Senior doctors asked to mentor younger colleagues at high risk of burnout, mental illness and suicide

MEDICAL experts are calling on senior and experienced doctors to provide crucial support to their younger colleagues in a bid to protect them from debilitating burnout, mental illness and even suicide.

• Editorial: Stressed-out doctors a health crisis

MEDICAL experts are calling on senior and experienced doctors to provide crucial support to their younger colleagues in a bid to protect them from debilitating burnout, mental illness and even suicide.

In response to data from beyondblue, which shows shocking rates of burnout symptoms including exhaustion and cynicism among young doctors, researchers say the key to improving the mental health of young doctors is support from their senior colleagues.

Writing for the Medical Journal of Australia, professor Michael Baigent said “epidemic”, “crisis”, and “urgent need” were words often raised when discussing burnouts and doctor suicides.

The beyondblue national mental health survey of doctors and medical students found younger doctors under 30 were at much higher risk.

“Yet, despite this bombardment, there has been no sustained approach to achieve an effective national response,” he said.

“It is too easy to blame the system and, likewise, for the system to blame the doctor.

“A certain amount of work-hardening and experience is necessary, but perhaps older doctors look back on their pressurised junior years through rose-coloured glasses and see it as a rite of passage.”

The beyondblue national mental health survey of doctors and medical students found 32 per cent of Australian doctors had high levels of exhaustion and 35 per cent had high levels of cynicism but younger doctors under 30 were at much higher risk with exhaustion at 48 per cent and cynicism at 46 per cent.

“Is it not time for senior, influential and experienced doctors to lead action on behalf of our young apprentices?” Prof Baigent said.

Australian Medical Association of Queensland president Dilip Dhupelia said medical bodies were now prioritising the health of young doctors at an unprecedented level and had already made significant headway in improving conditions.

“As a profession we’ve taken significant steps to address this,” Dr Dhupelia said.

“The most stressful times for the young doctors is when they transition from medical school to the internships, when they are trying to get into the training pathway they’ve chosen because it’s very competitive and also when they’ve graduated and finished their training the stress of getting a position.

“Those are three of the areas where we’re seeing high levels of stress and we’re addressing this.”