{"id":2433,"date":"2023-03-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdbc2.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/physician-mental-illness-and-depression-prevention\/"},"modified":"2023-03-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T05:00:00","slug":"physician-mental-illness-and-depression-prevention","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.mdbriefcase.com\/fr\/blog\/physician-mental-illness-and-depression-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Physician Mental Illness and Depression Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depression is a common disorder, and physicians and healthcare workers are especially at risk. A recent 2021 CMA National Physician Health Survey found that\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cma.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-08\/NPHS_final_report_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">48 percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of physicians are positive for depression, while\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cma.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-08\/NPHS_final_report_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">36 percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have thought about suicide at some point. Of those,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cma.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-08\/NPHS_final_report_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">14 percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> thought about it in the last 12 months. Like patients, physicians struggle with mental health issues for different reasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Stress and Mental Illness in Healthcare<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depression is a common mental health disorder and affects about\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/20786190.2019.1610232\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4.4 percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of people globally. However, doctors experience higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many possible factors contribute, including genetics, traumatic life events, grief, illness, and relationship breakdowns. For physicians and healthcare workers, stress is also a significant factor and is caused by:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavy workloads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constant exposure to patient illness, death, and emergencies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low emotional or other support<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High responsibility\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doctors and healthcare workers also tend to set high personal expectations out of fear of making mistakes and a deep desire and need to provide quality care. The result can be perfectionism, obsessiveness, and trouble unwinding from patients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this is not sustainable. Eventually many HCPs will start to disconnect and depersonalize to cope. These tactics can also lead to emotional exhaustion,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdbriefcase.com\/fr\/blog\/burnout-in-healthcare-workers-prevention-and-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">burnout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and a higher risk of mental illness and suicide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Promoting Mental Wellness in Healthcare<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing stress can help ease heightened emotions and psychological pressure and help you stay mentally well. To start, prioritize sleep. On-call shifts and long hours\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/policybase.cma.ca\/viewer?file=%2Fmedia%2FPolicyPDF%2FPD14-09.pdf#page=1&amp;search=&amp;phrase=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can cause<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a significant lack of sleep, leading to anger, hostility, and depression. Help your body adapt with scheduled naps, controlled exposure to daylight, and caffeine or short-term melatonin use to promote wakefulness or sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set limits with your work. Develop relaxation rituals to help clear your mind of work stress and take time for your friends, family, and hobbies. Schedule and take your holidays or ask for a reduced workload if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get help with other personal concerns, like troubling relationships, financial stress, or addiction. See your doctor for treatment or talk to your local physician&#8217;s health program for a referral.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Suicide Prevention for Physicians and Healthcare Workers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you might be trained to diagnose and treat mental illness, it\u2019s not always easy to spot your own symptoms. You might also feel shame or guilt about your condition, causing it to go undiagnosed for a long time. Recognizing the risks in yourself can help you recover earlier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect your mental health with these steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify suicidal thoughts. These are abnormal thinking patterns and are warning signs of risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Screen\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.camh.ca\/en\/health-info\/mental-illness-and-addiction-index\/suicide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your symptoms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Watch for:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Changes in mood and behaviour<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Withdrawal from your friends and family<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing use of substances<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Changes in sleeping patterns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeling helpless or hopeless<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get help. Contact your local\u00a0physician <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cma.ca\/support\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">health program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or talk to a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/talksuicide.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">crisis line<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Don\u2019t self-treat or self-medicate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that suicide is preventable. Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital if you are in crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Learn About Physician Wellness With MDBriefCase<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our mental health awareness content includes wellness for both patients and healthcare workers. Join the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdbriefcase.com\/fr\/user-account\/?action=eb_register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MDBriefCase<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> community for free and stay up-to-date on guidelines and accredited professional development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Depression is a common disorder, and physicians and healthcare workers are especially at risk. A recent 2021 CMA National Physician Health Survey found that\u00a048 percent of physicians are positive for depression, while\u00a036 percent have thought about suicide at some point. Of those,\u00a014 percent thought about it in the last 12 months. Like patients, physicians struggle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2434,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[64],"class_list":["post-2433","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deep-understandingfurther-educationlearning-and-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Physician Mental Illness and Depression Prevention - MDBriefCase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mdbriefcase.com\/fr\/blog\/physician-mental-illness-and-depression-prevention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Physician Mental Illness and Depression Prevention - MDBriefCase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Depression is a common disorder, and physicians and healthcare workers are especially at risk. A recent 2021 CMA National Physician Health Survey found that\u00a048 percent of physicians are positive for depression, while\u00a036 percent have thought about suicide at some point. Of those,\u00a014 percent thought about it in the last 12 months. 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