Why Do Physicians Need to Prioritize Mental Health? Understanding Burnout

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Physicians Need Mental Health Resources as Well

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to more doctors feeling a sense of burnout, clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin tells SurvivorNet.
While doctors are great and recognizing symptoms of anxiety and depression in their patients, many struggle to recognize symptoms in themselves.
There is also, unfortunately, a stigma attached to medical professionals seeking mental health treatment.
However, there are programs available, like Caring for Caregivers, that can match medical professionals with the best therapists to fit their needs.

After years of treating patients amid a global pandemic, many doctors are reporting that they feel a sense of burnout or have more difficulty coping with their day-to-say tasks than they did before Covid-19. While doctors may be good at detecting signs of anxiety, depression, or burnout in their patients, it can be much more difficult to recognize those symptoms in themselves.

“If you are starting to feel as if you don’t have the patience to hear your patients’ stories and you’re finding that you’re more irritable in the room with a patient, those are really important feelings to pay attention to,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist, explained to SurvivorNet. “It does mean that we’ve sustained burnout and possibly underlying depression for quite a bit of time, and it does need to be addressed.”

Dr. Strongin recommends taking stock of what may be causing these feelings. “Doctors are really good at assessing depression and anxiety in their patients, but seeking out help for themselves has been proven to be very difficult for them and I think that’s for a variety of reasons,” she added.

There are some common roadblocks that often get in the way of physicians seeking mental health treatment, Dr. Stongin said, including:

Lack of a clear path to seeking treatment
Failure to realize a need for treatment
Getting treatment has a stigma attached to it

But fortunately, there are programs in place to help medical professionals get the mental health treatment they need. One of those programs is called Caring for Caregivers, and it matches doctors with a therapist that can meet their specific needs.

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Dr. Marianna Strongin is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy Psychology. She specializes in mood disorders, life transitional issues, and relationship problems. Read More

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