Family Physician to Colleagues: Please, Value Your Own Mental Health

Teresa Lovins, MD, is a board-certified family physician and owner of Lovin My Health DPC in Columbus, Indiana. In a recent conversation with Patient Care© about expediting help for patients with suicidal ideation, we asked her for some final thoughts on clinician self-care and about whether their willingness to ask for help and/or the response to such a need has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, when thousands of health care professionals were pushed to emotional extremes with very few resources available.

The importance of physician mental and physical health has come into sharp focus over the past decade, with growing evidence linking clinician wellness to patient care quality and professional longevity. Awareness of these challenges was cast in high relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. National surveys reveal that more than half of physicians reported inappropriate feelings of anger, tearfulness, or anxiety due to pandemic stressors, with burnout rates rising from 40% pre-pandemic to 58% during 2020–2021.1 Studies also show notable increases in depression, anxiety, disrupted sleep, and occupational stress among medical professionals, with approximately 84% reporting severe psychological impact from working through COVID-related surges.1,2 Concerns regarding suicide risk have become more visible, with the majority of clinicians now knowing a colleague who has considered, attempted, or died by suicide since the pandemic began.1,3

There are some encouraging signs including shifts in attitudes and policy. Lovins points to a decline in stigma around seeking help for mental health issues, noting that federal and state licensing boards increasingly frame questions regarding mental illness around current impairment rather than past history, a distinction she says that matters. "It allows physicians to be honest about getting treatment while reassuring them that it won’t interfere with their ability to practice or care for patients."

In the short video above, Lovins is clear on the importance of checking in with colleagues or seeking professional support when needed.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for flow and style.

Patient Care: Is there anything we haven’t discussed that you’d like to share with primary care or family physician colleagues?
Teresa Lovins, MD: I think it’s very important for family physicians to prioritize their own mental health. If you need therapy, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Sadly, we see too many physicians end their lives by suicide. We have to care for ourselves, too. Having your own primary care doctor is essential — someone you can go to with questions and for treatment when needed. That not only helps us personally, it also reduces stigma for our patients when they see that we value our own health as much as theirs.

Patient Care: Do you feel the willingness to ask for help has improved since the pandemic?
Lovins: Yes, I think we’ve seen progress. It’s becoming less awkward and less stigmatized for physicians to seek care. At the federal level, there are also changes underway to the kinds of questions physicians are asked. Instead of focusing on “have you ever had” a mental health issue, the emphasis is shifting toward whether you are currently incapacitated. That distinction matters — it allows physicians to be honest about getting treatment while reassuring them that it won’t interfere with their ability to practice or care for patients.

References

1. 2020 survey of America’s physicians: COVID-19 Impact Edition. The Physicians Foundation. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://physiciansfoundation.org/research/the-physicians-foundation-2020-physician-survey-part-2/

2. Wetzel L, Halfmann M, Castioni N, et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental burden and quality of life in physicians: Results of an online survey. Front Psychiatry. 2023;14:1068715. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1068715

3. Physician posttraumatic stress disorder during COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7;(7):e2423316. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.23316