What Barriers Prevent Physicians from Seeking Mental Health Care?

Although physicians should recognize the value of obtaining treatment, they often are the most reluctant to access medical care and frequently receive poorer care than other patients (e.g., fewer laboratory tests, less rigorous medical evaluations). Some physicians simply may not interpret their symptoms as indicative of distress. Instead, they attribute their feelings to general stress or burnout, which they may view as typical among their colleagues and thus unworthy of intervention. This further underscores the need for widespread education about physician suicide and its warning signs. Among physicians, risk for suicide increases when mental health conditions go unaddressed, and self-medication occurs as a way to address anxiety, insomnia or other distressing symptoms. This can lead to a tragic outcome.

In other cases, physicians recognize their distress but fail to seek care through a conscious choice, often influenced by a variety of factors, including:

• Privacy and confidentiality concerns
• Stigma
• Fear of losing or having restrictions placed on their medical license or other practice privileges
• Concerns about losing health, life ,disability and professional liability insurance
• Concerns about permanent documentation on their work or student records
• Concerns about subsequent professional advancement
• Lack of a primary care provider
• Lack of time
• Self-treatment
• Unaddressed mental health conditions, in the long run, are more likely to have a negative impact on a physician’s professional reputation and practice than reaching out for help early.
• The truth is that physicians who proactively address their mental health are better able to optimally care for patients and sustain their resilience in the face of stress.
• Mental health problems are best addressed by combining healthy self-care strategies (which should not include self-medicating) along with effective treatment for mental health conditions.

NDPHP is a program designed to facilitate the rehabilitation of healthcare providers with physicial or mental conditions that could compromise public safety.