How to Help Physician Patients

Michael Myers, M.D., a psychiatrist from Vancouver, British Columbia, recommends several strategies to help psychiatrically distressed physicians at a recent meeting in Alberta.

• Respond quickly when a physician contacts you for help. Remember that most physicians self-refer to psychiatrists and often are very ill.


• Help your physician-patients get to a family physician.


• Respect and preserve boundaries of professional relationships with physician-patients.


• Make yourself available to the families of physician-patients.


• Remember to treat a physician in your care as a patient first, physician second.


• With complicated cases, don't hesitate to call on colleagues who specialize in other branches of medicine or subspecialists within psychiatry.


• Safeguard confidentiality at all times. Be sure that your physician-patients understand the limits of their signed consent.


• Increase your advocacy efforts on behalf of your physician-patients by publicizing your research projects and treatment successes.


• Advocate for changing inappropriate questions regarding psychiatric care on physician licensure and hospital applications.