Survey on mental health in the category shows that 69.4% of professionals have already presented symptoms of depression
About ⅔ (62%) of Brazilian doctors have or have had symptoms of burnout syndrome (professional exhaustion) or have been diagnosed with the disorder, according to the “Doctor’s Mental Health” survey carried out by the Research Center from the Afya. Others 47% have or have previously been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 46%of depression.
The survey was carried out from June to July last year using a quantitative method. 3,489 responses were obtained, with 3,115 people completing the questionnaire. The margin of error is 1.66 to 1.76 pp (percentage points) with a 95% confidence level. Here’s the complete of the research (PDF – 14 MB).
According to research, the main factors attributed by doctors to burnout symptoms are:
- Excessive hours at work: 47%;
- insufficient salary: 32.6%;
- lack of professional fulfillment: 30.6%;
- excess bureaucratic tasks: 27%.
“In both scenarios, the causes directly related to the covid-19 pandemic were little reported, which allows us to generate the hypothesis that factors prior to the pandemic and inherent to medical performance scenarios predominate in the incidence of these cases among doctors”he stated.
To the Power360, doctor Eduardo Moura, director of the Research Center and responsible for the research, stated that healthcare professionals are one of the professional classes most vulnerable to burnout syndrome and psycho-illness. According to him, the pandemic “it just made this problem more evident”.
“We had a real epidemic of burnout among healthcare professionals during the pandemic period, and psychiatric illness, depression and anxiety also increased significantly in this population during the pandemic. However, it is not restricted to the pandemic”he said.
Furthermore, about ⅓ (63%) of professionals said they did not treat burnout syndrome because “lack of time” while about half (52.1%) responded “lack of motivation”. Another 20% also claimed “fear of professional impact”.
The Research Center concluded that doctors in Brazil have 30% more of stress level than professionals in the Netherlands, for example, based on analysis using the EPS-10 (stress perception scale). For 56% of doctors, stress is related to dissatisfaction with their working conditions and the health system.
DISORDERS AND DRUG USE
A anxiety It is the most common disorder asked among the country’s medical profession: only 20.4% said they never had symptoms. The majority (32.2%) stated that they had shown signs of anxiety, but were not being monitored. 7.3% said they had the diagnosis, but were not treated. Read other answers:
- 28.3%: “I have a current diagnosis of anxiety disorder, I treat it and follow it with a specialist”; It is
- 11.7%: “I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in the past, but I currently do not have the disease”.
Already the depression it reaches or has reached 46% of doctors, in addition to those who stated that they had been diagnosed at least once – with 3.5% not undergoing treatment. Considering those who said they had symptoms, the percentage is 64.9%. Another 30.6% said they never had signs of the disorder.
The survey also showed that around 50% of doctors use some psychoactive drug, with antidepressants being the most used, with 41%. The most common class of psychoactives with self-medication are opioids, such as morphine: 62%.
For the director of the Research Center, as the prevalence of mental illnesses is high, “nothing more natural than expecting doctors to use psychoactive drugs to treat these conditions”. However, he said that it is necessary to look at this data carefully.
“When properly indicated, these drugs are strong allies in treatment. What is most worrying is that 1/3 of those who use it self-medicate. This is where the danger lies because this professional should be monitored by a psychiatrist and not self-medicate.”he stated.
Regarding the use of non-therapeutic drugs:
- almost half (48.5%) of doctors drink alcohol;
- 10% smoke tobacco;
- 6.2% use illicit drugssuch as marijuana (78.5%), amphetamines and psychostimulants, such as LSD and ecstasy, (39.5%), mushrooms (10.3%) and cocaine and opioid derivatives (9.7%).
“It is somewhat alarming to think that almost 1/3 of doctors self-medicate, without correct assessment and monitoring. This is a possible consequence of the stigma that mental illness still carries and which prevents them from exposing themselves to other professionals (in this situation, professional colleagues)”he said.
PRECARIOUS HABITS AND ENVIRONMENT
The numbers show that healthcare professionals have a lifestyle with high rates of not practicing habits considered healthy. The most neglected areas are physical activity, sleep and leisure, according to the survey. Here it is below:
- 35% regularly maintains restful sleep;
- 65.1% do not do physical activities frequently;
- about ⅓ had leisure time in the last 2 weeks.
“The lifestyle profile of the Brazilian doctor identified in this survey is quite harmful to health and perception of well-being”said the Research Center. “This impact tends to be greater among doctors with less training, in specialization, with working hours exceeding 60 hours per week, working as generalists or in direct access specialties and who work in health institutions and not just in their own office or clinic.”
Regarding the work environment, the majority (75%) of doctors said that the institution where they work does not offer emotional support and half, who do not have a support network. According to the study, the scenario of illness among professionals can be enhanced by institutional aspects.
“The medical population in Brazil has lifestyle habits that increase stress and mental illness, but working conditions seem to establish a very dangerous link with environmental pressure that poses a risk to medical practice and worsens the mental health outcomes of their patients. workforce”he stated.
However, despite the symptoms of disorders and disorders caused by stress, anxiety and depression, 42% of doctors responded to the Afya survey that they are satisfied with the profession and more than half (52%) said they do not regret having studied medicine.
DOCTORS’ PROFILE
The Research Center’s survey also provided an overview of the Brazilian medical profile. Most professionals in the field are specialists (59%)work in emergency centers (41.6%) and graduated between 6 and 10 years ago (21.2%). The average length of a doctor’s journey in the country is around 52 hours per week.
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