With their vast knowledge and ability to heal, doctors are commonly hailed as heroes. When their work saves lives, they can almost be considered to have superhuman powers. But with this idolization of physicians, a prominent problem is often overlooked – clinical depression in the healthcare field.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, male physicians are 70% more likely to commit suicide compared to their counterparts of other occupations, and when looking at female physicians, that number rises up to 400%.
When making closer observations on the lives of those who work or are pursuing a job in healthcare, this statistic isn’t as striking. Dr. Copley, an internal medicine resident, recalls working 30-hour shifts during her residency. Hectic work schedules coupled with an environment characterized by illness and death can also contribute to this downward spiral; substance abuse and high rates of divorce are also found among physicians.
Image Source: Peter Dazely
The stigma of mental illness may contribute to doctors postponing treatment. Although great strides are being made to treat mental disorders like any other health issue, notions of weakness or lack of self control can still be found. As a result, doctors may be scared to face a diagnosis of mental illness because they might be placed within certain stereotypes or be taken less seriously when seen as a mentally unstable healthcare professional. Doctors have a reputation to live up to, and this can work adversely in the face of mental health.
As physicians, we’re trained to block out our own personal emotional issues and focus on our patients, our patients’ families and others, and a lot of doctors are not going to talk about things that they think others may view as weak or vulnerable because they think, ‘We’re the doctors and we’re supposed to fix people, not need help ourselves.’
-Daniel E. Wolf, D.O., psychiatrist
However, these statistics don’t equate to a homogeneous fate for all healthcare professionals. Being able to balance personal and work life is important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Being able to take time off to partake in leisurely activities can also reduce the stress of everyday life. Doctors should not be ashamed of problems with mental health, because despite their ‘superpowers’, they are still human.
And as more attention is brought to this issue, doctors will be more encouraged to face their mental illnesses head on. It should be viewed not as a hindrance to one’s ability to reach success, but as simply another hurdle among the many that are pursuing a medical career, and a hurdle that can be conquered with the right help and treatment.
As medical student Stefan Wheat said, “As healers, we should be conscious of the awesome responsibility we have to our patients, but we must also tend to our own frailties.”
