Let’s #JHMChat About Physicians’ Mental Health

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By Michelle Brooks, MD  |  October 25, 2021 | 

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Week, October’s #JHMChat focused on physicians’ mental health. It was inspired by this article from the Journal of Hospital Medicine, centered on Dr. Justin Bullock’s personal experience with seeking treatment for his mental illness. His account was the backdrop of the article’s discussion of what happens when physicians disclose and put their trust in the system to support their mental health-related needs.

The institutional challenges of supporting physicians with mental health disorders, promoting patient safety, and minimizing liability are difficult. Healthcare organizations often fall short in terms of providing substantive resources for physicians, such as swift access to mental health professionals and appropriate workplace accommodations. We invited the authors of the article, Dr. Justin Bullock, Dr. Lisa Meeks, and Dr. Leigh Kimberg, to join us for the discussion.

Many participants thought that medical culture has made strides in prioritizing mental health equally with physical health but acknowledged that there is still a stigma surrounding physicians with mental health disorders that may prevent appropriate help-seeking behaviors. Resident participants noted that scheduling or attending regular therapy appointments is also challenging.

Participants also shared thoughts on systemic barriers and facilitators to supporting physicians’ mental health and echoed Dr. Bullock’s experience that state licensing paperwork, fitness-for-duty evaluations, and institutional lack of mental health resources continue to be barriers. During the chat, participants also raised the issue of the reluctance to call out for mental illness due to burden on coworkers for inherently tough-to-cover schedules. Dr. Lisa Meeks promoted opt-out counseling programs as a proactive way to normalize therapy and allow for more frequent check-ins. For residents, ensuring safety and confidentiality through a provider who is not involved in assessments/evaluations and increasing sessions after emotionally taxing rotations is an important strategy.

Participants observed that the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the public’s awareness of healthcare workers’ mental health issues but acknowledged that mental illness and burnout had been an issue long before the pandemic.

The final topic posed the question raised by the article: “How can we create systems that are informed by a genuine understanding of suffering to promote healing and avoid re-traumatization?” Common themes included reorganizing systems to allow experts in mental health, substance use disorders, and disability to inform the fitness-for-duty process and state licensure requirements reform.

Mental health awareness will continue to be an important focus for hospitalists and healthcare systems, especially with increasing concern over healthcare workers leaving their occupations and the alarming rates of physician suicide. Critical thought and reformation about systemic and institutional barriers to physicians’ mental health is crucial to overcome these barriers and could be lifesaving.

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2 Comments

  1. Smith January 5, 2022 at 3:53 am - Reply

    Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.

  2. Raina's Zeal January 5, 2022 at 3:55 am - Reply

    Talk about your feelings. Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. Keep active. Eat well.

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About the Author: Michelle Brooks, MD

Michelle Brooks, MD is an associate professor and academic hospitalist in the Division of Hospital Medicine at VCU Health in Richmond, VA.

Dr. Brooks is an award-winning clinician educator with expertise on incorporating technology and social media in medical education for residents and students. Dr. Brooks was an essential part of the team that implemented the I-PASS handoff structure to VCU Health as the site lead for the Society of Hospital Medicine’s mentored implementation project, which was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she assisted in planning for surge capacity, developing resident and physician resources, and transforming a general medicine unit into an intensive care unit.

She also serves as a Digital Media fellow for the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

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