We hope that, on this Valentine’s day when romantic love is celebrated, you got to spend some time with those you love. You are very loved by us here at Physicians Anonymous. So we wrote you all a little love poem.
Depending on which brand of English you speak, fine might be “awesome”, “doing great”, or “things could not be better”.
Often, however, “I’m fine” is just a throwaway term without meaning. If you are a physician, there’s a >6 in 10 chance you are NOT fine. Read on to find out more.
Few of us swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea. But all of us know, “First do no harm,” (which is actually a misquote from the Hippocratic Oath). The Oath underpins much of modern medical ethics and professionalism. Most of us ascribe to these broad principles, but in conversations with distressed colleagues, it is apparent that there are a minority of us who seem to be mired in hypocrisy rather than Hippocrates.
Research suggesting low rates of help-seeking behavior among physicians. Yet an encouraging recent study showed that some 70% of physicians would engage with a professional coach. We argue that this openness to coaching provides a much-needed support system and a potential solution to the current pandemic of physician burnout and suicide.
Physician self care is not selfish. It’s essential to thriving in medicine. This article will explore barriers to physician self care and help physicians develop self-care practices for their physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual health.
When things go wrong, it is easy to focus only on the “first victim” and forget those around them affected by the error – especially the clinician who made a mistake, also known as the “second victim” in medicine.
Imagine a world where no doctor needed to fear sanctions or discrimination for struggling mentally, particularly when the modern practice of medicine is so fraught with conditions causing moral distress. Here’s how to normalize physician mental health.
By the time we are finished our medical training, it’s too late. We have already absorbed or been infused with years of culture, tradition, attitude, and approaches to mental health. These attitudes are towards ourselves, our colleagues, and our patients. If we are to change the culture around physician mental health, we need to start with the doctors of tomorrow. Medical schools have a key role in tackling medical student mental health. And they should start yesterday.
Reach out to your loved ones, and be honest. Trust me, they will help you. You are loved in more ways than you can imagine, because you are one unique lovable bright spot in this world. So stay with us and shine on us. This a Physicians Anonymous co-founder’s story of how she lost a spouse to suicide.
Physician perfectionism and burnout are inextricably linked. Perfectionism in medicine is an unhealthy delusion that fuels not just burnout but mental illness and suicide in doctors. In this article, we explore the concept, causes, and dangers of perfectionistic thinking and behavior in doctors.
ED Doctor’s Burnout Story
ED Doctor’s Burnout Story
In this article we explore the impact of “pajama time” and physician burnout, and propose radical solutions like: stop working at home.
This article explores how we can solve physician burnout by changing the toxic healthcare system while also providing physicians with tools to help them recognize and treat burnout and other mental health challenges.
In Part 3, we explore the systemic causes leading to physician suicide. In so doing we hope to contribute to physician suicide prevention and highlight the toxic systemic issues that no amount of resilience training or individual risk factor modification can fix.
In Part 2, we explore the barriers to physicians seeking help and debunk these. In so doing we hope to contribute to physician suicide prevention, improve understanding of the-seeking contributors to the epidemic of physician suicide.
Why doctors die: Physician suicide prevention (1)
Here we have curated a series of validated questionnaires that will at least assist you in screening the commonest psychological problems in doctors, including physician burnout tests, depression tests, and scales for self-compassion and moral injury.
A note to the suicidal doctor from the heart of one who has been there and come through stronger.
In Part 2 of this series, we will look at further at the etiology of physician burnout, specifically the roles of medical training and leadership.
The epidemic of burnout among physicians and other healthcare professionals is here and it ain’t going away (yet). This article explores the key underlying causes of physician burnout and moral injury.
