Physician Mental Health: Where to Intervene? A Framework and a Pilot Survey of Psychiatrists

‘Delivering race equality’ is a 5-year action plan for tackling race inequalities in mental healthcare in England and Wales, based on the main themes of improved services, better community engagement and better information. The perception is that clinical teams have not been sufficiently engaged with the plan and progress is slow. This article shares insights from the author's work across government departments over the past 2 years and explores the potential for linking up different initiatives across the patient care pathway in support of the plan's delivery. A summary of conclusions from a pilot survey of consultant psychiatrists, commissioned by the Department of Health in June 2007, addresses the main controversial areas in the action plan, with suggestions for improvement. Areas for clinical engagement are identified that exploit new funding, investment and policy initiatives. Examples of good practice are offered.

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Physician Mental Health: An Evidence-Based Approach to Change

Journal of Medical Regulation ◽

10.30770/2572-1852-104.2.7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 7-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Christine Moutier

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Medical Profession ◽

Critical Role ◽

Individual Risk ◽

Stigma Reduction ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Policies And Procedures ◽

Physician Mental Health ◽

Individual Risk Factors

Awareness of high rates of physician burnout, depression and suicide is leading to changes within the medical profession at all levels. Most mental health problems can be effectively managed, but real and perceived barriers — such as confidentiality concerns and fear of negative ramifications on one's reputation, licensure, or hospital privileging — keep many physicians from addressing their mental health needs. Unattended distress has ramifications for physicians as well as the health care industry and patient safety. A number of factors contribute: in addition to individual risk factors and stress load, institutional culture plays a critical role in leading physicians to rationalize and internalize distress as part of their professional identity. There are several initiatives with demonstrated effectiveness in medical settings that can be scaled up for greatest impact: education and stigma reduction efforts, policies and procedures that treat mental health on par with physical health, and efforts that promote an overarching culture of respect. Further strides can be made by addressing hospital and state licensing forms' questions related to mental health — ensuring that questions pertain to competence rather than illness — or replacing questions altogether with a statement encouraging proactive actions to protect physician mental health and safe practice.

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Prioritizing Physician Mental Health as COVID-19 Marches On

JAMA ◽

10.1001/jama.2020.5205 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 323 (22) ◽

pp. 2235 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jennifer Abbasi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physician Mental Health

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Physician-Friendly States for Mental Health: A Comparison of Medical Licensing Boards

Qualitative Research in Medicine & Healthcare ◽

10.4081/qrmh.2019.8649 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Pamela Wible ◽

Arianna Palermini

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Illness Experience ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Physician Mental Health ◽

Confidentiality And Privacy

Do medical boards undermine physician mental health by breaching physician confidentiality and privacy? We analyze the initial medical licensing process in each state to determine if qualified applicants who report mental illness experience discrimination. We then identify the most favorable states for physician mental health.

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Analysis of Urban Forest Healing Program Expected Values, Needs, and Preferred Components in Urban Forest Visitors with Diseases: A Pilot Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010513 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 513

Author(s):

Kwang-Hi Park

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Physical Stability ◽

User Survey ◽

High Demand ◽

Pilot Survey ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Expected Values

Although the effectiveness of urban forest therapy has been studied and proven, most people are not well aware of the positive healing effects of urban forests that are easily accessible in daily life compared to the known healing effect of forests located outside urban areas. In addition, there has been a study on the analysis of urban forest healing program needs in the general population, but there is a lack of evidence on the expected values and needs of urban forest healing for people with diseases. Therefore, this pilot survey aimed to investigate the expected values, needs, and preferred components of urban forest healing programs in urban forest visitors with disease via an online user survey and see if there were any differences in the purpose of the urban forest visits and expected values of urban forest healing depending on the type of disease. The survey was conducted on 294 urban forest visitors with diseases. About 79% of respondents agreed with the healing effects of urban forest, however most respondents expected healing effects on mental health rather than on physical health (“mood change” was the highest with score of 4.43/5, followed by “reliving stress” (4.35/5) and “mental and physical stability” (4.31/5)). In addition, more than 82.0% of respondents agreed to participate in the program if a healing program for disease was developed. The results of the current pilot survey indicate that the purpose of the urban forest visits and expected values of urban forest healing were largely not different by the type of disease, and people with disease had a relatively lower awareness and lower expected values of urban forest healing effects on physical health, but high demand for the program. Urban forest therapy programs should be developed based on the specific clinical characteristics of the disease to maximize the effectiveness of the program. Additionally, policies should be implemented to promote the beneficial effects of urban forest healing not only for mental health but also for physical health.

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Consistency Between State Medical License Applications and Recommendations Regarding Physician Mental Health

JAMA ◽

10.1001/jama.2021.2275 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 325 (19) ◽

pp. 2017

Author(s):

Daniel Saddawi-Konefka ◽

Ariel Brown ◽

Isabella Eisenhart ◽

Katharine Hicks ◽

Eileen Barrett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physician Mental Health ◽

Medical License

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Emergency physician mental health during the subacute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2020.442 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rodrick Lim ◽

Huma Ali ◽

Rachel Gagnier ◽

Michelle Marlborough ◽

Sandra Northcott

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emergency Physician ◽

Subacute Phase ◽

Physician Mental Health

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Naturopathic Doctors’ Perspectives on Mental Health and Psychiatric Drugs: Results of a Pilot Survey

Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1891/1559-4343.16.1.29 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

Jonathan E. Prousky

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Positive Outcome ◽

Pilot Survey ◽

Naturopathic Medicine ◽

Psychiatric Drugs ◽

Psychoactive Effects ◽

First Time ◽

Specialized Mental Health

This pilot survey presents for the first-time naturopathic doctors’ (NDs) perspectives on mental health and psychiatric drugs. The survey only involved NDs practicing in North American jurisdictions (i.e., Arizona, Oregon, Washington State, and the Canadian province of British Columbia) that allow for psychiatric drug prescribing. Some 80 survey requests were e-mailed, and 21 respondents (about 26%) completed the survey. The results showed that NDs see many patients having mental health complaints and tend not to favor prescribing psychiatric drugs. The results also showed that most NDs believe that psychiatric drugs work by having psychoactive effects, that psychiatric drugs are not effective long-term treatments, that they are not safe and effective when prescribed to children, and that they are not safe for pregnant women. Most NDs also reported that psychotherapy and psychosocial treatments are effective by themselves and do not require the addition of psychiatric drugs to improve outcomes. With respect to understanding psychiatric disorders, most NDs did not subscribe to the notion of brain disorders and also felt psychiatric diagnoses to be ineffective. The overarching positive outcome from this very preliminary investigation is that with these added prescriptive privileges, most NDs have maintained their holistic, humane, and ecological orientation to understanding human suffering and health, which best exemplifies and differentiates naturopathic medicine from other forms of primary and specialized mental health care.

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