Ep. 6 — “I should be able to manage this myself”:  The unique challenges of getting clinicians to access mental health care | Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Well-Being

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Most clinicians know that depression, anxiety and other mood disorders are treatable conditions. Unfortunately, clinicians often face barriers when accessing care for themselves. To better understand why, we welcome Dr. Karen Swartz, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins to the podcast. Learn how depression or other mental health conditions may present in clinicians, why these may pose a challenge to care seeking, and what colleagues and health care leaders can do to make treatment more accessible.

Take-aways:

  1. An estimated 1/3 of clinicians are not getting preventive screenings or primary care. 
  2. We need to make it easy for clinicians to access care. Two strategies for organizations are: (1) offering confidential, high-quality mental health care on campus and at convenient hours, and (2) training supervisors to recognize when someone is suffering. 
  3. We all need time to rest, so we have the energy to do our best work and to enjoy life. Leaders and clinical supervisors should consider how they are protecting clinicians who often have long hours and take work home.
  4. When we notice that someone is suffering, we have an obligation to support their ability to access care. Treatment for depression and other mood disorders works.