Open Access

BRIEF COMMUNICATION

Addressing the Physician Mental Health Crisis with Psychoeducation: A Brief Communication

Traci N. Adams^1,*, Carol S. North²

1 Department of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA

* Corresponding Author: Traci N. Adams. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Safeguarding the Mental Health of Disaster Survivors and Frontline Healthcare Workers During Pandemics)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(7), 1045-1050. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.065144

Received 05 March 2025; Accepted 19 May 2025; Issue published 31 July 2025

Abstract

Physician mental health (MH) is in crisis, particularly in high-stress areas of medicine such as the emergency room and the intensive care unit. The high prevalence of burnout and psychiatric illness among critical care physicians, along with delays in seeking psychiatric care, can lead to suicide, ruined careers, damaged relationships, and medical errors. Psychoeducation programs can reduce MH sick leave days, increase empathy, and enhance help-seeking attitudes. The purpose of this brief communication is to demonstrate that physician psychoeducation programs can improve patient care, improve outcomes in physicians with psychiatric illness, and improve burnout rates, and we describe the essential aspects of such a program.

---