Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun;45(3):366-370.
doi: 10.1007/s40596-021-01422-1. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Resident Mental Health Care: a Timely and Necessary Resource

Deanna Nobleza  1 , James Hagenbaugh  2 , Shawn Blue  2 , Shannon Skahan  2 , Gretchen Diemer  2
Affiliations

Resident Mental Health Care: a Timely and Necessary Resource

Deanna Nobleza et al. Acad Psychiatry. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Residency training is associated with stress and burnout that can contribute to poor mental health, yet many residents do not get the help needed. While some healthcare institutions provide mental health services specifically for residents, literature has documented few examples. The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization and patient characteristics of a resident mental health program.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective records analysis of residents who utilized outpatient mental health services through the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Emotional Health and Wellness Program for House Staff from 2010 to 2018.

Results: A total of 158 resident patient charts were reviewed. Utilization was highest for females, first years, and general internal medicine residents. Initial help-seeking was most common for summer, winter, and intern year. The most frequent diagnoses were adjustment, depressive, and anxiety disorders. Of residents who completed screening tools, 43% screened positive for moderate to severe depression, 11% screened positive for hazardous alcohol consumption, and 15% endorsed thoughts of death or suicide.

Conclusions: Resident physicians manifest psychiatric symptoms, mental disorders, and suicidal ideation that require treatment and intervention. Yet, a minority of residents make use of services. This data emphasizes the need to promote help-seeking behaviors among residents and ensure timely access to comprehensive mental health services.

Keywords: Resident mental health; Resident well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Dyrbye LN, West CP, Satele D, Boone S, Tan L, Sloan J, et al. Burnout among U.S. medical students, residents, and early career physicians relative to the general U.S. population. Acad Med. 2014;89(3):443–51. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000134 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shanafelt T, Goh J, Sinsky C. The business case for investing in physician well-being. JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(12):1826–32. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.4340 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mata DA, Ramos MA, Bansal N, Khan R, Guille C, di Angelantonio E, et al. Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among resident physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2015;314(22):2373–83. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.15845 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. Facts about mental health and suicide among physicians. File created 11/14/19. Date of last access 1/31/21. https://www.datocms-assets.com/12810/1578319045-physician-mental-health-...
    1. Yaghmour NA, Brigham TP, Richter T, Miller RS, Philibert I, Baldwin DWC Jr, et al. Causes of death of residents in ACGME-accredited programs 2000 through 2014: implications for the learning environment. Acad Med. 2017;92(7):976–83. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001736 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC

LinkOut - more resources