M and ZARA coming out with new products every couple of weeks, and if you look closer you realize that they mimic designs of many well known designer brands. It is understandable that they are bringing “high fashion” at a more affordable price, however, there is no individuality. Lack of individuality places too much pressure on designers and does not provide a healthy outlet or resources for them to release all of their tensions.

The same goes for doctors, keeping up with the demand has become harder especially since mental illnesses are at an all time high. Dr. Bates even explains that she went from seeing six patients to fourteen patients a day. Doctors do not have the opportunity to create customized treatment plans for each patient. Patients are put into molds and we hope that they are able to conform to them. Dr. Bates conveys that each individual requires unique care, and even she was not able to provide that due to high demand. Our society does not speak openly about these issues and how they even affect physicians. The increased load even leads physicans to committ suicide, which in turn leads to the loss of care for many other patients. 

Creativity is needed in both Fashion and Medicine. Doctors need to constantly think outside of the box to help their patients receive proper treatment. And Fashion should not just be confined to certain trends, we need to allow designers to express their own personal creativity so that they can bloom and create new pieces of art. However, as a society we need to recognize the unrealistic pressures that we place on both of these industries. We cannot shove mental health under the rug and think that it does not exist. Losing individuals due to a lack of attention to mental health is unacceptable. The load for both industries is only going to get greater as our population expands and we need to equip both doctors and designers with the right support so that they may continue to positively impact our society with their new designs and innovations. We are losing too many great minds to mental health issues and we need a change. 

In you or anyone you know needs help please call 1-800-273-8255 or visit: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline…. Your Life IS Worth Living.

#blogging #fashion #medicine