40% of physicians don't seek mental healthcare for fear of losing their license

A recent study by Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic found that 40 percent of physicians would be reluctant to seek help for mental health issues because they fear it would affect the status of their medical license.

A team of Mayo researchers — led by Liselotte Dyrbye, MD, — obtained licensure application forms from all 50 states and renewal forms from 47 states, and reviewed results from 5829 physician surveys conducted between August and October 2014.

Dr. Dyrbye's team found that two-thirds of states have licensure renewal forms that don't limit mental health inquiries to current conditions, but also ask about past conditions. In these states, physicians were less likely to seek help for mental health problems.

"Many state licensing boards ask questions about mental health diagnoses or treatment. The fact that licensing boards inquire about these dimensions is believed to be a major deterrent to help seeking among troubled physicians, many of whom have treatable disorders," the study's authors wrote.

More Articles on Hosptial-Physician Relationships:

Why having a baby may prevent women from pursuing surgical residencies
5 Florida Hospital physicians describe status of Puerto Rico's health system 2 weeks after hurricane
Mount Sinai staff experiences coma, ICU environment from patient's point of view

 

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.


You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy
.
 

Articles We Think You'll Like

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars