Despite fighting to categorize mental health conditions as medical diagnoses, many physicians affected by mental health issues are discouraged from seeking treatment because of the negative stigma attached to mental illness.
Adam Hill, MD, a pediatric palliative care physician, wrote an op-ed piece for the New England Journal of Medicine chronicling his battle with mental health due to physician burnout and his journey to recovery. He discovered that health professionals tend to stigmatize mental health conditions by consistently associating them with a shameful "weakness." The lack of empathy or understanding for those suffering from such conditions further dissuades those affected by mental health issues from seeking the treatment they need and deserve.
"When mental health conditions come too close to us, we tend to look away — or to look with pity, exclusion or shame. … We may brand physicians who've had mental health conditions, while fostering environments that impede their ability to become and remain well," Dr. Hill wrote. "When, recently, I moved to a new state and disclosed my history of mental health treatment, the licensing board asked me to write a public letter discussing my treatment … We are [taught] to be ashamed not only of the condition, but of seeking treatment for it, which our culture views as a sign of weakness. This attitude is pervasive and detrimental — it is killing our friends and colleagues."
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