Escalating Crisis Of Physician Depression, Burnout & Suicide

In the July issue of STAT, Judith Graham writes that “The Association of American Medical Colleges last month convened a meeting to address an escalating crisis of depression, burnout, and suicide among physicians. Among the ideas under consideration: encouraging medical students to join clubs so they feel less isolated; ensuring that counseling is more accessible and private; and more actively tracking the mental health of students and doctors.”

Over 62,000 people, many of them medical professionals have recently signed a petition asking medical associations to track physician suicides, offer confidential counseling and require physician training programs to address negative issues in the training culture. “This is something that the profession as a whole needs to come together around and deal with as a shared concern,” said Dr. Darrell Kirch, president of the AAMC. Read the full article here.

“In medicine we measure everything except the lives lost through medical education and practice.”-Karen Miday, MD

CPPPH is hosting a conference focusing on three specific practices that are currently being successfully utilized to minimize stressors on physicians. To learn more go to Keys To Physician Wellness our workshop in Anaheim on August 24th.