TOP DOCTORS
Dr. Barry Mills —
When Battling Cancer, How Much Is Mind Over Matter?
C
52
ancer treatments can be hard on your body with the
fatigue, weakness, hair loss and nausea. But, it’s the
toll that cancer can take on the emotions, the spirit that
is not easy to spot, but is definitely something to consider
before, during and after the diagnosis.
Enter Dr. Barry J. Mills of Worth Treatment Center
who is fighting cancer in a different way than other docs
in this section. Dr. Mills’s practice is mainly in psycho-
pharmacology or managing the increasing array of medi-
cations for different mental conditions, including anxiety
and depression. With his years of experience in the field,
Dr. Mills knows firsthand how important a healthy mind
is when on the road to recovery.
“Our mind has a huge impact on our body and
immune system; addressing the inevitable grief and stress
that comes with cancer is essential to recovery,” Dr. Mills
said.
Originally from Texas, he spent the last two decades
teaching at numerous universities, including Harvard
Medical School. He returned home to open his own prac-
tice with his wife and his boy Willy — a certified therapy
dog who sits in on sessions with most of his patients in
the office.
Dr. Mills completed medical school at the University
of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and his
psychiatry residency at the UTHSC-San Antonio where he
received the Outstanding Senior Resident Award. He is
licensed as a physician and board certified in psychiatry
by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Mills entered into medicine for many reasons,
including the simple fact that he liked both science and
school, many years of school to be accurate. He got into
his specialty because of a movie that forever changed his
life, and some good advice.
“I happened to see the Silence of the Lambs movie
one weekend and I was forever hooked on the human
mind,” he said. “I had a number of great mentors and
got good advice, such as make sure to do something you
love, because being a physician means working very long
hours, missing birthday parties and being with patients at
some of the best and worst moments of their lives. There
are other jobs that are more lucrative and easier on the
soul.”
Besides teaching at Harvard, an offer that he could
not refuse, Dr. Mills founded the Psychiatric Emergency
Department of Austin’s Brackenridge Hospital and served
as Residency Training Director for the University of Texas
Dell Medical School.
While exercise and nutrition are both great steps to
take to help ward off cancer, taking time for yourself, Dr.
Mills says, can be an excellent preventative measure to
cancer.
“Life has a terrible way of occupying every minute
with work, responsibilities and tasks — the most impor-
tant moments will pass you by before you realize they
are gone. Put down that cigarette. Surprise your wife
with a date night. Hug your kids more. Take that vaca-
tion. Breathe,” he said.
Even with our advanced medical care, Dr. Mills
worries that the change in affordability for many will have
an impact on their care.
“I worry a lot about our health system; in most cases
our country provides the most scientifically advanced
medical care in the world, but there are too many gaps,
big gaping holes, especially around affordability and cost-
effectiveness. The best medication in the world does not
help if you cannot access it,” he said.
Dr. Mills has been honored with awards including the
American College of Psychiatrists Laughlin Fellowship
and the Rappaport Fellowship from the American
Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. He has been a
Harvard Faculty Teaching Award nominee and an editor
for the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
When he needs to de-stress, he enjoys riding motor-
cycles and writing.
“A little chocolate isn’t too bad, either.”