Let’s Talk About Mental Health … in Hospital Staff
Mental health, in general, is a taboo topic — but it becomes even more so when it comes to doctors and nurses. Hospital staff encounter stressful situations every day on top of long hours.
Unlike other jobs, there’s no time to slack off. Some health care professionals barely get a break throughout their shift.
Medscape’s National Physician Burnout and Depression 2018 report includes some startling details — 42 percent of physicians feel burned out while 16 percent are colloquially depressed.
It’s time to talk about mental health in hospital staff and how to help professionals stay happy and healthy.
Common Mental Health Issues Among Doctors
As the report above shows, many physicians feel burned out, if not colloquially or clinically depressed. Intensivists and neurologists feel the greatest level of burnout, but family doctors aren’t too far behind.
Specialists who are less likely to work under emergency conditions, such as plastic surgeons, dermatologists and pathologists, felt the least amount of burnout.
What contributes to these mental health issues? Survey respondents said their job, finances and family were the top three reasons they felt depressed. Their depression manifested in these problems at work:
· Becoming easily exasperated with patients
· Feeling less engaged with patients
· Being less friendly with patients
· Not taking careful notes
· Expressing frustration in front of patients
· Making errors
Problems Among Nurses
Physicians aren’t the only ones with mental health issues — nurses also experience problems. Research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found more than 18 percent of nurses employed in hospitals showed signs of depression.
Many don’t seek treatment, as there’s a stigma associated with depression and nursing culture where nurses are supposed to help individuals with their problems, not the other way around. Failing to talk about mental health openly may be part of the reason nurses often suffer in silence.
When nurses neglect their own mental health, they open themselves up to physical health problems as well. Some of the more common issues include:
· Heart disease
· High blood pressure
· Asthma
· Obesity
· Premature death
One study found that poor mental health among nurses leads to medical errors. Nurses with poor health had a 26 to 70 percent higher likelihood of making a medical error, which can have deadly impacts.
How Can You Stay Happy and Healthy?
It’s important to find ways to stay happy and healthy while working as a doctor or nurse in a stressful environment.
For professionals, that can mean getting help for clinical depression and further breaking down the stigma by talking to family and friends. The first step is making an appointment with your physician, therapist, counselor or spiritual leader. They can help determine the best ways to treat your depression.
Sometimes you simply need to take a break to combat burnout. Try taking a day or two off if you notice you’re distracted or you’re neglecting your own self-care. Visit a family member or friend, go shopping, get a massage or exercise during your days off. Be sure to spend some time caring for yourself.
Also, take care to watch for signs of depression in yourself and others. Sadness, irritability, absenteeism, apathy and changes in sleeping habits can all play a role in depression.
You might even notice your love of medicine dwindles, not because you’re tired of the field itself, but because you’re feeling burned out in your current state.
Seek Treatment Today
If you’re suffering from mental health issues or one of your colleagues is, take the time to seek treatment options.
You’ll feel better physically and mentally, and your professional life will slowly get better too.
