Help for the Helpers: resources for physicians dealing
with mental illness and burnout
Incidences of mental illness, burnout, and defection are
increasing among physicians and healthcare workers as the COVID-19 pandemic
continues1. More-so than simple overburdening and overworking, this
intense wave of burnout in healthcare practitioners is reportedly tied to large
amounts of collective trauma in the field. It’s difficult adjusting healthcare practices
to cater to folks who are at-risk and dying rapidly while also trying to keep
yourself and your loved ones safe.
The difficulty in navigating exacerbated workloads,
dangerous health conditions, and restructuring of everything from single floors
in a hospital to entire care networks has led to a sense of exhaustion and
feelings of being overwhelmed. The pandemic exacerbated an already stressed
system of workers, burnout in medicine was rising rapidly2.
Interviews and studies conducted in the field relating to healthcare worker
burnout were chronicled by Time, finding most prominently:
“According to an April 2021 survey conducted by Kaiser Family
Foundation and the Washington Post, frontline health care workers’ mental
health has taken a hit. Of the respondents, 62% said that worry or stress
related to the coronavirus has had a negative impact on their mental health,
and 55% say they feel burned out when going to work.
But the term burnout doesn’t seem big enough to encompass all
the trauma and heartache caregivers have witnessed, or the challenges it could
create for the health care system moving forward1.”
Now, more than all but a few times before, if ever, we as a
society find ourselves desperately reliant on the healthcare workers, who find
themselves more taxed and intensely overwhelmed, leaving in record amounts. So
how can we help? A plethora of resources have sprung up in support of doctors
and other healthcare professionals. You will find some listed below to check
out for help, resources, and information.
Peer support programs for doctors: https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/module/2767766
Physician support line: https://www.physiciansupportline.com/#:~:text=Physician%20Support%20Line%20is%20a,navigate%20the%20COVID%2D19%20epidemic.&text=1%2D888%2D409%2D0141.
Programs listed by state: https://www.fsphp.org/state-programs
National Alliance on Mental Illness Frontline Worker
support: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Frontline-Professionals/Health-Care-Professionals
Resources from ACEP on how to advocate at a policy level: https://www.acep.org/federal-advocacy/mental-health/
Written by Jeremiah Ockunzzi, courtesy of Dr. Bart
Rademaker, MD.
1) https://time.com/6099936/doctor-burnout-pandemic/
