Doctors’ mental health
You were trained to look after everyone else. You are allowed to be a patient, too.
Behind the white coat
Doctors are human. Here is what the job can do to the mind.
Doctors carry big decisions, long hours and other people’s worst days. Many learned early to push feelings aside to get the work done. That can work for a while, but stress that is never processed tends to come out somewhere.
Burnout among U.S. physicians hit a record high of 62.8% in 2021, according to the American Medical Association. It has eased since, to 43.2% in 2024, the lowest since the pandemic. That is still a lot of doctors running on empty.
Signs the job may be getting to you
- Charting late into the night and dreading the inbox
- Feeling cynical or detached from patients you used to enjoy
- Irritability with staff or family that is not like you
- Losing interest in things outside work
- Using alcohol or other things to switch off
- Wondering if you should leave the profession altogether
Medical school & residency
The training years are some of the hardest on mental health.
Training is long, competitive and often far from home. In a review of studies from 43 countries, about 27% of medical students had depression or depressive symptoms. Only about 16% of those who screened positive sought help.
Residency brings new pressure. A review of 54 studies found that about 29% of resident physicians had depression or depressive symptoms.
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The ACGME, which accredits U.S. residency programs, requires programs to provide access to confidential, affordable mental health assessment, counseling and treatment, including urgent care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Residents must also be given the chance to attend medical, mental health and dental appointments, including during their working hours.
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- Being far from family and friends
- Constant evaluation and high-stakes exams
- Large student debt
- Little say over your schedule or where you match
- Missing weddings, holidays and milestones
- Sleep loss on call and nights
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- A co-resident or classmate you can be honest with
- A mentor outside your evaluation chain
- One protected activity each week that is just for you
- Using your program’s confidential service early, not just in a crisis
Perfectionism & “never show weakness”
The traits that get you through training can turn against you.
High standards help keep patients safe. But harsh self-criticism is different. In one study of U.S. physicians, self-critical perfectionism predicted higher emotional exhaustion and detachment from patients, two core parts of burnout.
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Healthy striving sounds like
- “I can learn from this.”
- “I did my best with what I knew.”
- “Mistakes are part of being human.”
Harsh self-criticism sounds like
- “A good doctor would never have missed that.”
- “I can never let anyone see me struggle.”
- “If I ask for help, they will think I am weak.”
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Medical culture often rewards working through illness, skipping meals and never saying no. Over time, many doctors stop noticing their own warning signs until they are very unwell.
Small ways to push back
- Model taking a sick day when you are ill
- Name stress out loud with trusted colleagues
- Say “That case got to me” after a hard day
- Thank colleagues who ask for help, so it feels safer for everyone
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Being involved in an error or bad outcome can shake your confidence deeply. This is common and there is support for it.
The inbox, the chart & the system
Much of burnout comes from how the work is set up.
In the AMA’s 2024 survey of nearly 18,000 physicians, more than a third named poorly working electronic records, inbox demands and documentation as big sources of stress. About a quarter (26.5%) named shortages of doctors and support staff.
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Many doctors finish clinic only to face hours of messages and notes at night. That “pajama time” eats into rest, family and sleep.
Ideas that can help
- Ask what inbox tasks team members can handle
- Bring workflow problems to leaders with a suggested fix
- Set a stop time for charting most nights
- Turn off inbox notifications on your days off
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Feeling unable to give patients the care you know they need, because of rules or money, can hurt more than long hours. Many doctors describe this as moral distress or moral injury.
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AMA data show burnout fell as job satisfaction and feeling valued rose. Health systems that invest in support, like child care and leadership check-ins, are part of that picture.
Licensing & credentialing fears
The fear of losing your license keeps many doctors from getting help.
In a national survey of 5,829 physicians, about 40% said they would be reluctant to seek formal care for a mental health condition because of worries about their medical license. Doctors in states with broad questions about mental health history were about 20% more likely to feel that way.
The same AMA report describes a study of nearly 8,000 surgeons. About 6% had thoughts of suicide in the past year, and three-quarters of them did not seek help, fearing it would affect their license.
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The Federation of State Medical Boards recommends that boards ask only about current conditions that are not being treated and that impair your ability to practice, not about past diagnoses or treatment.
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The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation verifies boards and health organizations that remove intrusive mental health questions. As of September 2026, it had verified 46 medical licensing boards and more than a thousand hospitals.
In its survey work, half of clinicians said worries about being hired, credentialed or given privileges were a barrier to getting mental health care.
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Tips
- Ask your state medical society or a physician health program if you are unsure
- Check whether it asks about now, or about the past
- Know that getting help is not the same as being impaired
- Read the exact wording on the current form, not what colleagues remember
Getting help confidentially
Private ways for doctors to talk to someone.
There are more private options than many doctors know about. You can start with a phone call, today, without telling your employer.
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The Physician Support Line is for U.S. physicians and medical students. It is free, confidential and anonymous, and no appointment is needed. Call 1-888-409-0141, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern (not on federal holidays).
