The Health of our Healers is the Health of our Nation. Physician Suicide Awareness Day: September 17
Healing goes beyond patients and physicians. Healing is a physical and spiritual process.
Our nation’s healers include physicians and clinicians. So how are we doing?
58% percent of physicians in outpatient clinics reported burnout, according to the Medscape 2022 Physician Mental Health and Depression Report.
Our requests for assistance have increased over 412% in the last 2 years.
The Surgeon General has called for improved healthcare worker burnout.
There are major shortages of physicians, nurses, and caregivers. Many are considering leaving healthcare.
We hope things become healthy, so physicians can stay. We hope those of you with the energy to help, reach out to friends and physicians today. The good news is, there are people who care. There are people who have fought hard to protect physician mental health. There are politicians who care about physician mental health. There are people working to ensure abusive questions about mental health are not included in licensure questions. There are physicians who have fought hard to stay alive, and to make the fight easier for others. They share their lives, their money, and their stories.
There is hope, and you can help.
Sharp Index is investing in the future of mental health, through recruiting more minoritized physicians through our Health Equity Consortium and Scholarships. We are celebrating the good news with our awards. We cannot do everything, but everyone can do something. We are leaders who are volunteering their time to teach students minoritized students more about healthcare. There are opportunities to give back. You should be aware that there is more work to do. There is more need than there is support, so everyone who can help matters. The health of our healers shows that we need more connection and more community. This physician suicide awareness day, I want say I am grateful to be part of the important work of healing our healers. I am so grateful for the people who I have been able to talk to about physician suicide. I am grateful for those who have stayed. When John died, my children lost their father and we lost someone who wanted to be a physician more than anything. I am grateful for all the organizations that are involved in the important work. Someone told me that his death was not for nothing. Despite the loss of too many physicians, there is altruism, love and hope to be found in healthcare.
Thank you for the care you give. To patients, to physicians, to those who have struggled and those who have lost.
If you are having a mental health crisis, please call 988. There are specific resources for physician mental health, including TherapyAid, EmotionalPPE, and Physician Support Line.
Each state has resources for mental health support. Mental Health is health.
