Interns Are Increasingly Using Mental Health Services, but More Can Still Be Done
Authors: Simone A. Bernstein, Jessica A. Gold
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2021)

EditorialsJanuary 2022Interns Are Increasingly Using Mental Health Services, but More Can Still Be DoneSimone A. Bernstein, MD and Jessica A. Gold, MD, MSSimone A. Bernstein, MDDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MissouriSearch for more papers by this author and Jessica A. Gold, MD, MSDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MissouriSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M21-4077 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Residents have an increased risk for burnout and depression compared with the general population (1, 2). One of the highest risk periods for suicide is also during internship (2). Despite these statistics, residents often avoid asking for help when they need it. In one study, despite resident mental health services, only 24% of residents who believed they needed help actually sought treatment (3). Reasons for not seeking help include lack of time (77%), concerns about confidentiality (67%) and what others would think (67%), cost (56%), and worries about obtaining licensure (50%) (3). Methods to further increase care seeking are needed ...References1. Dyrbye LN, West CP, Satele D, et al. Burnout among U.S. medical students, residents, and early career physicians relative to the general U.S. population. Acad Med. 2014;89:443-51. [PMID: 24448053] doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000000134 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Yaghmour NA, Brigham TP, Richter T, et al. Causes of death of residents in ACGME-accredited programs 2000 through 2014: implications for the learning environment. Acad Med. 2017;92:976-983. [PMID: 28514230] doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000001736 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Aaronson AL, Backes K, Agarwal G, et al. Mental health during residency training: assessing the barriers to seeking care. Acad Psychiatry. 2018;42:469-472. [PMID: 29450842] doi:10.1007/s40596-017-0881-3 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Fang, Y, Bohnert ASB, Pereira-Lima K, et al. Trends in depressive symptoms and associated factors during residency, 2007 to 2019. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175:56-64. doi:10.7326/M21-4077 Google Scholar5. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. ACGME Common Program Requirements (Residency). 3 February 2020. Updated 1 July 2021. Accessed at www.acgme.org/globalassets/PFAssets/ProgramRequirements/CPRResidency2021.pdf on 5 October 2021. Google Scholar6. Martin A, Chilton J, Gothelf D, et al. Physician self-disclosure of lived experience improves mental health attitudes among medical students: a randomized study. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2020;7:2382120519889352. [PMID: 32363235] doi:10.1177/2382120519889352 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Sofka S, Grey C, Lerfald N, et al. Implementing a universal well-being assessment to mitigate barriers to resident utilization of mental health resources. J Grad Med Educ. 2018;10:63-66. [PMID: 29467975] doi:10.4300/JGME-D-17-00405.1 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Clement S, Schauman O, Graham T, et al. What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. Psychol Med. 2015;45:11-27. [PMID: 24569086] doi:10.1017/S0033291714000129 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Wang K, Burke SE, Przedworski JM, et al. A comparison of depression and anxiety symptoms between sexual minority and heterosexual medical residents: a report from the medical trainee CHANGE study. LGBT Health. 2020;7:332-339. [PMID: 32598215] doi:10.1089/lgbt.2020.0027 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Delaney RK, Locke A, Pershing ML, et al. Experiences of a health system's faculty, staff, and trainees' career development, work culture, and childcare needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4:e213997. [PMID: 33797552] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.3997 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MissouriDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M21-4077.Corresponding Author: Jessica A. Gold, MD, MS, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8509, St. Louis, MO 63110; e-mail, [email protected]edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 16 November 2021. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTrends in Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors During Residency, 2007 to 2019 Yu Fang , Amy S.B. Bohnert , Karina Pereira-Lima , Jennifer Cleary , Elena Frank , Zhuo Zhao , Walter Dempsey , and Srijan Sen Metrics January 2022Volume 175, Issue 1Page: 131-132KeywordsDepressionHealth surveysPsychiatry and mental healthResidencySleep ePublished: 16 November 2021 Issue Published: January 2022 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2021 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...