“Time to Talk About It: Physician Depression and Suicide” Video/Discussion Session for Interns, Residents, and Fellows

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Physician wellness has garnered significant recent national attention within graduate medical education (GME). Unfortunately, the resources to proactively address burnout, depression, and suicide are lacking. The “Time to Talk About It: Physician Depression and Suicide” video/discussion session is specifically designed for the GME community. Methods The primary focus of this 60-minute video/discussion session is to promote an open dialogue among interns, residents, and fellows about depression and suicide within the profession of medicine. The centerpiece of the session is a 7-minute video featuring personal accounts from physicians at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC). The materials associated with the publication include the video, a guide for facilitating group discussion following the video, a list of questions to guide small-group discussions, a session evaluation form, and examples of mental health resources for distribution at the end of the session. Results A field test of the video/discussion session with 22 trainees from the pediatrics residency program at SAUSHEC was very well received. Their average response to “This session was an effective first step in promoting an open dialogue among physicians about depression and suicide within the profession” was 4.5 out of 5 (i.e., Strongly Agree). One hundred percent of participants answered “Yes” to the question “Would you recommend this session to other physicians?” Discussion We hope that this resource will be useful to other institutions around the country as they confront physician burnout, depression, and suicide.

Keywords

• Physician Wellness
• Physician Depression
• Physician Suicide