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Physician Mental Health, Wellness, Burnout, & Support Resources
Help in a crisis, physician burnout resources, peer-to-peer support & more
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It's no secret that physician burnout is widespread. More than 70% of physicians wouldn't recommend a career in medicine to their children.
Despite this, over 40% of physicians say that they don't seek help for burnout or depression. The culture of medicine encourages self sacrifice and soldiering on over caring for our own mental health. This is often times compounded by fear of consequences by state medical boards, licensing concerns, and credentialing committees. Even without this fear, finding confidential help and help that fits into a physician's schedule make it difficult to seek help.
And yet, we all know that over time, caring for others over caring for yourself is dangerous, not just for yourself but for those that you serve. If you've found yourself in a situation where you are struggling with mental health, burnout, or any aspect of personal wellness, we hope you address this as soon as possible. You deserve to be well. Below, we've listed common support resources for physician burnout and wellness.
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Please note: This is not formal legal or clinical advice, nor advice individualized to your situation. These are simply resources intended to provide you with a place to start looking for support. If you find yourself in a potentially urgent mental health situation, please don't wait to reach out for help. Call 911, the National Suicide Hotline (listed below), your physician, or other trusted and licensed resources who are able to help you in real time.
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Disclosure: This page contains information about our sponsors, as well as affiliate links, which support the group at no cost to you. These should be viewed as introductions rather than formal recommendations - please do your own due diligence before making decisions based on this page. We are not formal financial, legal, or otherwise licensed professionals, and you should consult these as appropriate. To learn more, visit our disclaimers and disclosures.
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MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR PHYSICIANS
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IN A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS SITUATION
National Suicide Hotline
The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. It is a national network of local crisis centers. They have prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
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Learn more at 988lifeline.org
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IN A NON-ACUTE MENTAL HEALTH SITUATION
Physician Support Line
The Physician Support Line (1-888-409-0141) is a free, anonymous support line run by volunteer psychiatrists for physicians and trainees/med students. Their aim is to help you navigate your personal and professional lives. You can call for any issue, not just a crisis. They do not report to anyone.
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They are open Monday - Friday (except federal holidays), 8AM to 12AM EST. No appointment necessary.
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Learn more at physiciansupportline.com
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Physician Side Gigs Community Support List
Our physician Facebook groups are all about building community with other physicians. We have a dedicated thread of physicians who have volunteered to be a listening ear if you need someone to talk to. Some are psychiatrists and others have been through the trenches and may understand what you're currently experiencing. If you are looking for peer to peer support, reach out. Please note that this is peer to peer support, rather than official medical advice or professional guidance. You should still seek out long term professional help as needed.
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Learn more in our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group.
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POSTPARTUM SUPPORT
Postpartum Support International
PSI provides direct peer support to families, as well as trains professional and provides a directory to help you find professional care when needed. They do not handle emergencies, but have a help line that is available in English and Spanish from 8am-11pm EST.
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You can call the PSI HelpLine at 1-800-944-4773 or text "Help" to 800-944-4773 (or 971-203-7773 en español).
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Learn more at www.postpartum.net/
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CAREER SUPPORT
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While we started as side gigs, we've grown to include all aspects of life in medicine. Supporting physicians in their careers is one of the pillars of our mission. Visit our physician career resources and education page to explore all our career resources, from helping you search for a better job to negotiating a contract for a better work-life balance, as well as nonclinical career options. A few key areas of career support for doctors are included below.
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Considering leaving medicine
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If you're a physician suffering from burnout and are considering leaving medicine, we have a must read before you make your exit. Learn more on our what to consider before leaving clinical medicine page.
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Facing an issue with the medical board
Having a patient or other individual or entity report you to the medical board can add a lot of stress and inconvenience for doctors. We want to help minimize this by providing key steps and considerations. Learn more on how physicians should respond to a medical board complaint or investigation. We have partnered with attorneys to help physicians address employment issues such as medical board issues if you need recommendations for legal counsel.
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Abridge AI Scribing Assistance
Abridge was founded by Dr. Shiv Rao with a simple vision to help clinicians focus more of their time on patient care rather than growing and burdensome volume of administrative tasks. Founded by a physician, Abridge has been developed with clinical workflow at the core, firmly standing behind the solution as being medically accurate and auditable.
Abridge captures details directly from a live patient-clinician conversation and helps you efficiently draft your clinical documentation by automatically summarizing the key points of your conversation within seconds.
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PSG Perk: members can get 50% off AI scribing services, bringing the price down to only $99 dollars per month. You can try this free for one month without inputting payment information through our affiliate link with code PSG50.
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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Looking to increase your productivity or looking for mindset resources to help with overall life satisfaction? We have included some of our most popular recommended reads for personal development on our recommended books for physicians page under the Leadership tab.
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HEALTH & WELLNESS FOR PHYSICIANS
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We have included below resources to help physicians focus on their health and wellness. Check for PSG member special perks and discounts listed for each. You can also visit our resources, discounts, and perks for doctors page to explore all PSG member perks we have.
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Thistle
Meal Delivery
Thistle is a subscription meal service that delivers fully prepared plant based meals, snacks, and cold-pressed juices right to your doorstep. Thistle’s meal design, emphasizing whole, natural foods, reflects scientific, evidence-based principles of dietary choices that lead to optimal health and a healthier planet. Approved by more than 1,000 healthcare providers, Thistle assists you in staying healthy and nourished with nutrient dense meals made with abundant gut healthy fiber, plenty of plant based protein, low glycemic cards, and heart healthy fats.
PSG Perk: Take $120 off the first first weeks, then 10% off future purchases. Use our affiliate link to get started.
COMMUNITY
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Looking for support and community for all aspects of life in medicine? Our sister Facebook group, Physician Community, is a virtual doctors' lounge where physicians discuss anything and everything and offer peer-to-peer support in a safe space.
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