New Delhi: The white
coat, those knowing eyes, that reassuring voice when in pain, a
mere glimpse of a doctor puts us at ease. Little does one realise
that their back-breaking schedule, odd working hours and
"emotional labour" during patient care sometimes takes a toll on
doctors' health, pushing them to seek help themselves.
This is probably why sometimes doctors, despite knowing it all,
take to smoking and even get addicted to it and alcohol, which in
turn leads to other health complications, experts say.
Sameer Malhotra, head of the psychiatry department at Max
hospital, said that many a time he has had people from the medical
fraternity sitting on his patient's chair, seeking help to deal
with their problems, which are often stress-related.
"I do have doctors coming to see me, seeking help to deal with
problems like anxiety, psychosomatic problems and de-addiction
(from nicotine or alcohol)," Malhotra told IANS.
Samir Parikh, director, Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences,
Fortis Healthcare, similarly said that doctors often come to him
looking for advice on how to manage their stress.
"The medical profession has a high-stress quotient. Doctors have
long, gruelling working hours, which is very taxing. Stress is
more like an occupational part of a doctor's job," Parikh told
IANS.
"Hence there are times when doctors, who are fellow colleagues,
come to me looking for advice and suggestions on how to manage
their stress," he added.
According to Malhotra, emotional stress, more than physical
burden, is what affects doctors.
"Doctors have to constantly give emotional support to their
patients, especially in cases of terminal illnesses. You have to
understand that doctors are, after all, human beings. And try as
they may, they do get affected by their patients' and the
relatives' emotional turmoil," Malhotra said.
"It's especially tough for young resident doctors and students
because in addition to their course curriculum, they have to hone
their patient handling skills," he added.
Author and behavioural trainer at Human Impact Training and
Consulting Private Limited, Lata Gwalani, agrees.
"Doctors have been encouraged to put up a facade of emotional
calmness and stability in front of their patients. They are taught
to continuously underplay emotions - both in acknowledging others'
emotions and in accepting their own. This invalidation of emotion
creates a huge build-up of emotional baggage," Gwalani said.
"Over time, this baggage becomes too unwieldy to carry around.
Emotional labour takes its toll on us. While most working people
are doing some amount of emotional labour, doctors are perhaps the
best examples of extreme emotional labour. Breaking bad news is
difficult," she added.
Ziaur Rahman, a doctor, remembers one of his colleagues succumbing
to liquor.
"Our profession is such that it is deeply satisfying, but at the
same time stressful. If you cannot handle it well and know where
to draw the line, it can cost you your health," Rahman told IANS.
"I remember one of my colleagues - a very good doctor - getting
addicted to alcohol over a period of time. Along with the
addiction came a host of health problems and, sadly, it cost him
his life. Having said that, most doctors do know how to juggle
their professional and personal lives," he added.
"I am a doctor, but I have to admit that it's very difficult to
lead a healthy lifestyle and follow my own advice that I give my
patients," Sashwati Banerjee, a young doctor, said. "The long
working hours, the night shifts, the stress...it's very easy to
succumb to these with a few puffs of smoke or a peg or two of
alcohol."
Having said that, it's not very difficult to deal with stress,
counsellors say.
"The most important thing for the doctor is to be able to draw the
line between empathy and sympathy. Empathise with your patient,
try to understand the pain, but at the end of the day, you should
tell yourself that you did the best you could," Malhotra said.
"One should also take out some time for relaxation. Simple
exercises and yoga can help. Hospitals should also ensure that
doctors get some space, for instance, to eat their lunch on time,
or spend time with their family," he added.
Gwalani added: "Some amount of de-clinicing during the day will
considerably help. The doctor can choose a time during the day to
shut out the outside world and indulge in some meditative music.
Doing some deep breathing, visualisations and positive
affirmations can help rid negativity".
"Finally, people should respect a doctor's private time. Of
course, in an emergency you will seek help. But other than that,
one should understand that like others, they too need time for
themselves and their personal life," Malhotra said.
(Azera Rahman
can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)
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