I am the doctor who made a mistake, and you are my patient.
You sat in front of me once before and I missed your diagnosis. You sit in front of me again. Anger in your voice, tears in your eyes, as you tell me of the harm I have done to you. Tears are in my eyes too.
Young doctors are increasingly suffering from stress, burnout, depression and drugs and alcohol addiction
BY STEVE ROBSON
I DISCOVERED CrazySocks4Docs Day – held annually on 1 June – only this year. The day aims to “encourage conversations about mental health and help reduce the stigma for doctors experiencing mental illness”. When I discovered the day thanks to my burgeoning Twitter obsession, I experienced an incredible and overwhelming reaction.
Almost exactly 30 years before, as an intern in the central Queensland city of Rockhampton, I had tried to kill myself. Three decades later, I am now President of a specialist college, but I had kept the entire episode to myself and tried to forget it. I am deeply ashamed of not learning from my own experience and using it to help others.
I hope it isn’t too late.
The NHS Practitioner Health Programme recently held a two day conference to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of the setting up of the programme. Entitled the Wounded Healer, this conference Conference had a particular focus on mental health, suicide and addiction issues in healthcare professionals.
Click here to view our 2017 ANNUAL REPORT.
“Both these recent articles published in The Guardian and The Washington Post make for sobering reading and highlight the ultimate risk for practitioners – suicide. PHMP aims to constantly raise awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and urges early intervention if you are struggling in any way. The service is strictly confidential and we can support you in dealing with a problem regardless of how serious it may seem to you. We are here to help.”
‘I went on a walk and returned to find my husband dead’ – The Guardian
What I’ve learned from my tally of 757 doctor suicides – The Washington Post