I was reading an article on pilots being reluctant to seek mental health help due to the fact that some diagnosis es could ground them, and certain medications can ground them.
How does this work out in the medical field?
Due to the fact that people can die in your care, how is seeking mental health help looked on in the medical field? As long as your a functioning human being, are you still ok to work?
No one else seems to have any interest in responding. I have a degree in psychology, so I’ll try to give you some information here.
Many people these days are treated for a growing array of psychiatric disorders. Many of them are misdiagnosed and/or improperly treated, but that is a different subject.
Pilots being grounded for certain medications is likely due to the side effects of certain medications such as the anxiolytic benzodiazepines. These medications can cause perception problems and drowsiness, especially when combined with certain other medications or alcohol.
As far as being a physician, there are probably just as many (percentage) physicians that are being treated as any other profession. It is better that they are getting help rather than not. Some medications may affect their skills. No one wants a drowsy brain surgeon. Some medications probably have no negative effect such as SSRI’s (like Prozac), and are thought to have a positive effect.
I work in a hospital, and people there are not as sensitized to this as the general public. People who work in health care have seen the grossest things, and have dealt with problems such as psychiatric disorders.
Bottom line is: I wouldn’t worry about it.
There was an article in New England Journal of Medicine recently talking about depression among medical school students that you might find interesting.