Re-examining physician mental health
Facts at your Fingertips
By Emily Margosian, Assistant Editor, September 1, 2022
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. has experienced a mental illness in the past year, with an increase in observed prevalence over the last decade. Additional studies of physicians — including medical students, residents, and fellows — show a higher prevalence of mental illness, with a higher suicide rate than that of the general population (JAMA. 2003; 289(23): 3161-6).
Physician mental health is often impacted by long hours, high expectations, heavy administrative burdens, and the need to adapt to a rapidly changing health care environment. COVID-19, and the stress of caring for patients amid an ongoing global health crisis, has also produced what has been dubbed a ‘parallel pandemic’ of extreme burnout among medical providers. A 2021 Physician’s Foundation survey examining the impact of COVID-19 found that 61% of physicians reported feelings of burnout, compared to 58% in 2020, and 40% in 2018. For a further breakdown of physician mental health in the United States, see the graphic below.
