Background: Concern about protecting patient privacy is proposed to be a barrier for physiccians to talk about emotional distress from their professional experiences. This makes it difficult for many physicians to utilize and fully benefit from different network of social support. The subjective burden of confidentiality is reported to be associated with physician's health and wellbeing. Aims: To gain knowledge about factors in the in personal and professional sphere that can be associated with the subjective burden of confidentiality. Methods: Qualitative semistructured interviews with 14 general practitioners and hospital physicians in Norway. Examination of transcribed verbatim interviews using qualitative content analysis. Results: The subjective burden of confidentiality is likely linked with factors such as perception of professional role, social support from colleagues, partners and friends; size of patient population, organizational factors and work environment, and the overlap between personal and professsional relationships. Conclusions: Addressing the interaction of emotional demands and patient confidentiality is important to study successful coping with distress from physician's professional experiences.