The Medscape UK Doctors’ Burnout & Lifestyle Survey 2020 was carried out between May and August 2020, with a sample of 1082 UK-based doctors. Unsurprisingly, levels of burnout had increased since the last survey in 2018, from 22% to 37%. The percentage of doctors reporting both depression and burnout had increased from 10% to 28%.
These are awful findings – a third of our doctors are suffering from depression and burnout. And sadly 20% of those who completed the survey said they’d had thoughts of suicide. The distress and suffering this causes is best illustrated by the doctors’ own words:
“I feel like a trapped animal sometimes”
“I’m no longer the person I used to be”
“I sleep a lot, and it doesn’t take much to make me cry. I snap at everyone”
It doesn’t need stating that the Covid-19 pandemic has put enormous physical and psychological strain on all health professionals. Survey respondents reported that amongst the issues contributing to burnout were too much bureaucracy, too many hours at work, a lack of control and feeling like just a cog in a wheel.
But the factor identified as contributing most to burnout may surprise you: a lack of respect from colleagues (including co-workers, managers and administrators).
My response to this was initially one of sadness and anger. Doctors endure the gruelling and relentless demands of their jobs – that currently place them at considerable personal risk – and yet also have to survive rudeness, bullying and unkindness from those who are supposed to be on the same team. It’s tempting to conclude that this is a result of bad apples – a few nasty people victimising others. Certainly there are those working in the NHS who routinely mistreat people, and who rely on bullying behaviours to meet their own needs for power and control. I think it’s also true that the NHS doesn’t do enough to tackle this. However, as I continued to explore the survey data, a more nuanced picture emerged.
Doctors who described themselves as being depressed reported that this had a significant impact on their workplaces and colleagues. They described being less engaged, less friendly, and more exasperated and frustrated. For colleagues on the receiving end this is likely to be experienced as a lack of respect.
Thus a vicious cycle emerges: a lack of professional respect contributes to depression and burnout which in turn leads to disengagement or hostility towards colleagues.
What can we do about this?
Here are 3 suggestions:
- Many of the factors that contribute to burnout and depression amongst doctors are massive systemic issues. Individual health professionals have very little, if any, influence over these problems. But we can manage our own behaviour and responses to colleagues. If we were all able to prioritise kindness and respect towards each other, even in the midst of overwhelming demands, we might be able to ease at least some of the burden.
- Respect is demonstrated in lots of ways. It’s not just about not being rude. It’s also about honouring agreements, enabling people to meet their basic needs (food, water & rest), and recognising workers as people first – names on a shift rota second. If you have responsibility for managing operational systems and logistics, you have frequent opportunities for demonstrating that your colleagues are valued and respected. Take these opportunities – they mean a lot.
- If you notice that you are disengaging from colleagues or responding in ways that don’t feel right this might be a sign that you are struggling with depression or burnout. Reach out for support – to colleagues, friends, family or a professional.
Sources of professional support include your GP, Practitioner Health, Project5, Frontline19, or a private therapist or counsellor. If you would like to talk to me about whether I might be able to help, you can book a free 20-minute call.
