Most Common Mental Stress faced by doctors:
What comes to your mind when you first hear about the term ‘ doctor ‘? A man in a white coat who asks you about your health and gives you a huge prescription or maybe an injection right? Well there is so much more to a doctor. He/she is an individual who has cracked one of the toughest entrance exams in the country, spent 6 years in medical school and so many more years practising medicine.
It is always said that the duty of a doctor is to serve the people but people fail to comprehend the fact that a doctor is also a human who has every other basic rights and a life beyond the world of medicine. Over the years, every doctor has said that their professional life has overshadowed every other aspect of life and serving as a doctor has been tiring and frustrating. Here we will talk about 10 psychological situations that almost every doctor faces in his/herlifetime.
Psychological Situations doctors face: Immense pressure
Have you heard of USMLE? Well it is one of the toughest entrance exams in the United States for admission to medical colleges. This is where pressure begins in the life of a doctor. You have to be in top 1 percent out of lakhs of students to secure a medical seat. It is followed by years of medical school where a doctor has to attend clinics, lectures, practicals and to top it all, the pressure of professional exams.
Next in line is the pressure of internship where a doctor even has more than 12-hour shifts at times. Apart from professional pressure, there is always personal and family pressure which makes his/her life quite difficult.
Doctors stress reasons: Very long duty hours
If you have to work from 9 to 5, that in itself sounds very hectic right? Well a doctor has to work shifts apart from his/her duty hours depending on patient load, patient conditions, emergencies and any other situation that needs to be catered to. There is no specific time limit after which he/she can go home and have a life outside work because a patient’s life is always considered a doctor’s first priority. Patient Burnout is a reality as per Time Mag report.
Doctors Stress Factors: Recreational time
A doctor has to workso many hectic shifts that there is barely any time left for recreational activities. Forget about hobbies, I have even heard doctors say that they barely have time to even go watch a movie or watch their favorite cricketer play. Coping with long duty hours, rounds and research barely leaves any time for recreation.
Common Problems in Medical Field: Personal relationships
You will always hear a doctor’s family and friends complaining that he/she doesn’t have time for them. Well imagine yourself in their place once? If you have to deal with duty hours, patient party pressure, so many rounds and others, how difficult it would be to find time for family and friends? It’s not that they don’t take out time intentionally, it is just practically impossible for them to do so.
Doctors Stress Creators: Urgencies
It is always expected that a doctor will turn up even at 2 am in the morning in case of an emergency. A doctor always has to cater to unprecedented situations, be it accidental injuries or ingestion of toxic substances, he has to take immediate action in order to save the patient’s life. There is huge stress on the medicos and surgeons in critical situations.
Doctors Emotional Drags: Patient interaction
We have all heard about conflicts between doctors and patient parties. At times the conflicts get so bad that people even threaten to assault the doctors physically. It is very shameful to think that the general population doesn’t realize how much a doctor sacrifices to serve them and threatens the very person who is trying to cure them and save their lives.
Doctors Demotivation Factors: Personal grievances
There are many instances when a surgery is not successful and a doctor is unable to save the life of a patient. It is often seen that such a situation takes a huge toll on the mental health of doctors. Some even slip into depression at times and question their ability to treat patients. Over the years, there have been many cases of mental health disorders among doctors.
Doctors Emotional stress
Imagine the amount of stress you would feel if a person’s life depended on you. That is what a doctor has to go through. He has to perform surgeries where even a slight negligence can cost someone their life. There have been instances where doctors have performed 12-18 hour surgeries that require utmost attention to detail. Hence a doctor has to prepare himself mentally for any situation and that leads to a lot of emotional stress.
Doctors Biggest Stress: Breaking of bad news
An important thing that a doctor must know is how to break bad news to a patient party. Telling a family that their loved one has been diagnosed with a serious disorder or someone close to them is no more is a job that requires empathy. A doctor must be very careful to understand the emotional condition of the patient party under such circumstances and take action accordingly.
Doctors Professional Hazards: Workplace relations
A doctor has to be careful in maintaining appropriate relations with both his seniors and his subordinates. A team of nurses, paramedics and others work under a doctor and he/she should ensure proper organization, coordination and harmony in the team for proper functioning of the unit.
A doctor often struggles in keeping up with all his roles. He his bestowed with the ability to handle someone’s life and that comes with huge responsibilities. All of these lead to a lot of stress. In the recent years, surveys have shown that there is increasing depression and anxiety related disorders among medical professionals. Hence it is very important that a doctor takes care of himself because that’s when he/she will be able to take proper care of a patient.