MT. JULIET, Tenn (WTVF) — With a new project, a team is looking to bring to light the mental struggles common in one profession.
"Once I decided to be a veterinarian, this is all I ever wanted to do," said Dr. Noel Lucas of Blue Oasis Pet Hospital in Mt. Juliet.
Dr. Lucas will tell you it takes an uncommon compassion to do this kind of work, an uncommon devotion to helping animals.
"When we can't fulfill that mission, it ends up causing us to have a lot of maybe mental health issues," she said.
"We had pets that are aging, and we were spending so much time with our vet," said Marie Barnas.
Marie and Frank Barnas teach at Middle Tennessee State University and are documentary filmmakers. It was in conversations with Cacey Frazier in their vet's office, that their eyes were opened to the realities veterinarians face.
"I'm a practice manager at Brogli Lane Weaver and Alexander Hospital in Murfreesboro," Cacey said. "We take on things that end up being very emotionally taxing for ourselves."
"The AVMA and the CDC did a study back in 2019, and they found that male veterinarians had double the risk of suicide than the general public and females had triple," said Marie.
"We deal with death unfortunately very routinely in our profession," Dr. Lucas added. "We have access unfortunately to drugs that put animals to sleep."
"If you stay in a dark spot too long, you can go to a cabinet and take care of it," Cacey added. "Marie said, 'Cacey, we have to make this into something people know about.'"
"We do documentaries," Marie added. "If I didn't know about this, the general public surely doesn't know about this."
That's what Marie and Frank have done. Their documentary "The Cost of Caring" is an honest look at mental health in the veterinary world.
It's about to be seen on public television stations across the country and a free screening at the Belcourt is set for Dec. 9. Though the screening is free, a space must be reserved with a ticket. For more on the screening, visit here.
Dr. Lucas is featured in the film and is proud to bring a broader focus to something long a concern in her community.
"I do see it, and I want people to know about it," she said. "It's okay to talk about this."
"People think veterinarians come to work, and they play with cute puppies and kittens all day," Marie said.
"When you dig down into what they're feeling and what happens every day with them, it's a totally different story," Frank added.
"I'm really proud of the fact I'm on the team of people that gets to bring such a difficult conversation into the light," Cacey said.
Another example of how one person can truly make a difference. And the best part - we all can help! As a nurse, Laura handles emergencies every day. But nothing could prepare her for the emergency that brought her hometown to its knees. From her current home in Tennessee, she's mobilizing aid and supplies for Helene survivors and is helping make their recovery easier and their holidays brighter. I hope you take a moment to watch her story - you might even feel inspired to lend a helping hand.
-Rebecca Schleicher
