Psychologists are starting to talk publicly about their own mental illnesses – and patients can benefit
Psychologists are people, too
“In a forthcoming peer-reviewed study, almost 1,700 psychology faculty members and trainees completed an online survey that asked about their mental health experiences. This is the largest study to date on the rates of mental illness in graduate programs that train clinical, counseling and school psychologists. Our survey asked participants two separate questions: whether they had ever experienced “mental health difficulties” and if they had ever been diagnosed with a mental illness by a professional. Asking both questions was important, because some mental health difficulties are not labeled as specific conditions, and not all respondents may have had access to a mental health provider who could make a formal diagnosis. Over 80% of all respondents reported having mental health difficulties at some point, and 48% reported having a diagnosed mental illness. These rates are similar to rates of mental illness in the general population. Our findings show that, far from being immune to the conditions they treat in others, psychologists grapple with mental health difficulties or illnesses just as much as their patients do.
Stigma as a barrier to inclusion
Through another upcoming study, we identified some of the structural barriers within clinical psychology that may discourage psychologists from talking about their own mental illness. One key barrier is that – again, ironically – stigma toward mental illness exists from within the mental health profession. We have found that psychologists and trainees with mental illness may be unfairly viewed as damaged, incompetent or hard to work with by their colleagues. We based this conclusion on our personal experiences in the profession, combined with the large body of research on the dynamics of disclosing mental illness. Previous research has found that sharing one’s mental health difficulties, disability or illness in a training setting may result in lost professional opportunities, such as being hired or promoted or winning an award. However, research also shows that sharing one’s mental illness may open up other opportunities to receive support and accommodations on the job, such as adjustment of job tasks, work schedules and time and performance expectations.”
Read the complete article available at The Conversation
Reflection: Have you ever experienced the stigma that is attached towards mental illness in the mental health professional?
#MentalHealth #Stigma #Professionals
@professionalVision2624
As a psychotherapist student, I have struggled a great deal with compassion fatigue, anxiety and panic attacks during my education. During periods of high stress and anxiety my symptoms flare up and I can also notice signs of compassion fatigue and burn-out affecting my energy and that I feel drained after talking with clients who share traumatic life stories. As much as I wish that I could tell my supervisor about this, I feel like they would judge me for experiencing mental illness since I need to be “ mentally strong” and “untouched” to be able to work effectively in this line of work. I have experienced this stigma and I do hope that in the future the stigma is removed and we, as mental health professionals, can also be seen as ordinary people that are not immune to mental illness and that it's acceptable for a psychologist to not "feel okay all the time"
@professionalVision2624 I have never experienced the stigma that's attached to mental health professionals, but I can understand how much they must suffer without talking about it! Mental health has enough stigma as it is, but I think people assume that therapists don't suffer. In fact, they probably suffer more because they are hearing everyone's issues everyday!
@fruityPond7887
I’m happy to hear that you haven’t experienced the stigma attached to mental health professionals and that you, despite this, have such a profound understanding of this topic! And I agree with you that psychologists and therapists are at risk for mental health illnesses because they hear traumatic stories everyday. Thank you for your comment!