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Why doctors are leery about seeking mental health care for themselves [WashingtonPost.com]

 

A survey of 2,000 U.S. physicians released in September found that roughly half believed they had met criteria for a mental health disorder in the past but had not sought treatment. The doctors listed a number of reasons they had shunned care, including worries that they’d be stigmatized and an inability to find the time.

But they also voiced a troubling reason for avoiding treatment: medical licensing applications.

After graduating from medical school, doctors must complete residency training and apply for state medical licenses to practice medicine. According to a study that appeared in 2008, about 90 percent of state medical boards have licensing forms that include questions about an applicant’s mental health.



[For more of this story, written by Nathaniel P Morris, go to https://www.washingtonpost.com...m_term=.44eb0a7b0683]

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I wonder if the State Medical Licensing Board questions about applicant's 'mental health' are in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act provisions which prohibit 'employers' from asking questions of a 'discriminatory nature'...? ? ?

Do we need to reassess whether people can 'recover' from 'mental illness', when one in five Americans experience a traumatic stressor on an annual basis. How long should 'recovery' from a mental illness' take, if insurance covers "pre-existing conditions" ? ? ?

Robert, you pose some wonderful questions.  I am not familiar with the questions on the state medical licensing board.  Why does (would) the board ask questions about mental health?  Presumably, there is some perceived public benefit; or are they codifying myths about mental illness within their regulatory process? Would the board-to-physician relationship be considered one of employer-to-employee?  

Thanks.

Denise

Last edited by Pamela Denise Long

I've known a number of physicians who've shared some concerns with me; many of them seemingly 'in confidence', but in December of 2016, I listened to a conference presentation by a licensed practicing psychiatrist who described much of his own recovery from 'Schizophrenia', during one of the presentations.

I wonder if the State Medical Licensing Board questions about applicant's 'mental health' are in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act provisions which prohibit 'employers' from asking questions of a 'discriminatory nature'...? ? ?

Do we need to reassess whether people can 'recover' from 'mental illness', when one in five Americans experience a traumatic stressor on an annual basis. How long should 'recovery' from a mental illness' take, if insurance covers "pre-existing conditions" ? ? ?

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