A recent study by researchers at the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System published in General Hospital Psychiatry, suggests the fear of being unable to keep up with daily work and the stigma associated with mental conditions keep some female physicians from reporting mental health issues. But the study also notes another reason for avoiding treatment: medical licensing applications, according to an article by Nathaniel P. Morris, a resident physician in psychiatry at the Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, in The Washington Post.
Researchers involved in the study found many states require physicians to report mental health issues to their state medical licensing board. However, because applications can be used by medical boards to restrict licensing or mandate treatment, these questions may actually discourage physicians from reporting mental health issues, according to the article.
Physicians who do disclose mental health issues can have dire consequences, the article notes, citing comments from a physician interviewed for the study. The physician said, "all of my fears were realized when I did report it. I was placed in a very strict and punitive [program] that didn't allow me to take meds written by my doctor for anxiety and insomnia. I am now not practicing at all because of this."
Due to these professional risks, Dr. Morris notes, many physicians who need mental health services are hesitant to get them.
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