Mental health among clinicians: what do we know and what can we do?

Abstract

Mental health and mental health disorders among clinicians remain a taboo, despite increasing evidence showing the direct impact on medical teams and patient care. This editorial is aimed at increasing awareness of mental issues amongst healthcare professionals, identifying perceived barriers to seeking help, and suggesting ways in which to seek help. Mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, are prevalent from medical school, leading to increased burnout and suicide risks at later stages of a clinician’s career. There is often a reluctance to seek help, particularly amongst the surgical specialties, caused by self-criticism, lack of convenient access and the potential negative impact on medical licensure. This editorial has been written in loving memory of our colleague, friend and board member Dr. Nikolaus Veit-Rubin, who sadly passed away at the beginning of the year. It is written in the hope of highlighting the importance of maintaining mental wellbeing amongst the medical team, supporting help-seeking behaviour and changing attitudes toward mental health disorders amongst clinicians.

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…This suggests that suicide rates may be increased by pre-existing or emerging mental health conditions. In fact, it is estimated that the suicide rate among male clinicians is almost 1.5 times higher than that of female clinicians and 2.3 times higher than in the general population (11,18). Among female nurses, there are also higher suicide rates than in the general population (19).…”

A Telephone-Adapted Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program: Preliminary Effects among Healthcare Employees

“…Stress is common among healthcare employees [1][2][3], with rates of emotional distress and burnout increasing in recent years [4]. Given the substantial physical and emotional demands involved with providing and supporting high-quality patient care, it is unsurprising that healthcare employees can experience significant levels of anxiety, depression, and compassion fatigue [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. High distress among healthcare employees is not only linked to poorer individual health outcomes [8], but also to poorer work performance and patient care and outcomes as well [8][9][10][11].…”

“…High distress among healthcare employees is not only linked to poorer individual health outcomes [8], but also to poorer work performance and patient care and outcomes as well [8][9][10][11]. Thus, addressing healthcare employee stress and psychological well-being is a critical issue that has garnered increasing attention [5,6,12].…”

“…This may be due in part to barriers and other issues associated with the in-person format of MBSR. Many healthcare employees work long hours or have rotating shifts, which constrains one's ability to attend regular in-person programs [5]. In addition, healthcare employees may feel sensitive about the lack of anonymity when engaging in a personal growth or therapy program among work colleagues [5].…”

“…Many healthcare employees work long hours or have rotating shifts, which constrains one's ability to attend regular in-person programs [5]. In addition, healthcare employees may feel sensitive about the lack of anonymity when engaging in a personal growth or therapy program among work colleagues [5]. However, few studies have examined the utility of an adapted MBSR program that could address these challenges in a healthcare setting, where privacy and convenience might be heavily valued.…”