25.6 percent of providers reported mental distress severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathology
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More than one-quarter of U.S. health care providers reported meeting diagnostic criteria for psychopathology during the pandemic, but only 38 percent of these reported seeking care, according to research published in the Jan. 16 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Anthony Papa, Ph.D., from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, and colleagues studied mental health symptoms and care-seeking among U.S. health care providers during the pandemic. A total of 2,603 primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants were surveyed during September 2022 to May 2023.
The researchers found that 45.4 percent of participants reported they did not need mental health care and 20.3 percent had sought care. Overall, 25.6 percent of providers reported mental distress severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathology; of these, 38 and 20.1 percent reported seeking care and indicated that they did not need care, respectively. Providers reporting care-seeking had a lower average number of years in practice. Care-seeking was more likely to be reported by providers who identified as female. Difficulty getting time off from work, cost of care, and concerns about confidentiality were the most frequently reported barriers to seeking care. Increased symptom severity was seen in association with increased pandemic-related work stressors, but these effects were mitigated by support from work supervisors.
“Organizational and governmental interventions will likely reduce stigma among health care providers by normalizing and supporting mental health care-seeking and addressing perceived negative consequences of seeking health care on medical licensing,” the authors write.
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