Today Is World Mental Health Day: How Is Yours?
Key Takeaways
- World Mental Health Day highlights the need for mental health services during crises, with psychiatrists as key responders.
- Business obstacles and burnout among psychiatrists can deteriorate the quality of care provided to patients.
World Mental Health Day emphasizes the importance of mental health access during crises, urging professionals to prioritize their own well-being amidst challenges.
PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS
October 10th has been World Mental Health Day since 1992. This year’s theme is “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” All such situations seem to be escalating from war, climate instability, humanitarian crises, and more. We in psychiatry often forget that we are first responders for patients in any sort of crisis like those.
When our initial and ongoing services are limited by business obstacles to our ability to heal, we are also hurt, as exemplified by our continuing burnout epidemic and rising moral injuries. Generally speaking, quality of care deteriorates when our own mental health worsens.
We must remember that World Mental Health Day includes our own. We do have access to services, but often do not use them due to stigma, licensing risks, and excessive resilience. Since our own mental health needs are then often ignored or denied, use the day to get some feedback from trusted colleagues, loved ones, or various questionnaires addressing burnout and moral injuries.
The life you help can—and should—include your own.
Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.
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