Doctor depression a concern, report says

TORONTO — A majority of the country’s doctors report having good mental health overall, but a significant proportion report experiencing burnout, depression and even thoughts of suicide, a survey by the Canadian Medical Association suggests.

Results of the national online survey completed by 2,547 physicians and 400 medical residents found reported rates of burnout and depression were higher among residents than practising physicians and more prevalent among female doctors than their male counterparts.

“Poor physician health not only affects physicians individually, but studies have shown it can have an impact on patient care,” said CMA president Dr. Gigi Osler, a Winnipeg ear, nose and throat surgeon.

While 82 per cent of physicians and residents indicated they had high resilience, more than one in four reported elevated levels of burnout and one in three screened positive for depression, the report released Wednesday found.

Medical residents were 48 per cent more likely to report burnout and 95 per cent more likely to screen positive for depression than all other physician groups, the survey showed. Doctors in practice for 31 years or longer reported the highest sense of emotional, social and psychological well-being.

Female physicians were more likely to report burnout and screen positive for depression, compared to their male colleagues. But women doctors also reported having higher emotional and psychological well-being than men in the profession.

“For years we have been focusing on the individual physicians,” Osler said in an interview Wednesday. “Eat well. Exercise. Sleep well. Do some mindfulness training. You’ve got to make yourself more resilient.

“And they have been doing that, but we’re still seeing these high levels of burnout. So I think that means the issues and the drivers are deeper than just individuals.”

Dr. Murray Erlich, a retired Toronto psychiatrist who now works with doctors and others as a life coach, said he was alarmed to learn that 19 per cent of respondents had experienced thoughts of suicide at some point in their lives.

The survey found that while 81 per cent of respondents reported being aware of the availability of physician health services, only 15 per cent reported accessing them in the previous five years.

Among the most cited reasons for not seeking such services were beliefs that their situation wasn’t severe enough and being ashamed to ask for help.

“Stigma exists,” said Erlich. “And I think there’s fear of embarrassment and shame,” he said, adding that there also can be professional repercussions from having a mental health issue, including potential actions by a provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons that could affect a doctor’s ability to practice.