Week 4: Which specialties are most affected? How does this affect my family?

Hello, and welcome to week 4 of my research journey!!

This week at my internship was spent delving into resources provided by the American Medical Academy (AMA), the National Library of Medicine (NIH), and many more. However, there were two articles in particular that I read that really stood out to me: “Top 10 physician specialties with the highest rates of depression” and “Burnout is a crisis for young physicians—and their spouses.”

Some of the 10 physician specialties with the highest rates of depression are…:

1. Urology: 38.5%
2. Emergency medicine: 38.3%
3. Family medicine: 35.8%
4. Obstetrics and gynecology: 33.6%
5. General internal medicine: 33.3%
6. Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 32.7%
7. Radiology: 32%
8. Pediatric subspecialty: 31.9%
9. Psychiatry: 31.8%
10. Dermatology: 31.6%

These statistics intrigued me because some of these specialties align with my own possible career interests for the future. The impact of these results made me realize the potential implications for the future of healthcare, considering the possible deterrent effect on aspiring medical professionals.

The second article, “Burnout is a crisis for young physicians—and their spouses,” discusses how a physician’s burnout can affect their family. According to the article, spouses and other members of the family undergo “secondary psychological distress” when the physician is experiencing burnout or symptoms of burnout such as depression and anxiety. As someone with both parents in the medical field, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the toll of exhaustion and tension can spread to the family, leading to “secondary psychological distress.”

Looking ahead, my focus for the upcoming week will be on refining the structure of my slideshow for the final presentation and exploring strategies employed by organizations and healthcare facilities to mitigate burnout among physicians.

See you next week!

Ava Farboudmanesch 🙂

20, Feb, and Sara Berg. “Top 10 Physician Specialties with the Highest Rates of Depression.” American Medical Association, 20 Feb. 2024, www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/top-10-physician-specialties-highest-rates-depression.