Face-to-face, skills-based interventions such as mindfulness and mind-body programs show promise in preventing or reducing common mental health disorder symptoms among physicians, according to a meta-analysis published in Nature Mental Health.
“Physicians have elevated rates of common mental disorder, specifically depression and anxiety, and are at increased risk of death by suicide compared with all other professional groups and the general population,” wrote Katherine Petrie, Ph.D., of the University of New South Wales in Australia, and colleagues. “[T]hese results provide important guidance for workplaces as to some promising interventions that could improve the mental health of this workforce.”
The researchers identified 21 studies that included 2,336 experienced physicians and residents (mean age of 35 years) and analyzed the impact of a variety of interventions to address anxiety, depression, or general psychological distress. The interventions included mindfulness- and mind-body-based approaches, psychoeducational approaches, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), among others. Some were held face-to-face while others were delivered digitally, and they included both group-based and individual interventions.
The authors found that a range of interventions resulted in a moderate reduction in depression, anxiety, or general psychological distress symptoms among physicians. Mindfulness- and mind-body-based interventions were particularly effective in reducing symptoms, as were skills-based approaches such as CBT, stress management, and peer support. By contrast, interventions that used a psychoeducational approach did not significantly reduce symptoms compared with control conditions. Additionally, the authors found that interventions delivered face-to-face were more effective than those delivered digitally.
“[T]hese findings highlight the need for careful consideration and planning around how these programs can be implemented into the ongoing professional education and working environment of physicians,” the authors wrote. “There is a balance to be struck between efficacy and issues of scalability, feasibility and sustainability…. [T]he direct and indirect costs of physician ill health to the health-care system (for example, presenteeism, absenteeism, turnover) should be a key consideration in this decision-making process, and the use of protected time or continuing professional development points may be a means to encourage adherence and ensure program completion.”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Investing in Residents’ Mental Health Vital to Psychiatry’s Own Health.”
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