We were all shocked to find out that the person behind The Fort Hood Shootings on November 5th was a physician and a psychiatrist!
Despite some views that focus on the gunman’s religious or terrorist affiliation, there are a lot of people who automatically thought that this person “must have been a mental patient (crazy, nuts, nutcase…or others).”This might suggest that something so unimaginable must have come from a “disturbed mind…” And this person should have been able to “deal with it (stress, illness, etc.)” or get help if needed.
We all know that stigma is real when it comes to mental health. Many people erroneously believe that mental illness is due to personal weakness. We now have evidence that psychiatric illnesses are based on biological (see medical) reasons, so talking about psychiatric (medical) illnesses/conditions should be equivalent to talking about thyroid (medical) illnesses/conditions.
Physicians are just like the rest of the population and they can have thyroid and psychiatric conditions, too. There is a lot of denial when a physician is ill. Many times there is a delay is seeking treatment. This is even more so when a physician might have a psychiatric illness. According to a recent UK study, 75% of 3500 physicians said they “would rather discuss mental health problems with family or friends than seek formal or informal advice, citing reasons such as career implications, professional integrity, and perceived stigma of mental health problems.” An analysis of 14 international studies showed that men in medicine had a risk of suicide 1.1 to 3.4 times as great as that of the general population, and among women, the risk was 2.5 to 5.7 times as high. In a John Hopkins’ study of 1300 physicians who entered medical school from 1948 to 1964, 26 persons committed suicide, with an average age at their death being 45 years old, and psychiatrists having the highest rates of suicide than any other specialty.
Why would higher functioning, intelligent persons have higher rates of suicide? Is it because they feel that they try to pretend that there is nothing wrong, that they feel ashamed that they cannot feel better “on their own,” that they feel that they would be rejected, or that they wait too long to or never get treatment? Maybe, it is because of all of the above.
But, getting psychiatric help without the fear of being “labeled” can provide significant relief. Getting the correct diagnosis and treatment can help one come to terms with any psychiatric illness. Recent changes in the renewal medical license applications asking for impairment without discriminating physical and mental (psychiatric) conditions can help more physicians get the help they need, so they can consequently help their own patients. Speaking up about any such diagnoses and joining advocacy groups can help educate the public and policy makers, so that stigma about mental/psychiatric illnesses can be eliminated. And do not forget, persons might set up their own “dead ends” when it comes to their symptoms/illnesses, but help is always available…if one just asks…
