Mental health and how it affects physicians
- Aspiring Doctors
- Aug 28, 2020
- 5 min read
By Harneet Bains & Renusree Chittella
What is mental health? We talk about it a lot, but do we know the true definition of our mentality? Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities. Mental health determines whether they can cope with their normal stresses of life, their work productivity, and their ability to contribute to their own community. Your mental health defines your mental illness, which is built upon many factors including stress, abuse, and trauma all of which determine one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Mental health is a common discussion topic because many adults and teenagers suffer from a mental disorder, or a mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression. About one in five Americans suffer from a common mental problem. Surprisingly, it is those who practice medicine that suffer from mental health problems. In fact, physicians make up the ratio of 1:5. However, this number is often overlooked and unknown to many because doctors and physicians are viewed with high standards. Stereotypically, people would replyingly exclaim, “they’re so successful! Why would they have mental problems?” Little do they realize that healthcare professionals experience mental health problems, regarding societal pressure, stress, past education, and debt.
Why is the Mental Well Being of Doctors Silenced?
We have all heard about the tremendous amount of effort it takes doctors to reach their success: 4 years of undergraduate school, another 4 years of medical school and then 2-7 years of residency. After putting in years worth of effort, doctors hope that their career life is rewarding. Unfortunately, many doctors in the United States aren’t rewarded with what they desire. Instead, they are faced with tedious working hours and consistent burnouts. In the United States, approximately 300 doctors turn to suicide every year because of the stress they face. Additionally, 74% of doctors claim that they have seen symptoms of burnout in their colleagues. Many doctors spend minimal amounts of time with their family because they often prioritize their career, which they worked earnestly for As a result of their efforts, they strive to place everything after their career, including their mental health, which is detrimental in the long run. After showing symptoms of a mental illness such as loss of interest, and social isolation, many doctors will still try to conceal their emotions just so they can still be viewed as a “successful role model” for their team. Hiding their emotions may initially seem to work, but it later starts to tear them apart from the inside out. Dr. Hassell once said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If doctors seek help in the early stages of their illness it would greatly decrease the suicide rate among physicians. Unfortunately, they value their prestige very highly and are unable to seek help until the damage becomes irreversible.
Why isn’t Mental Health a Priority for the Medical Community? Why is it Hard for Doctors to Receive Help?
Considering the hazardous work environment of a physician, the risk of suicide amongst these group of people is often overlooked. During their residency, doctors usually work 80 to 100 hours per week, whereas, in their post-residency, they work 60 to 80 hours per week. It’s rare to find time to focus on their mental health with such busy work schedules. In addition, the stigma around mental health and healthcare workers emphasizes professionalism and reputation. Many doctors fear that if people recognized their mental illnesses, they would lose the reputations they’ve earned. Moreover, doctors are people who took a vow to commit their lives to help others and by admitting to their mental illness they feel like they have lost their prestige.
Doctors around the world have used hashtags like #mentalhealthmatters and #doctorsmentalhealth on social media to get the public eye on this matter. On Instagram, @thementalhealthdoc quotes, “Even before Covid-19 came into light, doctors have been dealing with stress and mental health problems since time immemorial. Research shows that there are better patient outcomes and lesser mortality if the mental health of a doctor is looked after.” By talking about her own experiences, Dr. Monisha Mishra signified the importance of a healthcare professional’s mental health to prove that mental health is applicable to all physicians and must be addressed for the well being of society.
Along with physicians like Dr. Mishras, healthcare facilities have also brought up the misleading facts about a healthcare professional’s mental health, spreading positive and encouraging messages to local physicians. A post written by @synergywellnesshudson on Instagram states, “You’ve worked another long shift caring for very sick patients. Triumphant recoveries seem few and far between. It is tiring. It is stressful. You worry about your loved ones at home. You fear contacting the virus yourself. During such an unusually challenging time, it is critical that you recognize what stress looks like, take steps to build your resilience, and know where to turn for help.” Synergy Wellness Center’s post on Instagram brought attention towards the encouragement of receiving help. These posts aim to not only address the ongoing crisis with mental health deterioration within medical professionals, but also ways to recognize stress and how to handle it in a responsible way.
What Can You Do to Help?
There’s so many ways on how we as a society can help our local physicians and healthcare professionals, regarding their mental health. For starters, if you have a doctor in your family, talk to them; start a conversation with them about their mental health and the topic of mental health. When you talk to a doctor about their mental health, academics, or professional trajectory, make sure you don’t use triggering language, such as ‘burn-out.” Language like this seems offensive because it’ll focus on personal failure. Lastly, show care and empathy. It is a simple and humane action that will make the doctor or physician feel more appreciated.
In Conclusion...
After learning of the various factors that silenced and undermined the priority of doctors’ mental health, it is crucial that we, as a society, strive to educate ourselves and others to reduce the stigma around the mental health of medical professionals. As an act of empathy, we should acknowledge the health matters of those who devote hours for our well-being as well. This is the most valuable way we can give back to our society. The medical field already faces a lack of professionals due to high student debts, and unwillingness to dedicate many years of life to school. In addition, the harm of ignoring mental health is taking away more professionals. As humans who care for one another, we can’t let this topic slip out our hands, thus we must educate ourselves and those around us. So, let’s start today. #mentalhealthmatters.
Bibliography
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Peter Grinspoon, MD. “Physician Burnout Can Affect Your Health.” Harvard Health Blog, Peter Grinspoon, 22 June 2018, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/physician-burnout-can-affect-your-health-2018062214093.
Heller, Bill. “We Must Address the Mental Health Crisis Among Medical Professionals.” Medical News and Free CME Online, MedpageToday, 24 Feb. 2020, www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/generalprofessionalissues/85043.
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Mortillaro, Nicole. “'I've Never Been so Stressed': Health-Care Workers in COVID-19 Battle Face PTSD, Mental Health Issues | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 25 Mar. 2020, www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid19-doctors-ptsd-1.5507548.
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