Vol. 5 - September 17, 2025 is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day

Remember: Everyone has a role in reducing physician suicide. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For ongoing support, contact your local Physician Health Program, or in California where there is no PHP, contact your local physician well-being committee or similar resource.

Opening Message: A Day of Action, Not Just Awareness 

Today marks National Physician Suicide Awareness Day—a critical reminder that awareness without action is insufficient. As FSPHP President Dr. Michael Baron emphasizes, we must commit to seven evidence-based actions that can prevent physician struggles from escalating to mental health emergencies:

•   Learn the vital signs of distress

•   Encourage mental health reflection

•   Share suicide prevention resources

•   Prepare crisis management plans

•   Check in with colleagues

•   Remove intrusive mental health questions from licensing

•   Create cultures of wellbeing

Breaking Down Barriers: New Research on Mental Health Access

Recent research from the Heart of Safety Coalition and ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Health Coalition reveals sobering truths about the barriers clinicians face when seeking mental health care. Their comprehensive study of over 2,000 healthcare professionals—including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, and registered nurses—highlights three critical findings:

The Scheduling Barrier: Clinicians report significant difficulties working around their professional schedules, which are often unpredictable, inflexible, and subject to last-minute changes. This structural barrier prevents many from accessing consistent mental health care.

To break down this barrier there needs to be concerted efforts on all fronts: healthcare organizations, regulatory organizations and individual practitioners. Efforts to reduce clinical burden and time should, at least in part, be translated into dedicated time to access mental health care when needed. Even in large organizations where there are adequate resources, they remain underutilized due to lack of time.

The Ever-Present Weight of Stigma: Half of all clinicians worry that seeking mental health care could negatively impact their ability to get hired, credentialed, or maintain practice privileges. This fear creates a dangerous silence around mental health needs.

The best ways to combat stigma is to promote education and personal story sharing regarding the struggles of mental health issues.

Licensing and Credentialing Issues: Inconsistent state regulations around disclosure and impairment reporting increase anxiety about seeking help. The patchwork of rules creates confusion and fear rather than the transparency needed to encourage help-seeking behavior.

Due to the efforts of the FSMB in their 2018 report on action items to support physician well-being, and to the Lorna Breen Foundation since its inception in 2020, a majority of states have either eliminated or plan to eliminate intrusive questions on state licensing applications and renewals. California was one of the first to move in this direction and in the past 2 years have aligned questions on physician licensing applications with what is recommended—mainly asking only about current impairment without naming specific conditions, and AB2158 signed into law on 9/29/25 legislated the prohibition to ask these questions.

Clinical Insights: When Patients Disagree with Diagnosis

A compelling case study from Psychiatric Times explores what happens when physician-patients disagree with psychiatric diagnoses—a scenario with particular relevance to our work in physician health. The article "Let's Agree to Disagree: What to Do When a Patient Disagrees" offers several key insights:

Disagreement Isn't Failure: Diagnostic uncertainty or contested diagnoses don't represent treatment failure. Collaborative care and shared treatment goals remain effective even when patients question diagnostic labels.

Unique Professional Stigma: Physician-patients face distinct challenges around licensure concerns, professional identity, and career implications that can lead to diagnostic resistance or questioning.

The Need for Specialized Care: The case underscores the importance of confidential, stigma-sensitive care models specifically designed for medical professionals, recognizing their unique professional vulnerabilities.

Policy Progress: Federation of State Medical Boards Takes Action

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), working alongside the AMA, Federation of State Physician Health Programs, and The Joint Commission, continues advocating for physicians' right to seek mental health care when needed. Their clear message: "Yes, it's OK for doctors to seek mental health care when needed."

This multi-organizational approach represents crucial policy momentum toward removing systemic barriers and creating supportive pathways for physician mental health care.

Resources and Next Steps

The Federation of State Physician Health Programs has released a powerful new video, "Trusted Help for Healthcare Professionals," highlighting the critical role of Physician Health Programs in supporting clinician wellbeing. This resource demonstrates how PHPs provide confidential, professional-sensitive care pathways.

Take Action Today: Visit FSPHP's Physician Suicide Prevention Resources and NPSADay.org to access practical tools for crisis prevention and intervention.

Reflection Questions for Your Practice

As we observe National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, consider these questions:

•   How do we support physician-patients who are skeptical of psychiatric diagnoses while maintaining therapeutic relationships?

•   Are our communications about reporting obligations clear and supportive rather than punitive?

•   Do we offer confidential, stigma-sensitive care models specifically designed for medical professionals?

•   How can we train clinicians to manage diagnostic disagreement while preserving therapeutic alliance?

Moving Forward

The convergence of today's awareness day with ongoing research into access barriers creates an opportunity for meaningful change. We must shift from a culture of silence to one that normalizes mental health care for those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

 The path forward requires both individual action and systemic change—removing barriers, eliminating stigma, and ensuring that those who heal others can access the healing they need.

Remember: Everyone has a role in reducing physician suicide. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For ongoing support, contact your local Physician Health Program, or in California where there is no PHP, contact your local physician well-being committee or similar resource.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization, institution, or entity with which the author is or has been affiliated.

#Physician wellbeing #PHPs #Physician health #AB 408 #LornaBreenFoundation #Physician Suicide