BY CHRISTOPHER CHENEY |
TOPICS
Physicians #MentalHealth #COVID-19
The #pandemic has increased stressors on physicians such as being redeployed to new care settings and #anxiety over potential #virus exposures.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
On April 26, an emergency room physician in New York who had worked with #coronavirus patients committed #suicide.
For physicians, #suicide risk factors during the #coronavirus #pandemic include moral injury and fear from having insufficient personal protection equipment.
Putting student loans into forbearance and mitigating legal liability would ease stressors on physicians.
Already an at-risk group, #doctors are at increased risk of #suicide during the #coronavirus #pandemic, a physician #suicide researcher says.
Physicians and other frontline healthcare workers on the frontline of the #coronavirus disease 2019 (#COVID-19) #pandemic are under physical and psychological strain. As of April 9, more than 9,000 #healthcareworkers had tested positive for #coronavirus, the #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention reported.
The April 26 #suicide death of a New York emergency room physician appears to be related to the #pandemic, according to the New York Times.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
GET THE LATEST ON #HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP IN YOUR INBOX.
Lorna Breen, MD, was the medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. She died in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was staying with family, the Times reported.
Breen’s father, Philip Breen, MD, told the Times that his daughter was afflicted with #COVID-19 and returned to work after recuperating for about a week and a half. He told the Times his daughter had witnessed grim conditions at Allen Hospital and appeared detached the last time he spoke with her. “She was truly in the trenches of the frontline,” he told the Times.
Physicians and others in crisis can contact the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline at 800-273-8255.
The #COVID-19 #pandemic is placing doctors at higher risk of #suicide, says Mirret El-Hagrassy, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s Neuromodulation Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
“It has increased the risk, considering all the risk factors and underlying #mentalhealth vulnerabilities. The #pandemic increases the social stressors. The career-associated stressors are being exacerbated in a way that they were not before,” says El-Hagrassy, co-author of a research article on physician #suicide published by JAMA Psychiatry in March.
The research article found that #female physicians have a higher #suicide risk than the general #female population by two statistical measures. #Male physicians were found to have a higher #suicide risk than the general male population by one statistical measure.
PHYSICIAN #SUICIDE AND THE #PANDEMIC
The #pandemic is associated with several physician #suicide risks, El-Hagrassy says.
- The moral injury and fear from having insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)
- The risk of physicians exposing themselves and vulnerable family members to the #virus
- Physicians isolating themselves from others to lower the risk of spreading the #virus
- Physicians being redeployed to work in unfamiliar care settings such as anesthesiologists being reassigned to work in ICUs, which heightens concern over legal liability
- Pressure from the business aspects of medicine, including physician practices being pushed to the brink of financial ruin
- Layoffs, furloughs, and cutbacks in pay and raises as healthcare organizations teeter from the financial blows of the #pandemic such as cancelation of elective surgery
- Some residents and fellows are struggling to find jobs, which heavily impacts physicians in the United States on visas
- In their JAMA Psychiatry article, El-Hagrassy and her co-authors found physicians who were divorced, widowed, or single faced higher #suicide risk, and the #pandemic will likely exacerbate this risk
There are ways to ease physician #suicide risk during the #coronavirus #pandemic, El-Hagrassy says.
- Provide adequate PPE: “The biggest factor is making sure physicians and other frontline workers are protected. Physicians need to get their personal protective equipment, so there is less risk of them getting infected or infecting their families. It is not just the fear of getting infected—it is the fear of spreading the #virus to patients,” she says.
- Lenders could put physician’s student loan debt on hold during the #pandemic.
- Mitigate legal liability: “The judicialization of medicine should be eased because it is a major factor for physician #mentalhealthdisorders and #suicide,” El-Hagrassy says.
- Employers could reduce or eliminate requirements for physicians to disclose #mentalhealthhistory on job applications.
- Privacy should be enhanced for physicians for who want to seek #mentalhealth help. “Telemedicine psychiatry can be helpful for physicians because they don’t have to go into an office, where they can be seen in a waiting area,” she says.
- Prejudice against those who seek #mentalhealthservices in general and among physicians particularly should be addressed.
- Physicians can conduct virtual daily check-ins with their colleagues on mobile devices or home computers.
“If we use this time of the #pandemic to establish measures that protect physicians, it might lead to better outcomes down the line. We should move in that direction. There are a host of factors that could be improved during this period that might reduce the stressors and the potential for physician #suicide both for the short-term and the long-term,” El-Hagrassy says.
#Doctors can call the Physician Support Line (888-409-0141) for free and anonymous psychiatric counseling.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
