Peer program helps doctors discuss mental health stress
Vancouver anesthesiologist Dr. Asim Iqbal often thinks of two former colleagues who died by suicide while they worked together at a hospital in the U.K.
Their deaths seemed to “come out of the blue,” said Iqbal, who has become a volunteer with a program run by Vancouver Coastal Health to provide peer support to doctors.
“I can't help but wonder if this kind of program was there for them, could they have accessed it? Could it have helped?”
Iqbal, who took a job at Vancouver General Hospital at the tail end of COVID-19, agreed to share his story to raise awareness about national Mental Health Week, which ends today.
Studies have shown that about 90 per cent of doctors turn to other doctors when they need to talk to someone about an event at work.
The Vancouver Coastal program aims to provide a simple, confidential way for doctors to discuss the stress they're facing with other doctors who can refer them to help if needed.
“It's about listening with empathy,” said Iqbal.
The anesthesiologist was forced to take a hard look at how his job was affecting his health when he lost partial vision in his left eye in 2017. The vision loss was related to elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. He recovered when he made some adjustments to his usual attitude of “put your head down and carry on.” He also began to research peer support.
“When you're busy, it's easy to pretend nothing is going on,” he said. “People forget to do the things that bring them joy. Often it's about reminding people to look after themselves and to do the things that make them happy.”
The deaths of two of his colleagues, who took their own lives while they were working together at a hospital in England, also deeply affected him.
While one may have been traumatized after volunteering to work with COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic, the other didn't reach out to anyone and appeared totally normal, even on the day he died.
Iqbal said doctors are often critical of themselves when unexpected challenges arise.
“We always strive to be the best for our patients, but you can end up being a little critical of yourself,” he said.
COVID-19 also brought added stress, with “a lot of unknowns and uncertainty.”
Iqbal is one of about 40 physician peer supporters across the Vancouver Coastal region, which includes doctors from various specialties, including emergency, surgical and family medicine.
The volunteers are trained by experts from Harvard Medical School and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.