The looming mental health crisis among HCPs is a crisis for us all

Given how often health care professionals (HCPs) are hailed as COVID-19 heroes, it would be easy to assume they are immune to the type of stress and anxiety that leads to mental health issues. Not true. After all, heroes are people, too. This is why I believe we are on the verge of a mental health crisis among today’s HCPs that could impact them – and our entire health care system – for a long time to come.

Even before this current pandemic exacerbated the problem, mental health was a critical issue for HCPs, with about 60% of emergency physicians experiencing burnout in their career, and about 400 physicians committing suicide every year “likely related to increasing depression and burnout,” according to a study published in 2019.  

COVID-19’s impact on mental health

Things are only getting more challenging as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, a study published in March of HCPs in China working with COVID-19 found that 71% of them experienced distress, while 50% showed signs of depression, 45% reported anxiety and 34% said they had insomnia. No doubt as more and more people have COVID-19, the situation among HCPs will continue to worsen.

Anxiety, stress, depression and other mental health issues among HCPs may result in increased alcoholism, substance abuse and PTSD. In addition, among other things, quality of care may be affected as poor mental health among HCPs can lead to mistakes on the job.  

You might be asking yourself why the current COVID-19 pandemic would impact HCPs more than usual, especially since many of them already work in high-stress environments, including operating rooms, fast-paced urban emergency rooms and intensive care units, where even the slightest mistake can result in death.

The answer is that this pandemic is unlike anything most HCPs in the U.S. have ever experienced. While this may not be the case globally, HCPs in the U.S. typically have all the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to take care of patients and themselves. As we all know, that is not always the case today. HCPs usually don't worry about bringing illnesses home with them. That, too, is not the case today. There are stories of HCPs so worried about their own families that they’ve moved out of their houses, sleeping in RVs, hotels and elsewhere, not seeing their spouses or children for weeks at a time. And, in some cases HCPs who are not infectious disease or respiratory specialists are being redeployed to work with COVID-19 patients, which can put them (not to mention their patients) in very vulnerable positions.

Finally, all of this is layered on top of the everyday pandemic-driven stresses related to job loss and a faltering economy; sick family members, friends and neighbors; sheltering at home; homeschooling children; and more. As I noted earlier, heroes are people, too.

Solutions to help HCPs manage their mental health

Just as with the rest of the population, there is no easy fix to this looming mental health crisis among HCPs. We need to do more research to better understand their unique challenges in order to respond to them. But that’s long-term. In the short-term, health systems can ensure their staff (not just medical personnel, by the way, but all staff) remain safe and healthy by providing proper training and PPE and encouraging sick personnel to stay home. They also can help their teams remain resilient, with opportunities to practice mindfulness, to rest and to access specialized mental health therapists, among other efforts.  

More suggestions, ideas and resources for health systems and HCPs on dealing with the mental health impact of COVID-19 can be found at Psych Hub, an online digital education platform on mental health issues from VA and other partners, as well as Stanford’s WellMD Center, the National Center for PTSD, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and UCLA Health. 

While I’ve been talking here about the mental health crisis among HCPs, the truth is, this is everyone’s problem. After all, at some point in time we are all patients. The mental health and well-being of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals is critically important if we expect them to one day look after our own. 

I share more thoughts on this with my friend and colleague, Dr. Karen DeSalvo, in a video interview you can watch here.