Meet Dr. James Campbell
Meet James Campbell, MD
The ArMA Member Spotlight this month is Dr. James Campbell. Dr. Campbell is a member of ArMA's 50 Year Club and practiced psychiatry in Glendale. He attended medical school at St. Louis University's School of Medicine.
Learn more about Dr. Campbell below!
What inspires you?
When I was five or six years old, I decided to become a doctor who worked with the mind. My maternal grandfather was a metaphysician, and I grew up listening to stories about his skills in treating illnesses. I was not certain whether I had his skills, but I thought I could learn some of them if I went into medicine. I did not learn the word psychiatrist until many years later.
What was the most memorable patient or event in your career?
Patients are memorable for many different reasons. I wrote a book — Rapid Relief from Emotional Distress — that essentially talks about all the things I learned from my patients. I like sharing these stories with other patients. One time, a man came into my office with a history of “raging every day" of his life that he could recall. He had been diagnosed by another psychiatrist with bipolar disorder and wanted a second opinion. The assessment revealed nothing supporting a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Over time, he was taught how to get rid of anger. When I saw him a month later (not on any medicine) he had not experienced a single episode of anger.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watch movies, spending time around horses, and traveling.
How did you meet your spouse?
Sharon runs my office. We have been together for nearly 50 years. She is the heart of my business.
What place would you most like to visit?
I would most like to visit Belize.
If you weren't a physician, what would you be up to right now?
I would likely be an osteopath or veterinarian.
How would you like people to remember you?
As the man that taught them how to not have psychological pain and keep their power.
What is one message you would give to your 18-year-old self?
"Stay the course."
What is the one accomplishment you’re most proud of?
I am proud of the fifty years of uninterrupted service I gave to my patients despite having some medical challenges.
What do you like best about living in Arizona?
I like the people I have served and the setting in which I have worked.
What prompted you to become involved in organized medicine?
Most of my service to organizations has been in the field of psychiatry. I was president at one time or another of most of the psychiatric organizations, and I was privileged to serve as a delegate and alternate delegate to the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association for a number of years.
Why is ArMA important to you and your colleagues?
For me, it was a link to the field of medicine as a whole.
