- As cardiothoracic surgeons, we have developed great skills at helping our patients, but what about our own self-care?
- Despite all the joys of our profession, we are subjected to daily stress, anxiety, burnout, shame, and guilt, which can cause professional burnout and trauma. Suffering in silence can lead to mental constriction affecting all areas of life.
- Everyone can benefit from therapy. It can help engage us in a process of learning, self-awareness, and self-compassion that can help both personally and professionally.
As physicians we are committed to caring for our patients, guiding them through physical and emotional traumas. Our training, especially as cardiothoracic surgeons, has taught us to be disciplined, self-sufficient, and strong. As cardiothoracic surgeons we deal with significant adversity and are resilient. We have developed great skills at helping our patients, but what about our own, our family’s, and our colleagues’ self-care?
Self-care encompasses an awareness of personal and emotional health. We must continue to enhance our self-care so we can provide excellent and competent medical care.
CT Surgeons Are Not Invincible
Despite all the joys of our profession, we are subjected to daily stress, anxiety, burnout, shame, and guilt, which can cause professional burnout and trauma. Burnout can lead to medical errors, inferior quality of life, and depression. In some cases, substance abuse can occur to mask the symptoms. Physicians can live in a culture of silence supported by inadequate peer communication and a “fix-it attitude” from early training days. This suffering in silence can lead to mental constriction affecting all areas of life.
We also have our own lives outside of medicine including relationships with friends and family. These personal relationships also can create stress. Our children can suffer from their own stresses, such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Our friends may need our support to cope with life challenges. These encounters can create stressful environments that affect our health.
Therapy Defined
Therapy is a type of treatment that helps individuals with numerous emotional and mental health conditions. It is often provided by a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker. It can be delivered as short or long-term treatment provided by various modalities.
Therapy becomes a useful tool if it is seen to improve stress management and enhance insight into individual and work-related issues. An array of conditions can be treated, from anxiety and depression to bipolar issues and substance abuse. Finding the right therapist is crucial. It should be someone you can trust and work together with towards your goals. Many types of therapies are available: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and medication management.
Call to Action
The reality is that 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide each year, a rate of 28 to 40 per 100,000 or more than double that of the general population. To help reduce these statistics, we need to work on recognizing early mental health problems and providing an open environment for seeking treatment. We need to make the service available and acceptable without fear of repercussion.
So, Do Surgeons Need a Therapist?
We believe that everyone can benefit from therapy. It can help engage us in a process of learning, self-awareness, and self-compassion that can help both personally and professionally. As we recognize the stressors in our profession, we can work towards better mental health.
About the authors:
James Van Haren, MD is a guest writer for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Career Development Blog. He is a psychiatrist and father of Robert Van Haren. MD, chair of the STS Career Development Task Force on Communications.