Mental healthcare for psychiatrists

We read the article by White et al (Psychiatric Bulletin, October 2006, 30, 382-384) with great interest, as we have conducted a similar postal survey of 1640 general practitioners and psychiatrists in Devon and Cornwall regarding depression and stigma. We also achieved a high response rate (75%), indicating the importance of this issue to doctors. When we asked about sources of help respondents would turn to if they were experiencing excessive stress, more reported that they would seek help from family and friends (95%) and from colleagues (65%). Our slightly different findings might be because we asked about ‘stress’ rather than ‘mental illness’, but the overall trends are similar.

The barriers to disclosing mental illness reported by White et al are supported by our findings. However, we found that barriers to seeking help very often included concerns about letting colleagues down and confidentiality, with concern about career progression cited by only 16% (although women were twice as concerned about this as men).

White et al found that 20% of psychiatrists admit to self-prescribing for mental illness, but in our study the rate was only 7%. The fact that our respondents were more willing to disclose stress to colleagues and reported less self-prescribing perhaps reflects a more open culture in Devon and Cornwall since the introduction of an effective occupational health service.

Overall, our study in the South-West confirms the findings of White et al in the West Midlands. Both studies address the poorly researched but important area of doctors’ attitudes towards mental illness and we agree with the recommendations of White et al. There is still a long way to go in terms of educating doctors about looking after and improving their own mental health and in reducing stigma within the medical profession.