{"id":37056,"date":"2018-01-26T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T18:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=37056"},"modified":"2018-01-18T14:53:09","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T22:53:09","slug":"many-american-doctors-say-they-are-depressed-or-burned-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/many-american-doctors-say-they-are-depressed-or-burned-out-0126181","title":{"rendered":"Many American Doctors Say They Are Depressed or Burned Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AMany American doctors report being depressed<\/a> or burned out<\/a>, according to Medscape<\/em>\u2019s 2018 National Physician Burnout and Depression Report. Female physicians reported higher rates of burnout (48%) than did male physicians (38%).<\/p>\n

Previous research supports the claim that physicians experience stress and trauma that can undermine their mental health. A 2016 study<\/a> found traumatic childbirth experiences can cause secondary trauma in the healthcare providers who attend those births. Another 2016 study<\/a> found 27% of medical students experience symptoms of depression, while 11% \u00a0have thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n

A Grim Picture of Physicians\u2019 Mental Health<\/h2>\n
\n\t

Find a Therapist for Depression<\/a><\/h2>\n\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\tAdvanced Search<\/a>\n\t<\/form>\n<\/div>\n

The study polled more than 15,000 doctors in 29 specialties. In the survey, 42% of physicians reported burnout. Physicians in critical care, neurology, and family medicine had the highest rates of burnout. The specialties with the lowest rates were plastic surgery, dermatology, and pathology. The specialists with the lowest rates were also more likely to seek professional help<\/a> for their mental health.<\/p>\n

Fourteen percent of physicians reported being both burned out and depressed. The specialties with the highest rates of co-occurring depression and burnout were:<\/p>\n