Measles is surging; many states now lack the vaccination coverage needed for herd immunity. Here’s what you need to know to protect your kids 👆🏾
#drdevikab #measles #protect #kids #outbreak
Stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.
Today, for the first time, I’m sharing my journey with bipolar disorder publicly. To read my LA Times op-ed, go to the link in my bio.
By speaking out, I hope to help dispel stigma and internalized shame. To help anyone struggling know they’re not alone — and to have hope.
I first lost myself to a mood episode 12 years ago. It took me almost 3 long years to receive the right diagnosis and find the right treatment plan.
But today, I live with bipolar disorder as a chronic — and manageable — health condition.
I’ve been well for much of the last decade and hope to be well for the majority of my life.
Today, I feel healthy and more authentically like myself than I ever have before.
Over time, I’ve been able to do deep work towards radical self-acceptance, my flaws and struggles included.
Centuries ago, my son’s namesake, Rumi, wrote: “The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Our struggles can become the source of our superpowers and come to define who we are.
They also show us our own capacity for vulnerability and strength. That we can endure — and overcome — hard things.
Crucially, by walking through the full spectrum of human experience, we gain true empathy — and we learn how to support others through their most vulnerable moments.
I know without a doubt that experiencing bipolar disorder has made me a vastly better doctor, leader, colleague, partner, parent, family member, and friend.
I am not who I am today despite having bipolar disorder. In fact, I am who I am because of it.
If you feel comfortable, join me: use #SpreadTheLight to share *your* story — or your thoughts on mental health more broadly.
It’s 2022. We don’t have to hide in the shadows anymore. Let’s shine a light on our stories — of illness AND wellness — and embrace our full, authentic selves.
Gun violence became the leading cause of death for kids 1-19 years in 2020. New data released this week show it's since become worse.
It's well past time to address this uniquely American heartbreak with common-sense gun safety laws.
#drdevikab #publichealth #gunsafety #childhealth #parenting
“Hiding the Broccoli in the Mashed Potatoes: How to Talk About Mental Health Without Talking About Mental Health.” Thanks for the inspiration @joelrelampagos and we miss you this year @doctorsuevarma . Humbled to moderate this incredible panel @apapsychiatric .
• Ashanti Branch, Founder @everforwardclub
• Dr. Devika Bhushan, Former Acting Surgeon General
of California
• Dr. Mena Mirhom, Chief Wellbeing Officer @athletesforhope
#apaam26
2 doctors and 4 people with bipolar sharing most common bipolar disorder myths
#bipolar #mentalhealthawarenesmonth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mania
We'll be kicking off this year's American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting with a rousing panel:
Hiding the Broccoli in the Mashed Potatoes: How to Talk about Mental Health without Talking about Mental Health
Honored to share the stage with an incredible group of leaders in this space.
We hope to see you there!
#mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #apaam #mentalhealthadvocacy #youarenotalone❤️
Mothers are often told they are “the backbone of society,” but backbones are supposed to be supported, not endlessly strained until they break.
This isn’t about whether motherhood is beautiful, meaningful, or worth it. Of course it is.
It’s about recognizing that millions of caregivers are carrying enormous physical, emotional, logistical, and financial loads in systems that often make thriving feel impossible.
And yet they still show up. Every single day.
They pack lunches while mentally managing appointments. They soothe little nervous systems while neglecting their own. They create safety, stability, warmth, and joy while running on exhaustion and invisible labor.
The solution cannot just be “celebrate moms harder once a year.”
What would it look like to build communities, workplaces, healthcare systems, and policies that actually support caregiving year-round?
Because when mothers are supported, children do better. Families do better. Communities do better. Everyone does better.
Caregiving is not a side issue. It is foundational societal work.
Happy Mother’s Day to the women carrying more than most people will ever fully see.
#mothersday #happymothersday #happymothersday2026
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but:
SSRIs, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, SUD treatment and stimulants are nothing short of lifesaving brain health interventions
#drdevikab #mentalhealthmatters #ssris #mentalhealth #ssri
My top 5 tools for managing bipolar disorder — and mental health more generally:
1) UV light
2) Intermittent fasting + ketogenic diet
3) Consistent, early bedtime
4) Strength training 2x/week — and yoga 1-2x/week
5) Meaningful connection
What are yours?
#mentalhealth #bipolar #mentalhealthmatters #drdevikab #bipolardisorder
We can acknowledge that the mental health system isn’t working without dismantling one of the few supports people currently have.
Kids don’t need fewer options, they need more access, earlier support, and systems that actually function before crisis hits.
Right now, we’re asking families to navigate long waitlists, limited specialists, financial strain, and stigma…and then calling it “solution-focused” to remove treatment options?
That’s not root cause analysis. That’s avoidance.
Mental health care should not begin in the emergency room.
Families deserve timely, accessible, preventive support.
Clinicians need time and resources to actually care for patients, not just triage crises.
And patients deserve care plans based on individual needs, not ideology.
If you are worried about this too:
-Advocate for systems that add support, not subtract it.
-Push for policies that improve access, reduce barriers, and address the environments kids are growing up in.
-Challenge narratives that stigmatize treatment instead of expanding it.
Because real change doesn’t come from removing tools.
It comes from building systems that actually help.
