Cohen says that it’s essential to acknowledge and reflect on these feelings. This discomfort prompts us to try to repress these feelings. Physicians often experience guilt, anxiety or shame when we experience powerful emotions like sadness or anger. Physicians who work in a daily atmosphere of severe emotional distress and fear must take special precautions to avoid being overwhelmed by negative emotions.Īccording to Cohen, the first step to managing emotional distress is to simply acknowledge and examine our emotional reactions. Psychologist and author Steven Cohen, Psy.D., notes that doctors, just like all others, are at risk of internalizing the negative feelings of the people around them. Related: Could pandemic impact well-being of ophthalmologists?Įmotional contagion Emotions, just like viruses, are contagious. An estimated 300 to 400 physicians take their own lives each year. Increased emotional stress during this time may also increase the risk of physician depression. First-line responders are at especially high risk of experiencing psychological hardship from the burden of disease, death and anxiety, whereas physicians not on the front lines are feeling the strain of worried patients, financial hardship and uncertainty about the future. Physicians, just like the patients we serve, are facing an unprecedented emotional burden from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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