Psychiatrist's Mental Health: A Look at Burnout in a Psychiatry Department in Portugal

Abstract

Introduction

Mental ill health is common among doctors. Fast, efficient diagnosis and treatment are needed as mentally ill doctors pose a safety risk to themselves and to patients, yet they are often reluctant to seek help. Focusing on psychiatry, it is known that psychiatrists as a professional group are prone to stress burnout and suicide. Thus, it seems relevant and current to address on the burnout in this professional group.

Objectives/aim

To analyze the burnout levels and the existence of psychopathology in a Portugal psychiatry department.

Methods

Anonymous self-completion questionnaire, prepared by the Suicide Prevention Consultation (also using MBI-Maslach Burnout Inventory and QIS-Suicide Ideation Questionnaire) and distributed by e-mail and online submitted for all psychiatrists in the department.

Results

Forty-two percent of psychiatrists responded, mostly women. Although the percentages of responses related to fatigue/amount of work are significant, there were not high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, but before satisfactory levels of personal fulfilment.

Conclusions

High levels of “burnout” are associated with high scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, but also with low scores of personal fulfilment. Despite the preliminary results of this study, it is important to remember important prevention strategies. Further studies directed to psychiatry trainees seem important, as this represents an important risk group, where an early intervention can make a difference.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.