Medical Protection survey: One in three male doctors have experienced depression

A Medical Protection survey of over 300 male members shows that a third (30%) have experienced depression throughout their medical career, while one in 10 (13%) have had suicidal feelings.¹ As part of International Men’s Day, Medical Protection calls on doctors to look out for their colleagues who may be showing signs of mental health issues.

A poor work / life balance had a high impact on 39% of respondents’ mental health, while heavy workloads had a high impact on 43% of respondents. Those who had experienced mental health issues found that it had an impact on their personal life (65%), concentration (60%) and confidence (51%).

Worryingly, 47% of respondents did not discuss their mental health issues with anyone, with one in five (22%) saying it was the stigma of mental health that stopped them, 18% feeling others would not understand and 62% believing they did not need the support.

Positively, of those that did discuss their mental health issues with others, 86% said they discussed them with their family and a third (33%) said discussing mental health issues prompted them to seek treatment.

Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, Senior Medicolegal Adviser at Medical Protection said:

“Experiencing mental health issues can be isolating for any doctors, and it is important that all doctors speak up if they feel they are struggling to cope. Some doctors may find it difficult to talk about problems they are facing, so colleagues should be vigilant and watch out for signs that other doctors may be struggling.

“Identifying mental health issues early, either in themselves or colleagues, will allow doctors to get the support they require, which is in their own and their patients’ best interests. There are specialist organisations that provide assistance to doctors including Medical Protection’s own confidential counselling service for members affected by the stress of a medicolegal case.”

ENDS

For further information or to arrange an interview with Dr Pallavi Bradshaw please contact Rajiv Pattni, Press Officer at MPS on +44 (0) 207 399 1409 or email [email protected]

Notes to editors 

1. Medical Protection conducted a survey of male and female members across all medical specialties, including General Medicine, Surgical specialties and Anaesthetics, to find out their personal experiences of mental health issues. The survey ran from 18 June to 3 July 2015 and received 631 responses in total, of which 315 were from male doctors. The male responses have been highlighted for International Men’s Day.

2. Dr Pallavi Bradshaw is a senior medicolegal adviser at Medical Protection. She graduated from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, gaining a BA (Hons) with a dissertation in Medical Law and Ethics. She trained at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and graduated from the clinical school in December 2001.

3. More information, including a video featuring Dr Gordon McDavid talking about these issues, can be found here.