Burnout among doctors is on the rise, says leading professor

A leading professor has claimed that burnout is on the rise, with even doctors at the beginning of their careers now asking for help.

Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, professor of medicine and education at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and founder non-executive director of the Natioanal Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) said that, while doctors don’t like to say that they can’t cope, incidents of anxiety, depression and burnout are all on the rise. 

“Doctors are human”, she said. “Today 60% of doctors seeking the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund’s support are under the age of 40. That is far younger than ever before in the charity’s 180 year long history. Younger doctors have not yet had the time to build up a financial safety net for when things go wrong and, like doctors at any age, can often be reticent to ask for help.

“Doctors should seek support and seek support sooner. Admitting you need help is not a ‘failure’. Levels of anxiety, fatigue, depression, burnout within the profession are high and yet 75% of doctors still feel that there is stigma within the profession for seeking help for mental health issues (RMBF Together for Doctors survey, 2017). Whether it is stress, work pressure, financial pressure or the loss of a loved one, there are a range of support organisations and initiatives in place that can offer help. Early assistance can often be the most effective.”

Professor Kumar also encouraged doctors to support one another. “Doctors don’t like to say that they cannot cope - and then suddenly ‘crash’. Encourage your colleagues to seek support when they need it, and trust that they would do the same for you. We are much more resilient when we are happier at work.”