The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Med Journal Feb 2019 Final 2 | Page 8

Physician Suicide
Prevention:
Research & Reading
If you are suicidal and need
emergency help, call 911
immediately or 1-800-273-8255
if in the United States. If you are in
another country, find a 24/7 hotline
at www.iasp.info/resources/
Crises_Centres.
You may also call the
National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline at 1-800-784-2433.
mote work-life balance and self-care, and more.
In addition, students may seek help for emotional
and mental health issues, depression, anxiety,
grief, relationship conflicts, academic difficulties,
and numerous other issues interfering with their
maximum functioning. (Students may call 501-
686-8408 for an appointment.)
The AMA remains vocal on the issue as well.
The organization wants to see it get easier for
physicians to access mental health care and, this
past year, adopted a new policy that, according
to ama-assn.org, will help “ensure physicians are
able to seek the care they need for
burnout, anxiety, depression, and
substance-related disorders, with-
out fear of punitive treatment or
licensure and career restrictions.”
(For more information, contact the
AMA for policy entitled, “Access
to Confidential Health Services for
Medical Students and Physicians
H-295.858.”)
burnout in health care, we will need a culture
change into a more supportive, transparent, and
less hierarchical model of organization.
“Professionals want, and need, to see mean-
ing and purpose in what they do and to have a
sense of control of their work processes - this will
reduce burnout and increase engagement. We
need to show that we care for each other.”
Now practicing at Jefferson Regional Medical
Center in Pine Bluff, Dr. Birk is sure of the support
of his colleagues and family and sees life and work
in a more positive light. “I haven’t had the com-
pulsion before or since. I genuinely love life, and
my family and kids. I struggle with regret for their
sakes that it ever happened, but I’ve learned that
when you get into that mode, you think nobody
cares and that they’d be better off if you’re gone.
Of course, that’s crazy. They all care, and I’m so
thankful that I’m still here in the world. I hope I’m
helping others by sharing my experience.”
* See “Reversing Stigma Suicide and the Werther
Effect” by Erick Messias (Democrat-Gazette |
June 15, 2018)
** To find the full report on the Mayo Clinic’s
organizational strategies, search mayoclin-
icproceedings.org for the article, “Executive
Leadership and Physician Well-being: Nine
Organizational Strategies to Promote Engage-
ment and Reduce Burnout.”
Additional Resources:
• The Arkansas Medical Foundation is in
existence to provide for the identification
and treatment recommendations
of health care professionals who
suffer from impairment, in order
to promote the public health and
safety and to insure the continued
availability of skills … The AMF
was created to help [impaired
physicians] get better even as it
works to protect and safeguard
patients. Arkansas’ regulatory
Erick Messias, MD, MPH, PhD and health care entities know the
Conclusion
special needs physicians have and
“I have and most physicians have experi-
support the AMF as it steps in to assist phy-
enced the loss of colleagues,” said Dr. Messais,
sicians and other health care professionals
calling suicide a tragedy that affects those who
in treatment, return to practice, and ongoing
die, their family and friends, and – in the case of
recovery. http://arkmedfoundation.org
physicians – patients and patient care. “Burnout
• The Institute for Health Care Improve-
remains prevalent in academic medical centers
among physicians, residents, nurses, and other
ment shares steps leaders can take to help
healthcare professionals. To address professional
their staff find joy and meaning in their work.
176 • THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY
(Watch the video at Ihi.org, https://youtu.be/
EkOKxXU31B0).
• “Intervention to Promote Physician Well-
being, Job Satisfaction, and Profession-
alism, A Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA
Feb 2014.
• American Foundation for Suicide Preven-
tion offers a wealth of resources including
facts about physician depression and sui-
cide. Its Interactive Screening Program
(ISP) is an online tool used by medical
schools across the country as a method of
connecting to students, residents, and fac-
ulty and encouraging them to utilize avail-
able mental health services before crises
emerge. https://afsp.org/our-work/educa-
tion/healthcare-professional-burnout-de-
pression-suicide-prevention/
• As part of AMA Steps Forward, the AMA
shares tools for identifying at-risk physicians
and facilitating access to care. “Preventing
Physician Distress and Suicide: Recognize
and Respond to Physician Distress and Sui-
cidal Behavior” https://edhub.ama-assn.
org/steps-forward/module/2702599.
• Kishore, S., D. E. Dandurand, A. Mathew,
and D. Rothenberger. 2016. Breaking the
Culture of Silence on Physician Suicide.
NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper, Na-
tional Academy of Medicine, Washington,
DC. doi: 10.31478/201606a.
• Mayo Clinic’s Well-Being Index The
Well-Being Index is an anonymous, web-
based tool that evaluates multiple dimen-
sions of distress in just a few questions,
with the goal of ending burnout among
professionals and reducing related adverse
consequences. https://www.mededwebs.
com/well-being-index.
• In Reply—Defining Physician Burnout,
and Differentiating Between Burn-
out and Depression Melnick, Edward
R.Powsner, Seth M.Shanafelt, Tait D. et al.
Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Volume 92, Issue
9, 1456 - 1458.
• Free Educational CME The Federation
of State Medical Boards has begun offer-
ing a special Continuing Medical Education
edition focusing on physician wellness and
burnout. For information, visit http://www.
jmronline.org/doi/abs/10.30770/2572-
1852-104.2.6
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