Dr. Yifrah Kaminer is not your “typical” doctor.

He has an unapologetic sense of humor, which he likens to a blend of ‘Monty Python’ and ‘Seinfeld’. He never wore lab coats or blazers when he was on faculty at Brown University. And turning a common narrative trope on its head — where a young man with high potential spurns his parents wishes to go to medical school in pursuit of a dream in show business — he said in a recent interview he’d eventually like to go down the path of becoming a standup comedian in the latter half of his life.

In some ways, Kaminer’s embrace of the lighter side of life via his sense of humor and innate sense of whimsy makes perfect sense, considering the career he built as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

The Barrington resident (he lives right on the border of Riverside, he specified) spent many years working at Bradley Hospital, specializing on youth and adolescents with high risk behaviors with an emphasis on addictive behaviors, assessment, treatments, and specifically focusing on depression and suicidal behavior within that age range. He has written multiple textbooks on the subject and authored multiple peer-reviewed studies. He is currently a member of the University of Connecticut faculty.

As a result, Kaminer has seen firsthand the drastic increase in depression and suicide rates among young people throughout his career, exacerbated by an ongoing opioid epidemic that has wrapped up thousands of children into cycles of addiction, high-risk behavior, and early deaths through accidental or purposeful overdoses.

“Depression rates and suicide rates have been climbing constantly for more than 20 years now. And it’s kind of scary. Even when you look at the 90s and compare the statistics of depression and to what’s happening right now, rates have doubled,” he said. “Officially, every fifth adolescent in the United Stated qualifies for major depressive disorder. This is huge, and of course this also increases the likelihood of suicidal behavior and the use of drugs. So it all kind of lumps together, and we need more resources and we need more facilities and we need more professionals.”

So partially as a release, but also because he just enjoys the work, Kaminer has most recently taken to the world of creative fiction targeting families with young children.

Through the small, independently-owned Stillwater River Publications (based out of West Warwick), Kaminer recently published his third children’s book, “Elijah PolitiKally InKorreKt Prophet: Future/Past”, which draws inspiration from the Biblical prophet Elijah, who was said to be a harbinger of the messiah in dark times.

“All the letter ‘Cs’, I changed to Ks…Because it is politically incorrect and so it is also grammatically incorrect,” he said.

The book takes place in modern New England, beginning when state police stop someone who has parked in the breakdown lane on I-95 near the Massachusetts border.

“He looks like Gandalf from ‘Lord of the Rings’ and he has a staff and is wearing this old robe…He says he is Elijah the Prophet,” Kaminer said. “It’s two days before Halloween, so either it’s a prank or the guy is unfortunately on drugs or having psychotic, grandiose delusions. Or, option three, what if it is the real thing?”

Not knowing what to do with the strange character, the police have him hospitalized in a psychiatric unit, where the rest of the story unfolds.

“I won’t tell you the end, but let’s call it a mystical, psychological drama with some environmental implications and leave it that way,” Kaminer said.

Kaminer’s first foray into this world was “The Secret of the Chocolate Tree”, which strives to bridge a connection between children from all over the world regarding their love of sweet treats. He published that in December of 2022. That was followed up by “Alice's Lost Time Wonder”, a sort of sequel to the famed “Alice in Wonderland”, which he published in the summer of 2023.

“I actually wrote in my introduction asking forgivingness and apologizing to the late Lewis Carrol for my audacity to write a sequel to my most favorite book,” Kaminer said with a laugh. “But the idea is, what would happen if you had a chance 20 years after your childhood to re-experience certain experiences as an adult?”

Asked if the children’s book writing was a way to escape the dark implications of his career work, Kaminer had an interesting take.

“I think it’s a combination of a certain level of spirituality that is kind of anchored in nature, but also in Biblical references, philosophy, and some keen observations of the world we live in and what is going on,” he said. “René Descartes said ‘I think therefore I am’…I would like people to think. It’s definitely a combination of some spiritual issues, trying to think outside of the box and outside of the world and share it with people and make them think and also enjoy, and also use my dark sense of humor.”

In addition to trying to inspire young children with his work, he had words of encouragement for any creative people who are thinking about pursuing those dreams as well.

“Express yourself. Don’t be shy or worry about how it will work…Write your thing, look at the product, and then maybe talk to someone who is more professional on how to organize it, how to work on the grammar and the style. But first of all, get it out. Get the lead out, and then see what’s happening. Just go for it. It’s good for your mental health,” he said. “It’s so important in life to be fulfilled.”