Health-seeking attitudes and existing support services for psychiatric trainees

Abstract

Introduction

Concern for medical doctors’ health has been widely recognized over the past ten years. EFPT is aware of the heterogeneity of support set up for doctors in distress, recognizing the need for further cross-Europe research.

Aims

The EFPT “HELP Project” was designed to investigate psychiatry trainees’ perceptions of and attitudes towards health seeking at a Europe-wide scale. Furthermore, it aims to determine what services are available in Europe specifically to support physicians’ health.

Methods

Multinational, cross-sectional survey conducted in 14 European countries between 2013 and 2014. Data collection was accomplished by an anonymous online or hard copy questionnaire. Completion implied consent to participate. Data was analysed using SPSS v20.0.

Results

Of the respondent trainees, 57.7% were from developed economies; 46.2% under 30 years; 26.9% males. Ninety-eight per cent said they would have surgery in the public sector, versus 42.3% who agree to get treatment there for an eating disorder, depression (28.8%) or addiction (17.3%). Trainees from developing economies were significantly less confident in using public sector help for mental health difficulties. When asked for advice regarding the same problems in their fellow trainees, they said they would recommend public sector help. Specific services for doctors exist in the UK, Spain, The Netherlands and Switzerland, but most trainees said there were no services locally.

Conclusion

The EFPT believes specialised physician health services are needed to ensure doctors seek help when necessary, while avoiding feeling stigmatised or punished in doing so. The authors plan to create a ‘survival guide’ for European trainees in distress, with collated information about local services for doctors.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.