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Many states have a physician health program. They support doctors, trainees and other health professionals with mental health, addiction or other health conditions, and offer a confidential, therapeutic alternative to discipline.
They can provide private evaluations, connect you with care and support you through recovery.
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Some doctors feel more at ease seeing a therapist outside the health system where they work. It is also fine to ask a therapist if they have worked with physicians before.
Questions to ask
- Have you worked with doctors before?
- What would ever be shared, and with whom?
- Who can see my records?
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Many hospitals have peer support or “care for the caregiver” programs where trained colleagues listen after hard events. Ask your wellbeing office or medical staff office.
Who carries extra weight
Women physicians and mid-career doctors face added strain.
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The AMA reports that women physicians continue to be more likely than men to experience burnout symptoms.
A 2024 review of 39 studies from 20 countries found female physicians had a higher suicide risk than women in the general population. The gap has narrowed in recent years, but it is still there.
Pressures many women describe
- Being mistaken for a nurse or assistant
- Juggling pregnancy, parenting or caregiving with training and call
- Pressure to prove yourself again and again
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In the AMA’s 2024 data, burnout was highest among doctors 6 to 15 years out of training (about 48–49%), and lower for those newer to practice or 20+ years in.
These are often the years of young children, aging parents, leadership roles and heavy debt, all at once.
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Working alone or in a small practice can mean no one notices when you are struggling, and no one to cover when you need time off.
Ideas
- A cover arrangement with nearby practices
- A regular call with a trusted colleague
- Joining your local or specialty medical society
- Peer groups for independent doctors
Being a patient yourself
Why doctors often skip their own care, and how to change that.
Many doctors find it hard to be on the other side of the exam table. In one long-term study of physicians, more than a third (35%) had no regular doctor of their own. Those without one were less likely to get routine checkups later.
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Knowing a lot about health does not give you an outside view of yourself. Everyone, including doctors, sees their own situation less clearly than someone else does.
Steps to take
- Find your own primary care doctor and keep regular visits
- Let them be the doctor, and you be the patient
- Be honest about stress, sleep and mood, not just physical health
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Ideas that help
- Ask your scheduler to block time for your own visits
- Book your next visit before you leave the current one
- Use telehealth for therapy if travel time is the barrier
How colleagues, leaders & families can help
Small actions that make it safer for doctors to struggle out loud.
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Ways to help
- Notice changes and mention them gently: “You have seemed stretched lately. How are you really doing?”
- Listen without rushing to fix it.
- Share your own experience of getting support, if you have one.
- Point them to a confidential option, like the Physician Support Line.
- Check in again a few days later.
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What helps
- Check your own forms for intrusive mental health questions
- Make coverage easy for appointments and sick days
- Protect time off and model taking it
- Reduce inbox and documentation load where possible
- Talk openly about getting support
Read more
Ideas that help
- Agree on a signal for “hard day, I need quiet first”
- Gently name changes you notice, like drinking more or withdrawing
- Look after your own needs and support too
- Protect small rituals together that work cannot take
By the numbers
What research tells us about doctors’ mental health.
Burnout
Training
Getting help
World
When and where to get help
Signs it is time to reach out, and who to call.
Reach out if…
- Dread, numbness or low mood lasts for weeks
- You are drinking or using other things to cope
- You feel hopeless, trapped or like a burden
- You have any thoughts of harming yourself or someone else
- You keep thinking “they would be better off without me”
- Your relationships or health are suffering
Where to start
- Tell one person you trust how you are really doing.
- Call the Physician Support Line (U.S. physicians and medical students): 1-888-409-0141, weekdays 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Eastern.
- Talk to your own clinical provider, or a therapist who works with doctors.
- Residents: contact your program’s confidential mental health service.
- Contact your state physician health program, employee assistance program or peer support program.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
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Sources
- American Medical Association (AMA) (2025). U.S. physician burnout hits lowest rate since COVID-19
- American Medical Association (AMA) (2024). Exclusive AMA survey reveals who is hit hardest by doctor burnout
- American Medical Association (AMA) (2025). Burnout eases for doctors at every career stage as support rises
- JAMA (Rotenstein et al.) (2016). Prevalence of Depression, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- JAMA (Mata et al.) (2015). Prevalence of Depression and Depressive Symptoms Among Resident Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (2025). ACGME Common Program Requirements (Residency): Well-Being
- BMC Health Services Research (2022). Perfectionism as a predictor of physician burnout
- American Medical Association (AMA), on Dyrbye et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2017). Medical boards probe mental health; doctors pause in getting help
- American Medical Association (AMA) (2023). How to ensure application questions support physician wellness
- Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation (2026). Remove Barriers to Care (licensure and credentialing)
- Physician Support Line. Physician Support Line
- Rural Health Information Hub (supported by HRSA). Physician Support Line (resource listing)
- Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP). Federation of State Physician Health Programs
- The BMJ (2024). Suicide rates among physicians compared with the general population in studies from 20 countries: gender stratified systematic review and meta-analysis
- Archives of Internal Medicine (Gross et al.) (2000). Physician, heal thyself? Regular source of care and use of preventive health services among physicians
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
